Trump and Putin meeting in Alaska to discuss Ukraine war
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet next week in Alaska to discuss an end to the three-year Russian war on Ukraine in the first in-person session between the two world leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January.
'The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,' Trump wrote on Aug. 8 in a post on Truth Social. "Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
The announcement comes on the same day a Trump-imposed deadline on Putin to end the war in Ukraine expires. Talks have been floated for months and were initially supposed to include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with Trump facilitating the negotiations.
More: Trump says deal to halt Russia's war on Ukraine could include 'swapping' of territories
When that didn't make progress, Trump said on Aug. 7 that he was open to meeting Putin without Zelenskyy's presence being a prerequisite. On July 28, Trump announced that he would be giving Russia 10 to 12 days to end its three-year war on Ukraine or face "stiff tariffs." That deadline falls on Aug. 8.
More: Trump signs new peace agreement that includes the 'Trump Route'
Trump has threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" of up to 100% on countries that trade with Russia, particularly those in the energy sector. The president also this week signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on imports from India in retaliation for the country's Russian oil imports, doubling India's U.S. tariff rate to 50%.
Then-President Joe Biden is the last U.S. leader to meet with Putin, during a 2021 summit in Switzerland. Trump and Putin met in Finland in 2018. Both meetings took place before Russia war launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Turkey hosted a previous round of negotiations in May between Russia and Ukraine that Zelenskyy challenged Putin to show up to in person. Trump said he'd come, too, if he thought it would help. None of the leaders ended up attending.
Contributing: Francesca Chambers
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