High-Stakes Alaska Summit: Trump and Putin Face Off Over Ukraine War
In Alaska, an unusual mix of tension and spectacle is unfolding as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare for their first face-to-face meeting in six years. The talks, set for Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage, are being framed as a last-ditch attempt to end the war in Ukraine — a conflict that has raged since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Trump, who has cast himself as a global dealmaker, is betting that his personal rapport with Putin can succeed where countless diplomatic efforts have failed. He has been vocal about wanting a ceasefire, though he recently admitted there’s only about a “25% chance” the meeting will achieve that goal. The stakes are high: his administration had set a deadline for Russia to halt its offensive or face sweeping new sanctions. That countdown quietly paused once news of the summit broke, giving both sides more breathing room.
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has been left out of the room — and he’s not hiding his frustration. He warns that any agreement struck without Kyiv’s input would be “meaningless” and potentially dangerous, especially if it involves territorial concessions. His alarm grew when Trump mused about possible “land swaps” as part of a peace plan. For Zelensky, ceding the Donbas or other occupied territories would not end the war, but invite future attacks.
In Anchorage, the build-up is less visible than one might expect for such a high-stakes encounter. Tourists roam the summer wilderness while international media stake out positions. Security is tight, with the entire meeting confined to the military base and scheduled for only a few hours. That brevity, coupled with the guarded tone from both sides, suggests that any breakthrough will be hard-won.
The Kremlin has maintained its familiar position: Russia will only end the war if it gains full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, along with assurances that Ukraine will demilitarise and never join NATO. Washington, meanwhile, is walking a fine line between threats of “severe consequences” and hints that Trump may simply “listen” rather than push aggressively.
Alaska itself offers an ironic backdrop. Once part of Russia, it was sold to the US in 1867 for $7.2 million — a move ridiculed at the time as “Seward’s Folly” but later vindicated by its strategic and economic value. The state now thrives on oil, fishing, and tourism, but its history of land changing hands is not lost on observers wary of any Ukraine-related territorial bargains.
Whether the Alaska summit produces a path to peace or just another photo op remains uncertain. What’s clear is that both leaders arrive with sharply different goals, and common ground may prove as hard to find as it once was in the frozen wilderness they now meet upon.
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