Trump, Putin to Hold Alaska Summit amid Push for Ukraine Peace Deal
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on August 15 in Alaska, in a bid to reach a peace agreement that may involve major territorial concessions from Ukraine.
Trump confirmed the meeting on Thursday, saying the talks aim to end the conflict that began more than three years ago. He did not say whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would attend.
Earlier in the day, Trump suggested the agreement could include territorial swaps, calling the war “a fight over land for 3½ years” in which “a lot of Russians have died, a lot of Ukrainians have died.” He added there could be “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the Alaska summit, telling Russian media it was logical for the delegation to “fly across the Bering Strait.” He added that a follow-up meeting in Russia had been proposed to Trump.
The summit’s planning accelerated after Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin for three hours in Moscow on Wednesday, leaving with a proposal from the Russian side. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the plan contained “concrete examples” of what Russia would demand to end the war.
Russia’s proposal, according to a source familiar with the talks, would have Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region — including Luhansk and Donetsk — in exchange for a ceasefire. It is unclear if Moscow would relinquish territory in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, areas it partly controls along with a crucial land bridge to Crimea.
Russia continues to demand recognition of its 2014 annexation of Crimea, as well as its hold over occupied eastern Ukrainian regions. Moscow also controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, raising ongoing safety concerns.
Putin’s broader objectives remain unchanged, analysts say — demilitarization of Ukraine, removal of an “anti-Russian” government in Kiev, and ensuring Ukraine’s neutrality.
European and Ukrainian officials have opposed earlier US-Russia proposals that would freeze the conflict at current front lines without security guarantees for Ukraine, warning this could allow Russia to launch future offensives.
Putin has resisted meeting Zelensky directly, rejecting the idea during talks this week and insisting “conditions” for such a meeting are far from being met. Ushakov said Russia’s focus was on ensuring a “successful and productive” bilateral meeting with Trump.
