Trump and Putin to hold Alaska summit in bid to end Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on August 15 for what both sides are calling a “highly anticipated” attempt to broker peace in Ukraine — a summit that could reshape the geopolitical map.

Trump confirmed the meeting on Truth Social on August 8, calling it a pivotal step toward ending the conflict, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also engaged in parallel negotiations. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” Trump told reporters, hinting at possible concessions by Kyiv without detailing specifics.

The Kremlin, through senior aide Yuri Ushakov, said discussions would focus on “options for achieving a long-term peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis,” while cautioning the process would be “challenging.” Putin has claimed sovereignty over four partially occupied Ukrainian regions — Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — as well as Crimea, annexed in 2014.

Reports from Bloomberg suggested a deal could cement Moscow’s hold over occupied territories, but the White House dismissed this as speculation. Zelenskyy, in his nightly address, said a ceasefire was possible with sustained international pressure and noted ongoing talks with multiple world leaders.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, after meeting Zelenskyy, said there were hopes for at least a freeze in the fighting, though Kyiv remained “cautious but optimistic.”

Meanwhile, on the 1,000-kilometre front line, fighting continues unabated. Ukrainian commanders told the Associated Press they doubted Moscow’s sincerity. “It is impossible to negotiate with them. The only option is to defeat them,” said Buda, a drone unit commander. In the south, a howitzer commander known as Warsaw vowed, “We are on our land, we have no way out. So we stand our ground.”