Aug. 10, 2025 |
The Kremlin announced Thursday that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed “in principle” to meet “in the coming days”; on Friday evening Trump confirmed the summit will take place next Friday, August 15, in Alaska. The announcement followed a three-hour meeting in Moscow between Putin and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, the fifth such visit since Trump took office in January. While Putin had initially suggested the United Arab Emirates as a possible venue, Trump ultimately chose Alaska, saying he was open to the meeting without requiring Putin first to sit down with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—a condition the White House had initially floated.
The timing seems to have proved crucial: Trump had set a Friday deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face new sanctions and tariffs, including 100 percent tariffs on countries buying Russian oil. Instead of compliance, Putin appears to have offered Trump something he’s long wanted—a face-to-face summit. Meanwhile, Trump simultaneously imposed 25 percent tariffs on India over its Russian oil purchases, showing he’s willing to follow through on economic threats even as he pursues diplomacy.
The summit will be the first between Russian and American leaders since 2021, before Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump’s campaign promise to end the war “in 24 hours” has meanwhile receded into absurdity, while his administration has grown increasingly frustrated with Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian cities despite months of peace efforts. A Kremlin aide confirmed the Alaska meeting, describing the location as “quite logical” given the proximity across the Bering Strait.
What’s Trump's endgame here?