A Matryoshka, the standard Russian wood dolls, depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is displayed on the market at a memento store in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025.
Dmitri Lovetsky/AP
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Dmitri Lovetsky/AP
MOSCOW — The Kremlin and the White Home have each confirmed that Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet one-on-one in Alaska on Friday earlier than increasing talks to their delegations. The summit begins at 11:30 a.m. native time in keeping with the Kremlin, adopted by a joint press convention. Ukraine will dominate the agenda, alongside commerce and U.S.–Russia cooperation.
Talking on Fox Information Radio Thursday, Trump referred to as the talks “like a chess game,” framing them as a setup for a doable follow-up assembly between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “make a deal.”
“There will be a give and take as to boundaries, lands, etc.,” Trump mentioned. “This meeting sets up the second meeting, but there is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting,” he mentioned.
Trump mentioned Putin’s go to to the U.S. indicators he is all in favour of ending his warfare in Ukraine and credited their private rapport. Whereas uncertain of a right away ceasefire, Trump mentioned he expects one “to come,” and floated Alaska as a possible location for a second summit – although he backed off when pressed on whether or not he had requested Zelenskyy to be able to shortly be a part of them in Anchorage. “I don’t want to talk about a second meeting, even to him. I don’t want to even indicate there might be a second meeting,” he mentioned.
Earlier within the day in Moscow, President Putin gathered his prime advisors and thanked the Trump administration for its “sincere efforts” to dealer peace, and even raised the potential of a brand new arms management deal.
Up till this level Putin has largely saved silent concerning the Trump assembly, at the same time as common Russians have speculated on what offers could be on supply.
At a scenic river overlook simply outdoors the Kremlin, Russians interviewed by NPR mentioned they hoped for an finish to the warfare — even when they disagree on the way to get there.
Vladimir, a former navy sailor from Saint Petersburg, blames NATO growth for the battle, likening it to the Cuban Missile Disaster.
Galina Shalaikina, from Novosibirsk in Siberia, hopes the summit brings an finish to the combating — however solely after Russia meets its navy objectives. She additionally mentioned she noticed no motive for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be included within the summit.
“The leaders of two big countries are meeting,” says Shalaikina. “Why should a small poor country like Ukraine dominate the discussions?”
Alexander, an opponent of the warfare who declined to offer his final identify attributable to concern of presidency stress, mentioned he had “zero hope” Trump would achieve getting Putin to cease the warfare.
“We’ll see some political trading that could be good for the leaders,” he explains, “but not for average people.”
Putin has mentioned he needs peace — however solely on Moscow’s phrases. These embrace ending Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, demilitarization, and ceding land claimed by Russia. He has thus far rejected Trump’s requires a ceasefire, showing assured that the battlefield will deliver him extra leverage than the negotiating desk.
Sergei Markov, a former Putin spokesman, argues Trump may nonetheless assist ship a deal — however warns towards overestimating the breakthrough. He is watched 1 / 4 century of American presidents repeatedly fail to swerve Putin from what Markov says is a simply protection of Russian pursuits.
“All American presidents try to fix relations with Russia — and all end up with bad relations.” It might occur to Donald Trump, too, warns Markov.
The message from Moscow: even for a norm-busting U.S. president in search of peace, there are geopolitical traditions which are laborious to interrupt.
