2:37President Donald Trump addresses the audience after signing a presidential proclamation that commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 14, 2025.Will Oliver/EPA/Shutterstock
A "much-anticipated" meeting. An occasion to "gauge" the stance of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A "listening session."
This is how President Donald Trump and the White House characterized the summit occurring on Friday in Alaska, marking their first in-person encounter since Putin’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine and Trump’s reinstatement in office.
Trump indicated he will urge Putin to agree to a ceasefire but has moderated expectations regarding the likelihood of an immediate agreement at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Rather, he mentioned that the objective is to arrange a subsequent meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Tomorrow, my aim is simply to prepare for the next meeting," Trump shared in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon. He even suggested the possibility of remaining in Alaska to facilitate that swiftly.
"I believe this will be a productive meeting," Trump remarked regarding his one-on-one with Putin, "but the more significant gathering will be the second meeting we are planning. We will convene with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, myself, and possibly some European leaders, though that is yet to be determined."
President Donald Trump addresses the audience after signing a presidential proclamation that commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 14, 2025.Will Oliver/EPA/Shutterstock
Trump stated that Friday’s summit was initiated by Putin and clarified that it was not his choice to leave Zelenskyy out of the preliminary discussions.
Zelenskyy and European officials instead participated in a virtual conference with Trump on Wednesday to alleviate concerns that the U.S. and Russia might reach a covert agreement without involving Ukraine.
Zelenskyy conveyed to Trump his belief that Putin is "bluffing" about wanting to pursue peace and articulated Ukraine’s fundamental demands for any deal, which include enforceable security guarantees and the authority for Kyiv to make decisions regarding territorial concessions.
On Thursday, Trump expressed optimism that both Zelenskyy and Putin "will reach an agreement" but acknowledged the possibility that his conversation with Putin might not yield positive results.
"We will learn where everyone stands, and I will know within the first few minutes, whether it be two, three, four, or five minutes. We generally discover quickly if we are headed for a successful meeting or not, and if it seems unfavorable, it will conclude swiftly," Trump remarked.
"And if it is a productive meeting, we could potentially achieve peace in the near future," Trump added.
Aircraft are stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in anticipation of a scheduled meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to deliberate on the conflict in Ukraine, in Anchorage, Alaska, August 13, 2025.Jeenah Moon/Reuters
During the 2024 campaign, Trump informed voters that he could resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict within the first 24 hours of his presidency, a claim he later described as an "exaggeration."
In the initial months of his administration, Trump expressed his belief that Putin was genuinely seeking peace and characterized the situation in Ukraine as "challenging."
"Look, nothing is going to occur until Putin and I meet, OK?" Trump stated back in May.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
