Russian-American summit: Ukraine negotiations in Alaska? Trump wants to receive Putin

US President Donald Trump and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin want to personally meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday for negotiations on the war in Ukraine. Until this first meeting of a US president with a Russian head of state for more than four years there has been a lot to be prepared. Above all, however, it is criticized in advance that the Ukraine, which is primarily concerned, does not even sit at the negotiating table. What the meeting can bring – some questions and answers:

The US President wants to end the war as soon as possible. However, Russia’s army, which has been waging a destructive war against Ukraine for around three and a half years on Putin’s command for around three and a half years, has the initiative and expands its conquests. People are killed every day. Millions of Ukrainians fled their homeland. That is why it is now primarily about a ceasefire – or even a peace conclusion.

Trump represents the summit as an attempt to get closer to the end of the fights. In this context, he threw a possible exchange of territory between Ukraine and Russia, but remained vague.

Moscow recently called for a peaceful solution to the conflict, among other things, a waiver of Ukraine on NATO accession and the assignment of the areas annexed by Russia. The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj has so far categorically rejects the waiver of the Black Sea Peninsula Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014 and the areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Saporischschja and Cherson, some of which were controlled by Moscow.

International borders should not be changed violently, it was said in front of the summit in a joint explanation of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Great Britain, Finland and the EU Commission.

Where’s the Selenskyj meeting?

In Kiev President Wolodymyr Selenskyj emphasizes that there could only be a fair peace in the negotiations with the participation of Ukraine. But Putin rejects Selenskyj’s participation in the summit – at the moment. In the Kremlin in Moscow it says that the main focus is now on the bilateral Russian-American negotiations.

In contrast, Kiev and Europeans warn that there should be no gifts to Russia at the summit. Every concession mounted the risk of only encouraging Russia to new aggression.

However, Russia is also interested in economic contacts with the USA and wants to talk to Trump about strategic security in the future – this means above all atomic armaments. This is also why Moscow brought a connection meeting between Putin and Trump into play – then in the Russian field.

What can be clarified at the summit without Kyiv?

Above all, Russia wants to restore the relationship with the United States. With a view to Ukraine, after numerous phone calls to Trump, Putin should once again make his view of the origins of the conflict clear in direct conversation and offer a solution – possibly a partially cease -up. However, implementation is considered excluded without Ukrainian participation and approval.

Territorial questions in particular would require an extensive change in the Ukrainian constitution, since all areas – including the Crimea – are listed in this. Changes in the constitution, which are also not permitted in war, require a two -thirds majority in parliament, the top rada. The constitutional court must also agree.

President Selenskyj or the top rada cannot simply decide on a waiver of territory. International recognition of Crimea and other Ukrainian areas as a Russian territory, as Moscow demands, is also considered excluded.

However, of course, the US President would have had some pressure against Ukraine, including a complete stop of military support, as was briefly done in March. In addition, the United States could also provide the provision of information data, which would be difficult to replace from the other Ukrainian allies. The Ukrainian army would be practically blind in one fell swoop, the continuation of the war would be more and more difficult for them. Ukraine could threaten the loss of its state area.

Ukraine and Europe accuse Putin of not being interested in peace – is that?

In fact, it is always emphasized in Moscow that Russia still has enough resources to continue the war over the years. At the same time, the Kremlin explains not to be interested in it. But what Putin has so far requires an end to the fight, the Ukraine would have a capitulation. Kyiv and the Europeans reject them.

But it is also clear that the sanctions of the West burden the Russian economy. Despite a high -driven war economy, there is a risk of recession, there are many problems with quickly shrinking reserves. The continuation of the fighting is becoming increasingly expensive for Russia – not least because the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who go to war due to the high salaries are increasingly missing.

The independent Russian political scientist Tatjana Stanowaja sees chances at the summit. Trump himself had to understand that Russia had a military advantage and that Putin sanctions were probably not impressed. “In my opinion, this is the first or less realistic attempt to end the war,” she says. “At the same time, I am extremely skeptical about the implementation of the agreements, even if there is an armistice for a certain time.”

When was Putin last in the USA – and how well he knows Trump?

According to the US State Department, Putin was last in the United States in September 2015 to take part in the United Nations General Assembly in New York. There he also met the then US President Barack Obama, who also visited Putin in Moscow.

Trump has already met Putin several times – during his first term from 2017 to 2021, including 2019 at the G20 summit in Osaka in Japanese. Under Trump’s successor Biden, which Putin last met in Geneva in 2021, there was largely radio silence after the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in February 2022 between Washington and Moscow.

Since the beginning of his second term in January 2025, Trump has been a mediator for a peace solution that maintains a good connection to Putin. He distanced himself from the Bidens supporting course for Ukraine and also questioned US arms deliveries to the attacked country. He even goes so far to say that it is “bidens war”.

Didn’t Trump actually want to increase the pressure on Putin?

In the election campaign, Trump had still tackled the war to end the war within 24 hours. Since the beginning of his term in January, he has been on the phone with Putin several times. Most recently, however, he was increasingly critical of the Kremlin boss. The fact that Putin agreed with the US President for a rapid reunion was therefore relatively surprising.

On July 29, Trump had set a period of ten days and asked for a ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev during this period. In the event that this should not occur, he announced sanctions against important trading partners in Russia – and was the first country to take India with new punitive tariffs because of its oil transactions with Moscow. However, these should only come into force on August 27th. The 10-day ultimate from the end of July has now expired without Trump’s other states with new taxes in the context of the Ukraine War.

Trump is a host, Putin comes as a guest. For Trump, the journey will take almost as long as for Putin: Alaska is the northernmost state in the United States. It is not that far from Russia – at the narrowest point it is only a few kilometers. The Meerenge Beringstrasse separates the area of Russian territory.

The exact place of the meeting and the time of the encounter are still unclear. Alaska is also far from Europe in the sense of Putin to show that Europeans are basically outside. And for security reasons, it is ideal for the Kremlin chief because no third countries are involved. In addition, he does not have to fear the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court there because the United States and Russia does not recognize the instance.

Alaska belonged to today’s Russia until the middle of the 19th century until the United States bought the area with many mineral resources to the then Empire.