Donald Trump (Republican) accidentally revealed his anxiety about meeting Vladimir Putin during a White House press conference about crime in Washington DC. "I'm going to see Putin. I'm going to Russia on Friday," Trump told reporters, before correcting himself that the meeting would take place in Alaska. The press conference, attended by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and newly confirmed DC U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, was intended to address deploying the National Guard to control DC crime.
Trump is scheduled to meet Putin in Alaska on Friday, August 15, 2025, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The historic summit marks the first encounter between a US president and Putin since Joe Biden met the Russian leader in Switzerland in 2021, and Putin's first visit to the United States in a decade.
Ukraine excluded from territorial talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not been invited to participate in the summit, despite the discussions concerning Ukraine's territorial future. Trump expressed frustration with Zelensky's requirement for constitutional approval on any potential land-swapping agreement, stating he was "bothered" that Zelensky needed approval for territorial changes but not for war decisions.
As The Guardian reports, Zelensky separately assessed that Russia is preparing for fresh offensives rather than seeking a genuine ceasefire. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz invited Trump to join emergency virtual talks with EU leaders and Zelensky on Wednesday ahead of the Alaska summit, according to The Guardian.
Russian enthusiasm for Alaska location
Russian officials have enthusiastically welcomed the Alaska location choice, citing historical connections to the territory, as The Independent reports. Russia's special economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev praised Alaska as "born as Russian America" with "Orthodox roots, forts, fur trade" that "makes the U.S. an Arctic nation". Sanctioned billionaire Konstantin Malofeyev claimed Alaskans "respectfully remember their Russian past", according to The Independent.
Critics flagged that Russia once claimed Alaska in the 1770s and had native Alaskans hunt fur for Russians, before the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. Trump announced the meeting on Truth Social, describing it as "the highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia".
Legal complexities and local reactions
Putin's attendance raises complex legal questions given his International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Alaska's Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski expressed cautious optimism while remaining "deeply wary of Putin and his regime", hoping discussions would "lead to genuine progress and help end the war on equitable terms".
Trump acknowledged the negotiations would be "very complex" and referenced inevitable "land-swapping" that would benefit Ukraine. He described the war in Ukraine as one of his "most vexing problems", despite previously claiming he could end it within 24 hours.
Sources used: "PA Media", "The Guardian", "The Independent" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
