United States President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet today at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
The meeting, set for 11:30am Alaska time (19:30 GMT), will be Putin’s first visit to the United States in a decade and the first-ever visit of a Russian leader to Alaska. Trump has framed the summit as an attempt to lay the foundation for a ceasefire agreement in a conflict that has lasted more than three years, killed tens of thousands of soldiers, and displaced millions.
Although Trump has lowered expectations of an immediate breakthrough, he struck a more forceful tone on Wednesday, August 13. Speaking at the White House, he said:
“If this meeting ends without peace, Russia will face very severe consequences.”
Earlier in the week, he also suggested the possibility of a territorial “land swap” between Ukraine and Russia, but walked back the remarks after criticism in Europe, stating instead:
“We’re going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”
Moscow presented a formal proposal to Washington on August 6. Russia’s conditions include:
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Ukraine abandoning NATO membership ambitions.
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Ukraine ceding the entire Donbas region.
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and the easing of Western sanctions.
Putin’s delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, signaling that Moscow may also tie economic incentives and investment offers to the peace talks.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders were excluded from the Anchorage summit. On August 11, Trump dismissed Zelenskyy’s absence, saying:
“He’s gone to a lot of meetings. Nothing happened.”
European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, joined a virtual call with Trump two days ago in a last-minute effort to influence the agenda.
Analyst Neil Melvin of the Royal United Services Institute in London noted:
“European leaders have been relegated to the margins, with the EU seen by Trump and Putin as largely irrelevant.”
The location of the summit carries historic weight. Alaska, purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million (equivalent to $162 million today), is geographically the closest point between the US and Russia. The chosen venue, Elmendorf-Richardson, was a frontline base against potential Soviet attacks during the Cold War.
Melania Trump Threatens Hunter Biden With $1 Billion Lawsuit
While President Trump focuses on foreign policy, First Lady Melania Trump is pursuing legal action against Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, over comments linking her to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In an interview with filmmaker Andrew Callaghan last month, Hunter Biden claimed that Epstein had introduced Melania to Donald Trump in the late 1990s, calling their ties “so wide and deep.”
Melania Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, sent a letter to Hunter Biden’s attorney on August 6, demanding a full retraction and apology or face legal damages “in excess of $1 billion.” The letter described the remarks as “false, disparaging, defamatory and inflammatory.”
The first lady’s office added in a statement:
“First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods.”
Speaking in a follow-up interview released on Thursday, August 14, Hunter Biden refused to apologise:
“Not going to happen. These threats of a lawsuit don’t add up to anything other than a designed distraction.”
Biden argued that if sued, he would be able to question both Donald and Melania Trump under oath:
“I’d be more than happy to provide them the platform.”
Donald Trump has acknowledged a past acquaintance with Epstein but said they fell out in the early 2000s. The Trumps maintain that they first met in 1998 at a New York Fashion Week party hosted by modeling agent Paolo Zampolli, not through Epstein.
Epstein died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial, with his death being officially ruled a suicide, though the case continues to fuel conspiracy theories and political disputes in the U.S.
