US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold a long-anticipated summit meeting on Friday.
The two leaders will meet in person in Alaska to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. The talks will take place at the joint U.S. Army and Air Force base in Anchorage, Alaska.
According to U.S. media reports, the meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time on Friday. Russian news agency TASS reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already arrived in Alaska for the summit, accompanied by Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov.
One of Putin’s top aides, Yuri Ushakov, said the meeting will start at 10:30 p.m. Moscow time. The two leaders are expected to hold a one-on-one session, with only interpreters from both sides present, TASS noted.
Talks will primarily focus on a ceasefire in Ukraine, but current international and regional issues are also expected to be discussed.
According to TASS, the Russian delegation traveling to Alaska for the talks includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, the president’s special envoy for foreign investment and economic cooperation, and Russian Direct Investment Fund chief Kirill Dmitriev.
President Putin himself has not yet arrived in Alaska.
Although he has already departed from Moscow, he made a stop in Magadan in Russia’s Far East, where his itinerary includes visits to industrial sites, cultural centers, sports facilities, and monuments. Afterward, Putin is scheduled to fly directly to Alaska to join Trump for the summit talks, TASS reported.
The United States and Russia have reportedly discussed ending the war in Ukraine using a model similar to Israel’s control of the West Bank.
According to British newspaper The Times, under such a model, territory currently occupied by Russia would remain under Russian military and economic control, while officially still being considered part of Ukraine.
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine recognize Crimea, the Donbas, and other Russian-held areas as part of Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, has repeatedly said he will not cede any territory, noting that the constitution also prohibits doing so.
Because Ukraine insists on not formally giving up its land, and Russia refuses to relinquish the areas it controls, Washington and Moscow are believed to have discussed the West Bank model as a possible compromise.
The Times reported that Trump’s peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, discussed the idea with his Russian counterpart several weeks ago. Witkoff, who is also Trump’s envoy for ending the Israel–Hamas war, is said to be familiar with the model.
Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. While the area — home to many Palestinians — is not officially part of Israel’s map, it is under Israeli military and economic control.
Under a similar approach, Russian-occupied Ukrainian land would remain on Ukraine’s map but under Moscow’s military and economic authority. Theoretically, Ukraine might accept this model because it would not require an official cession of territory.
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet Friday in Alaska to discuss ending the Russia–Ukraine war. Ahead of the summit, Trump held a virtual meeting Thursday with European leaders to coordinate ceasefire strategy.
During that meeting, Trump assured them there would be no agreement with Putin involving the transfer of Ukrainian territory, stressing that territorial issues are not within his authority to decide. Media reports said his comments gave European leaders hope that he would reject any Russian proposal to exchange a ceasefire for control of Ukrainian land.
Trump had previously suggested that a ceasefire could involve land swaps, with both Russia and Ukraine gaining and losing some territory. Russia has long insisted that a ceasefire be based on the current lines of control.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump told European leaders that only the Ukrainian president could negotiate on territorial matters. Macron said Trump’s two clear messages were: first, to achieve a ceasefire in Alaska, and second, to leave territorial decisions to Ukraine.
Trump has indicated that if the ceasefire talks with Putin succeed, he will quickly begin a second round of talks with Zelensky, in which any agreement on territory and other issues would be made in Zelensky’s presence and with his consent.
CNN reported that during the virtual meeting, Trump also expressed support for providing Ukraine with U.S.-backed security guarantees — something European diplomats view as a positive development.
Trump warned that if the talks fail, Russia will face serious consequences, and additional sanctions will be imposed on countries that continue to purchase Russian oil.
