U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska.
According to Al Jazeera, the talks between the two leaders will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time in Alaska (1:15 a.m. Saturday in Nepali time).
From Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, President Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov, and special economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev will participate in the talks.
From the U.S. side, Vice President J.D. Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will attend.
This long-awaited meeting has drawn global attention. It is considered significant for two main reasons.
The first is the Russia–Ukraine war.
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump pledged to end the Russia–Ukraine war within 24 hours if elected. However, nine months into his presidency, he has yet to fulfill that promise.
It’s not that Trump hasn’t made efforts toward a ceasefire. He had invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House for talks, but the meeting failed to produce results. Instead, Trump faced global criticism for his demeanor toward President Zelensky.
This will be Trump’s first meeting with Putin since taking office, which is another reason it is drawing attention. He has already stated that the talks will focus on a ceasefire. Trump has warned that if no agreement is reached, Russia will face serious consequences. For this reason, there is considerable expectation that a ceasefire deal might be reached.
The second reason for the meeting’s significance is its location — Alaska.
Alaska was once part of Russia. For the past 150 years, it has been a part of the United States. In the 18th century, the Russian Empire colonized the region, but in 1867, Russia sold it to the U.S. for $7.2 million. It remains the closest U.S. territory to Russia, and remnants of Russian culture can still be seen there today.
Why meet in Alaska?
Analysts say the choice of Alaska is a diplomatic decision. The distance between Alaska and Russia is only 88 kilometers, which some argue makes it a convenient location for Putin.
Another factor is that the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Since the ICC has issued a warrant against Putin, Alaska is considered a safe venue for him. This meeting marks the first time in a decade that Putin will set foot on U.S. soil — specifically, to meet Trump in Alaska.
