U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska to discuss a potential peace agreement for the war in Ukraine, both governments confirmed on Friday. The summit will focus on options for a “long-term peaceful resolution” to the conflict, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who acknowledged the process would be “challenging” but promised Moscow’s active engagement.
Speaking to reporters at the White House earlier in the day, Trump hinted that the talks could involve “swapping of territories to the betterment of both.” However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy swiftly rejected any deal that would see Kyiv cede land, stressing that Ukraine’s constitution forbids altering borders under foreign pressure.
“Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupiers,” he said in a video address, warning that any decisions made without Ukraine’s involvement would be “stillborn” and “unworkable.”
Putin claims Crimea and four partially occupied Ukrainian regions, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, though Russian forces do not fully control them. Bloomberg News earlier reported that Washington and Moscow were exploring an arrangement that would effectively recognize Russia’s occupation in exchange for halting its offensive.
The White House dismissed the report as speculation, while the Kremlin declined to comment.
Former U.S. diplomat Tyson Barker warned that any plan locking in Russian territorial gains would be “immediately rejected” by Kyiv. Accepting the loss of about one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, he said, would be politically impossible for Zelenskiy’s government despite their desire to end a war that has devastated cities and killed tens of thousands.
The Alaska summit will mark the first major diplomatic gathering there since 2021, when U.S. and Chinese officials clashed publicly during talks in Anchorage. The meeting comes as Trump, in his second term, seeks to end the deadliest European conflict since World War II while balancing his shifting public stance toward Putin.
Trump has threatened new sanctions and tariffs against Russia and its trading partners, including a 25% tariff imposed this week on Indian goods over its imports of Russian oil. His special envoy Steve Witkoff held three hours of “constructive” talks with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, after talks with Zelenskiy, said there were “signals” that a freeze in the conflict might be near, though Kyiv remains cautious. “There are hopes for this,” Tusk noted, adding that Ukraine wants Poland and other European allies involved in any ceasefire and peace settlement planning.
Written By Rodney Mbua
