US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet on Friday at a US air base in Alaska for their first face-to-face talks on ending the war in Ukraine, and the first summit between sitting US and Russian leaders in over four years.
The high-stakes meeting marks Putin’s first visit to the US in a decade and his first trip to a Western country since launching the invasion in February 2022. Expectations are tempered by the wide gulf between Moscow and Kyiv’s positions.
Russia’s Position
Putin aims to push his hardline demands, outlined in a June draft peace plan, which include Ukraine withdrawing from Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, regions Moscow claimed to annex in 2022. Russia also wants Kyiv to abandon NATO aspirations, halt mobilisation, stop receiving Western arms, lift sanctions, and guarantee the rights of Russian speakers while banning what it calls “glorification of Nazism.” Ukraine has dismissed these terms as unacceptable.
Ukraine’s Demands
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, not invited to the summit, has warned there can be no peace without Ukraine’s involvement. Kyiv seeks an unconditional ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, the return of thousands of children it says Russia illegally took, and ironclad security guarantees. It insists sanctions should only be lifted gradually and reimposed if Russia violates any agreement.
US Goals
Trump, who once vowed to end the war “within 24 hours” of taking office, has so far secured no major concessions. The White House describes this meeting as a “listening exercise,” though Trump has hinted at future talks involving Zelenskyy if the Alaska meeting goes well.
Europe’s Concerns
European leaders, excluded from recent peace talks, have stressed no settlement can be reached without Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have offered post-war peacekeepers, an idea firmly rejected by Moscow.
Despite the diplomatic theatre, officials on all sides caution that a breakthrough in Alaska remains unlikely.
Written By Rodney Mbua
