Trump, Putin to meet in Alaska today

President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will hold talks in Alaska today, Aug. 15, amid Trump’s hopes of reaching a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine.

The first direct meeting between the two presidents since Trump’s return to the White House is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. Makkah time.

Trump said yesterday that if his talks with Putin go well, holding a subsequent trilateral summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be more important than his meeting with Putin.

Ukraine and its European allies felt relatively reassured during a conference call held on Aug. 13, after making it clear that Trump had agreed on the need to involve Kyiv in any talks about territorial concessions. Zelensky said that his US counterpart supported the idea of security guarantees in a post-war settlement.

During a meeting with his aides at the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin praised the diligent and sincere efforts Trump was making to end hostilities, resolve the crisis, and reach agreements that serve the interests of all parties involved in the conflict.

It is well known that Putin needs Trump’s help to free Russia from strict Western sanctions, or at least to avoid the imposition of further sanctions on Moscow — something the US president has already threatened.

Earlier this week, Trump warned that Russia could face extremely severe consequences if it did not agree to end the war in Ukraine.