The Putin-Trump Alaska summit: What you need to know

The Ukraine conflict is expected to be the central topic in the talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on Friday in Alaska.

The summit is expected to focus on seeking a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, as well as broader Russia-US bilateral relations.

Here is what you need to know.

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Kremlin reveals details of Putin-Trump summit

The meeting will take place in the state of Alaska, the edge of which lies just a few dozen miles across the Bering Strait from the Russian border.

The meeting will begin on Friday morning at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, presidential foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told journalists on Thursday.

A number of Soviet pilots, servicemen, and civilians who died during the Second World War while ferrying planes under the Lend-Lease agreement are buried near the US military base, he said. The area is a “historically important place, a reminder of the military brotherhood of the peoples of our countries,” the Kremlin aide noted.

Face-to-face meeting

The summit will open with a one-on-one conversation between Putin and Trump, accompanied by their interpreters, according to Ushakov. The talks will then continue between the Russian and US delegations in a five-on-five format, he said.

The Kremlin and the White House initially confirmed that the two leaders are expected to speak at a joint press conference following the negotiations. Trump later told Fox News Radio that if the meeting goes badly, he would speak to journalists alone.

High-level delegations

Moscow’s team will include Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries Kirill Dmitriev, as well as Ushakov himself, the Kremlin aide said. Experts will also be present at the summit.

He noted that Russia has been informed of which officials will be in the US delegation, but declined to name them ahead of an official statement from Washington.

Trump’s team has yet to be announced.

Peace talks and more

The central issue of the summit is expected to be the Ukraine conflict. Trade and economic issues, and other bilateral cooperation will also be discussed, according to the Kremlin.

Putin said on Thursday during a meeting with members of the Russian delegation that Trump’s administration was making “quite energetic and sincere efforts” to end the crisis and “create long-term conditions for peace between our countries.” 

The Kremlin indicated on Thursday that no documents are expected to be signed as a result of the meeting.

Trump has described the summit as a “feel-out meeting” intended to help him better understand Putin’s position. He has also suggested that any potential settlement in Ukraine could involve territorial exchanges with Russia, and has dismissed Ukrainian reservations about such swaps.

Neither Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky nor leaders from Western European nations have been invited to the talks.

The lead up

The summit was organized in short order after a visit by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow last week. Trump had long promised to end the hostilities but has increasingly expressed discontent with the pace of Russian-Ukrainian talks.

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The Kremlin earlier indicated that Witkoff had brought to Moscow an “acceptable” offer from Washington.