Putin and Trump to meet in Alaska as Ukraine ceasefire deadline looms

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will meet in Alaska on August 15 to discuss the war in Ukraine, just hours before Trump’s ceasefire ultimatum to Moscow expires.

While experts doubt any major breakthrough, the summit — the first since Trump’s re-election — could pressure Putin into signaling openness to a truce.

The meeting was arranged after U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited the Kremlin on August 6. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend, and Washington and Moscow are framing the talks as a bilateral dialogue focused on Ukraine’s future.

Analysts say the talks will largely serve Putin’s image, giving him the chance to meet a Western leader despite his international isolation.

Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told DW that Putin seeks to appear as an equal partner in deciding “the fate of the world.”

Opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov warned that Trump’s engagement risks legitimizing Putin.

Observers suggest the Kremlin may be motivated by mounting challenges — a slowing war effort, economic strains, and the threat of tougher U.S. sanctions that could hurt Russian oil exports, particularly to India.

Bloomberg reported that Moscow might offer an “airspace ceasefire” as a concession, though Gudkov argued this would favor Russia by halting Ukrainian strikes that have brought the war closer to home for Russians.

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