ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska today in what is being described as one of the most closely watched diplomatic encounters of the year. The talks, expected to last up to seven hours, will focus on a range of contentious issues — with the war in Ukraine looming largest on the agenda.
The meeting will take place at Elmendorf-Richardson Air Base in Anchorage, under tight security and in near-freezing early morning temperatures. Reporters from across the globe gathered outside the military facility, some staying inside vehicles to keep warm as the two leaders prepared for their historic encounter.
President Trump will lead the U.S. delegation, while the Russian side will be headed by President Putin. Also present on the Russian team is Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who arrived wearing a shirt emblazoned with “USSR” — a symbolic choice that has already sparked commentary. Lavrov told reporters the Russian delegation has a “clear and understandable position” ahead of the talks.
Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One before landing in Alaska, Trump said the discussions would include the possibility of territorial swaps — but emphasized that any decision regarding Ukraine’s future “will ultimately be up to the Ukrainian people.”
“I’m not going to bargain on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump stated, framing his role as a facilitator rather than a negotiator for Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not participating in the Alaska meeting but posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the talks are “truly high-level” and that Ukraine is “counting on the United States” to push for a “path toward a just peace.”
The Kremlin has not disclosed Putin’s detailed talking points, but his spokesman confirmed the Russian leader would greet Trump directly at the steps of his aircraft.
Putin’s plane is scheduled to land in Anchorage at 11:00 a.m. local time, where the two leaders will meet immediately at the air base. From there, the talks are expected to continue behind closed doors for up to seven hours — a duration that signals the complexity of the issues at stake.
This is the first direct face-to-face between Trump and Putin since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. It comes at a time when U.S.-Russia relations are at their most strained in decades, largely due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, NATO expansion, and heightened nuclear rhetoric from Moscow.
For Alaska, the meeting is also symbolically charged: geographically, it sits between the U.S. mainland and Russia, a reminder of the narrow Bering Strait that separates the two powers.
Washington has framed the meeting as an opportunity to explore “possible avenues for de-escalation,” while the Kremlin has indicated it wants “concrete discussions” on security guarantees and sanctions relief.
Analysts note that the reference to “territorial swaps” could be a sticking point, as Kyiv has repeatedly rejected any settlement involving the ceding of Ukrainian land to Russia.
The Alaska summit follows months of back-channel diplomacy involving senior officials from both nations, as well as indirect contacts through European mediators. This is also occurring against the backdrop of Trump’s domestic political battles and Putin’s continued consolidation of power at home despite mounting international sanctions.
While the optics of two world leaders meeting on U.S. soil suggest a thaw, experts warn that both sides are entering the room with entrenched positions — making any breakthrough uncertain.
As temperatures remain cold outside, the diplomatic atmosphere inside the meeting room could prove even colder, depending on how far each leader is willing to move toward compromise.