Trump and Putin Meet in Anchorage to Discuss Ukraine War

On Friday, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Anchorage, Alaska, for their highly anticipated discussions aimed at resolving the ongoing war in Ukraine.

This marks the first time US and Russian leaders have met face-to-face since Putin initiated his deadly invasion of Ukraine over three years ago.

The conference kicked off at 3:30 PM ET and is set to continue for several hours. Initial estimates were around four hours, but Kremlin officials suggested the talks might extend to seven hours.

Before the meeting, Trump indicated that reaching an agreement concerning Ukraine wouldn’t entail territorial concessions, though he acknowledged some uncertainty regarding America’s potential mineral contract with Moscow.

In fact, both nations brought along top business negotiators, with additional figures like Scott Bescent, who is engaged in trade discussions, and Secretary of Commerce Scott Lutnick, joining the delegations.

The White House confirmed that, along with Trump and key economic staff, Secretary Pete Hegses and Prime Minister Susie Wills also made the eight-hour journey for a comprehensive bilateral discussion and working lunch. However, it’s mainly Witkov and Rubio who will be present in the meeting with Trump, while Putin is expected to attend alongside Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

Interestingly, reports indicated that Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belusov also made the long flight. However, it’s uncertain whether he will participate in the discussions with Trump and Putin.

After meeting with Putin, Trump mentioned he plans to reach out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders from Europe. The possibility of a press conference following the high-level talks remains unclear.