The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, held a meeting at the Kremlin with the country’s top leadership on August 14, ahead of a planned trip to Alaska for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Preparation for the U.S.-Russia Summit in Alaska
Putin explained that he gathered the leaders of the Russian Federation to inform them about the current state of relations with the current American administration. According to him, the Trump administration is making “energetic and sincere efforts” to cease hostilities and resolve the crisis affecting the interests of all parties involved in the conflict. The President of the Russian Federation emphasized the importance of reaching agreements that would guarantee long-term peace both between Russia and the U.S. and at the European and global levels.
“…to tell about the stage we are at with the current American administration, which, as everyone knows, is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to cease hostilities, end the crisis, and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict, in order to create long-term conditions for peace both between our countries and in Europe and the world as a whole.”
Putin also did not rule out the possibility of concluding new agreements between Russia and the U.S. in the field of arms control in the future.
Trump’s Statements and Ukraine’s Reaction
The summit of U.S. and Russian leaders is set to take place on August 15 in Anchorage, the largest city in the state of Alaska. This will be the first in-person meeting of the Russian leader with the sitting U.S. president since 2021.
Earlier, on August 11, Donald Trump suggested the possibility of “some territorial exchange” between Ukraine and Russia, expressing dissatisfaction with the comments from Ukrainian leadership regarding the need for constitutional approval of such decisions.
According to American media, including The Wall Street Journal, Putin informed Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, of his readiness to agree to a complete ceasefire if Ukrainian troops withdraw from the entire Donetsk region. At the same time, sources from The Washington Post noted that Putin has no intention of renouncing claims to the territories of Kherson and Zaporizhia occupied by Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine will not agree to the transfer of its territories to Russia. He also stated that neither he nor European leaders were invited to the summit in Anchorage. Nevertheless, the U.S. administration and Donald Trump maintain communication with the leadership of Ukraine and European countries.