Global Focus on Putin–Trump Alaska Summit for Ukraine Ceasefire, Border Talks, and Arctic Resource Deals
US President Donald Trump, in a video conference with European leaders and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, proposed freezing the current front line in Ukraine and considering additional territorial exchanges between Moscow and Kyiv; suggested such borders would not receive international recognition; and stated that any final decisions on territory should be left to Russia and Ukraine, Axios reported.
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| File Photo Source: LisaToddSutton |
Axios further reported that Trump aims to secure a ceasefire and assess the chances for a full peace agreement during his August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the United States is preparing to offer Russia access to rare earth minerals in Alaska as part of summit discussions, alongside a proposal to lift restrictions on spare parts and equipment for civil aviation--a step the newspaper said could benefit Boeing. An unnamed UK government official told the publication that such proposals may be acceptable to Europe.
The Alaska meeting, confirmed by Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov on August 7 and by Trump himself on August 8, is expected to focus on a long-term peace settlement in Ukraine.
Ushakov added that Russia and the US have overlapping interests in Alaska and the Arctic and see prospects for large-scale, mutually beneficial projects.
President Trump says he had a very good call with European leaders ahead of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) August 13, 2025
He hopes to have a meeting with Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy soon after his trip to Alaska https://t.co/7dEDTSyxIB pic.twitter.com/eP68a4mFEo
In remarks to reporters during a visit to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Trump did not rule out discussing allegations, carried in American media, of Russian hacking of US court databases, stating, “I guess I could.”
He acknowledged both nations’ cyber capabilities, saying, “They hack in. That’s what they do. They’re good at it. We’re good at it. We’re actually better at it.”
Ushakov confirmed that the Alaska talks will prioritize peace in Ukraine and that the Kremlin expects a subsequent summit to be held in Russia.
Zelensky said he plans to speak with Trump after the Alaska meeting to discuss its outcome and “outline our next steps.”
He expressed hope that the talks’ main focus will be a ceasefire. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the video conference in Berlin, said important decisions could be made at the Alaska meeting and stressed that “the fundamental security interests of Europe and Ukraine must be respected.”
What are the messages coming out of Moscow two days before the Putin-Trump summit in Alaska? En route to Anchorage I take a look at what some of today’s Russian newspapers are saying. #ReadingRussia pic.twitter.com/URpTXYIwMP
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) August 13, 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking after the online talks, said Trump’s main goal is to seek a ceasefire, reiterated that territorial issues must be decided with Ukraine’s participation, and noted that “nothing is ruled out” regarding new sanctions. European Council President Ursula von der Leyen said the call reinforced “close coordination” between Europe, the US, NATO and Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry ambassador-at-large Rodion Miroshnik accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt the summit using “prohibited methods,” alleging a 25% increase in shelling of border territories and a 50% rise in targeted cities since news of the meeting emerged.
He said Kyiv’s calls for a 30-day pause were aimed at fortifying positions. This, he claimed, reflected a negative context created by Ukraine and its European supporters ahead of the summit.
Retired US Army colonel and former Virginia state senator Richard H. Black told TASS that Putin will attend the Alaska talks “in a position of strength” after Russian advances on the battlefield, and suggested Ukraine was excluded from the meeting because Trump “does not like Mr. Zelensky.”
Black said Ukraine’s defensive lines were “buckling” and that the success of the talks would depend on boundary proposals, with Russia insisting on permanent peace rather than a temporary pause like the Minsk Accords.
He argued that Trump wanted to end the war quickly but was constrained by congressional “hawks” pressing to maintain support for Ukraine, which prolonged the conflict.
Hungarian analyst Zoltan Koshkovich of the Budapest Center for Fundamental Rights told TASS that a US-Russia deal could cement the current front lines and force Kyiv and European capitals to adjust.
Without US military and financial backing, he said, Ukraine’s leverage would shrink and European nations alone could not sustain current support levels.
He predicted Trump seeks to refocus US attention on other global issues, including China, and that great power interests would outweigh European and Ukrainian objections, as seen in Cold War-era agreements.
Russian Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Alexey Fadeyev, when asked about possible land swaps, said Moscow’s delegation would act “solely on national interests” and that Russia’s territorial structure is defined by its Constitution.
"It's impossible to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no one will accept that."
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 12, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy comments on Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's upcoming Alaska summit.
Latest ➡️ https://t.co/sdL8XN2mjN
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602 and Freeview 233 pic.twitter.com/Z83oswBc4Q
Local preparations in Anchorage have been intense, with 98% of accommodations booked and the state reportedly turning away tourists. Anna Vernaya, head of the Russian Cultural Center in Alaska, told TASS the center is housing 14 journalists and seeking sleeping bags and tents for others, with staff giving up cars due to transport shortages.
She said another special flight on August 14 will bring 50–60 more journalists, and that while lodging and transport are being provided, food arrangements are up to the visitors.
On August 6, US Presidential Special Representative Steven Witkoff met Putin in Moscow as part of preparations.
The Alaska summit will be Putin’s first visit to the United States since 2015. The Kremlin expects the next meeting between the two presidents to take place on Russian territory.
With positions set, the summit has drawn mixed expectations. Supporters see a rare opportunity for Washington and Moscow to define a peace framework; critics warn that bypassing Kyiv in territorial talks risks undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Macron confirms: Trump’s goal to get CEASEFIRE at Alaska summit with Putin
— RT (@RT_com) August 13, 2025
Adds 47’s ordered NATO WON’T be part of any Ukraine security guarantees
And hopes potential 3-way Putin, Trump, Zelensky meeting will be at 'neutral country in Europe' https://t.co/25ZO4gWRAr pic.twitter.com/WDaZGUc074
European leaders have pressed for both ceasefire commitments and Ukrainian involvement in territorial decisions.
Trump’s proposals, according to Axios and Politico, center on freezing lines of control with possible land exchanges to be decided directly between Russia and Ukraine, without conferring formal recognition on any new boundaries.
The Daily Telegraph’s sources suggest economic incentives for Russia, including Arctic resource access and aviation trade openings, could form part of a broader settlement package.
For now, both sides are signaling readiness to talk. Ushakov has said Russia approaches the summit with mutual interest in peace, while Trump, according to Macron, is prioritizing a ceasefire.
What is agreed in Anchorage on August 15, European and US sources acknowledge, could shape not only the next phase of the Ukraine conflict but the strategic balance between the United States, Russia, and Europe for years to come.