August 15 is the date set for a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. According to the publication, the talks are expected to begin at about 11:30 a.m. local time, or 10:30 p.m. Moscow time. The two leaders are to speak one-on-one first, followed by delegation talks, a working breakfast and a press conference.
Alongside Putin, the Russian delegation is expected to include Sergei Lavrov, Yuri Ushakov, Andrei Belousov, Anton Siluanov and Kirill Dmitriev. Holding the summit in the United States gives Washington several advantages, political scientist Margarita Zavadskaya said: it reduces the risk of leaks, lets the US control the setting and highlights American military power.
The Anchorage base played a major strategic role during the Cold War as a surveillance point focused on the Soviet Union, and it remains an important defense site today, including for F-22 Raptor fighters. The article also notes another factor: the United States is not obliged to enforce the International Criminal Court warrant for Putin’s arrest issued in 2023.
On the eve of the summit, Volodymyr Zelensky took part in a video conference in Berlin with Trump and European leaders. After the call, Emmanuel Macron said that territorial issues concerning Ukraine could only be discussed by the Ukrainian president. Friedrich Merz and Zelensky also stressed that recognition of Russia’s occupation was not under discussion and that pressure on Moscow should continue.
“Putin does not want peace, he wants the occupation of our country. We will continue pressure for the sake of peace,” Zelensky said.
US and European media have floated different scenarios for possible agreements, from a pause in air strikes to a ceasefire along the front line or territorial exchanges. But experts interviewed by the outlet say no real breakthrough should be expected: for Putin, the meeting chiefly matters as a way to maintain ties with Trump and project readiness for negotiations.
Zavadskaya says Trump may try to secure at least a limited outcome, such as restrictions on deep strikes into each side’s territory. At the same time, she warns that discussing Ukrainian land without Kyiv’s full participation creates what she describes as an “extremely colonial situation” and could legitimize the very idea of bargaining over territory.