🚀U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the U.S. state of Alaska on August 15, with further details to be released later.
Earlier the same day, Trump said Washington and Moscow were "very close" to reaching an agreement on Ukraine and that arrangements for the meeting location were underway.
On Saturday, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the meeting, saying the two leaders will focus on options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the upcoming summit.
Ushakov noted that preparations for the talks "will be a difficult process," but both sides "will be actively and intensively engaged in this." He also said Putin has invited Trump to hold their next meeting in Russia following the Alaska talks.
Trump won't require Putin to meet with Zelenskyy
On Thursday, Trump said a ceasefire in Ukraine depends on Putin, adding that Putin does not need to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before holding talks with him.
Earlier that day, a White House official had said the location of a potential U.S.–Russia summit had not yet been determined and that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would be a precondition for talks with Trump – a commitment the Kremlin had not made.
Also on Thursday, Putin said both Moscow and Washington are interested in holding a summit, noting that the United Arab Emirates is among the suitable venues. Speaking after talks with visiting UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Putin said Russia has "many friends" willing to help arrange the meeting. He added that a meeting with Zelenskyy remains possible in principle, but the necessary conditions are still "far from being met."
