Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska next Friday in an attempt to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the US and Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion. Trump announced this via a social media post he made on Truth social. The Kremlin confirmed the 15 August talks, with aide Yury Ushakov suggesting a potential second meeting could take place in Russia, according to Russian state media . Trump announced the meeting on Truth Social but made no mention of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, des

Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska next Friday in an attempt to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the US and Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion. Trump announced this via a social media post he made on Truth social. The Kremlin confirmed the 15 August talks, with aide Yury Ushakov suggesting a potential second meeting could take place in Russia, according to

Russian state media

. Trump announced the meeting on Truth Social but made no mention of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, despite previously ruling out talks with Putin unless the Russian leader also met his Ukrainian counterpart.

ABC

reports that speaking before the meeting was announced, Trump said a possible agreement could involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Russia and Ukraine, calling the situation “very complicated.” He added: “We’re going to get some back, we’re going to get some switched.” Under Ukraine’s constitution, Zelenskyy cannot sign any deal that cedes Ukrainian territory. However, Trump said Zelenskyy “has to get all of his… everything he needs, because he’s going to have to get ready to sign something.”

Bloomberg

earlier reported that Washington and Moscow were working on a deal allowing Russia to keep control of all Ukrainian territory it currently occupies. The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin had submitted a ceasefire proposal demanding major territorial concessions from Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff spoke for several hours in Moscow this week. (Reuters: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via ABC)

Zelenskyy said Ukraine, the US and other partners were “united in the understanding that there is a chance to achieve at least a ceasefire” and that “everything depends on the right pressure on Russia.” European and Ukrainian officials warned Putin’s offer could be a tactic to avoid new US sanctions and tariffs. Putin and Trump have spoken by phone several times this year, but their last in-person meeting was in 2021, when Putin met then-president Joe Biden in Switzerland. Putin last visited the US in 2015 for a UN summit in New York. Trump had given Putin until Friday to agree to a deal or face new sanctions and a 100% tariff on Russian exports, with additional “secondary” tariffs threatened against Russia’s trading partners. While no new measures have been announced since the deadline, Trump earlier pledged to double a 25% tariff on India, a major buyer of Russian oil. The move risks straining ties with New Delhi, a key US strategic partner. On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X that he had a “very good and detailed conversation” with Putin, during which they committed to strengthening India–Russia ties.

Reuters

reported on Friday that India had paused plans to buy new American weapons in response to the tariffs, citing three officials. The Indian government later dismissed the report as “false and fabricated.”

A little more informed. A little more connected.