Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump are scheduled to meet in person for bilateral talks on August 15 to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.
Before his election victory in November 2024, Trump announced he would end the war within the first 24 hours of his term. He is now about 200 days past his own deadline.
Trump said the meeting with Putin will help accelerate the peace process. Here’s an overview of what’s known so far.
When and where will the meeting take place?
The two leaders will meet next Friday in Alaska, a state in the northwest of the United States. The Kremlin has confirmed the meeting and has also invited Trump to Russia after the talks in Alaska.
Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov described the choice of location for the meeting as “logical.”
“Russia and the United States are close neighbors, bordering each other,” Ushakov said. “It seems quite logical that our delegation should simply fly across the Bering Strait and that such an important and eagerly awaited summit between the leaders of the two countries should be held in Alaska.”
What does Trump want to achieve?
For the US president, who portrays himself as an accomplished dealmaker, taking a significant step toward peace would be of personal and reputational importance. His political ally, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, recently nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
As for the actual conflict, Trump wants a ceasefire at the very least, and a long-term solution, at best.
Trump says he also wants to arrange a three-way meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian leader has agreed to this yet.
What does Putin want to achieve?
The Russian president wants to prevent the NATO military alliance from expanding further eastward. It’s likely he will try to convince Trump to vote against Ukraine’s NATO membership .
Another important point for him is preventing any possible NATO military presence on Ukrainian territory. Putin also wants a new, Russia-friendly government in Kyiv.
In addition, he has repeatedly demanded that certain territories captured by Russian troops during the Ukraine war be permanently transferred to Russia. Putin likely expects Trump to provide assurances on this as well.
What are the negotiating points?
The biggest point of contention is military action. Russian attacks on military and civilian targets in Ukraine have resulted in many deaths and the destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure.
Ukraine is also striking back inside Russia and doing damage there too. However, there’s an imbalance in terms of population and Ukraine is keen to end the war and, with it, the rising death toll among its own people. But at what cost?
According to experts, Russia probably won’t be willing to end the war without some concessions, a pivotal factor being Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.
According to Kyiv, NATO membership would significantly reduce the likelihood of another Russian attack in the future because when one NATO member is attacked, the others should come to their aid. NATO includes the US and other nuclear-armed powers, the United Kingdom and France.
Another negotiating point will be Ukraine’s borders. Kyiv has demanded full sovereignty for Ukraine and wants the borders to go back to the way they were before the war. But experts say it’s unlikely Russia would agree. Putin wants territories currently held by the Russian army to be transferred to Russia.
Russian troops currently occupy a large part of the four eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia claims these territories as its own.
In addition, there are areas elsewhere in Ukraine currently held by the Russian army, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
This story was originally published in German.
