What to know about the Trump-Putin summit and their previous encounters
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President Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018. (Photo: Xinhua/Lehtikuva/Jussi Nukari via Getty Images)
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday to discuss the possibility of peace in Ukraine.
The big picture: Trump and Putin have met before, but arguably never with so much on the line geopolitically. Trump said Wednesday that Putin must agree to a ceasefire or face "serious consequences."
- Much, if not all, of the focus will be on the war between Russia and Ukraine.
- Trump described it as a "feel-out meeting" to see what Putin is prepared to offer, and how serious he is about making peace.
- But he also told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders that he hopes Putin will agree to a ceasefire, and ideally to a follow-up meeting involving Zelensky.
The latest: The White House confirmed Thursday that Trump and Putin will hold a joint press conference after Friday's meeting in Alaska.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming summit.
Why are Trump and Putin meeting?
Driving the news: The possibility of a presidential summit came up in a meeting last Wednesday between Putin and Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff. On Friday, Trump announced it would take place in Alaska.
- That announcement came as Trump's ceasefire-or-sanctions deadline for Putin expired, with Trump putting penalties for Putin on hold.
- "The President feels like, look, I've got to look at this guy across the table. ... I want to look this guy in the eye. I think we're going to know very early in that meeting whether this thing has any chance of success or not," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told radio host Sid Rosenberg on Tuesday.
- European and Ukrainian officials have been growing nervous that Trump will take Putin's side in the meeting and pressure Zelensky to make major concessions.
When is the Trump-Putin meeting?
The Trump-Putin summit is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 15. The Kremlin said it would begin at 11:30 a.m. local time (3:30 p.m. ET.), though the White House has yet to confirm the logistics.
- Per the Kremlin, it will involve a one-on-one meeting with just the presidents and their translators, and a wider meeting with their delegations.
- Trump has said he will call Zelensky and several European leaders after it's over to brief them.
Where is the Trump-Putin meeting?
The presidents are expected to meet in Anchorage, Alaska. No precise location has been announced, but CNN reports it will take place at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base.
- While Trump misspoke twice during a press conference on Monday by saying he was going to Russia, Putin will definitely be visiting U.S. soil.
- The White House declined to comment on the meeting's specific location.
What will Putin and Trump discuss?
The leaders will discuss terms for a potential peace deal in Ukraine, though Trump has said only Russia and Ukraine can make any final agreements. Moscow also suggested arms control and economic cooperation could be on the agenda.
- Putin has already raised the possibility of claiming two territories in Ukraine (Donetsk and Luhansk), while holding Russia's current positions in Zaporizhia and Kherson.
- Ukrainian officials have dismissed similar proposals in the past. Their current position is that they may be prepared to make difficult concessions, but only after Russia agrees to a ceasefire.
- Trump suggested in a Wednesday call that "land swaps" would be needed in any peace deal, but that it would be up to Putin and Zelensky.
Yes, but: Trump and Putin have been on particularly unfriendly terms in recent weeks, with Trump growing frustrated as Putin has declined to agree to a ceasefire or negotiate in earnest.
- "I believe, he wants to get [the war] over with," Trump said of Putin on Monday. "Now, I've said that few times and I've been disappointed."
When did Trump and Putin last meet?
Flashback: Trump and Putin had several meetings during Trump 1.0, but have only spoken by phone since Trump returned to the White House.
- They last met in 2019 at the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, where Trump playfully told Putin not to meddle in the 2020 presidential election.
Before that, they met in Helsinki in 2018 at a bilateral summit that lasted over two hours.
- Critics called this a humiliating meeting for Trump because the president accepted Putin's claim that Russia didn't interfere in the 2016 presidential election without any pushback.
- Trump and Putin were supposed to meet at G-20 Summit in Buenos Aires in 2018, but Trump canceled that meeting two days prior after Russia seized Ukrainian ships. They still reportedly had an informal chat during the summit.
When did Trump and Putin meet for the first time?
Trump and Putin first met at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, back in July 2017. The meeting lasted more than two hours despite being scheduled for 30 minutes.
- Multiple reports at the time suggested that Trump held a separate dinner meeting with Putin with only a Russian translator present.
Later in 2017, the two had an informal sideline chat at the APEC Summit in Vietnam.
