Place. Meeting: how the Putin-Trump summit in Alaska started

The most important summit of this year started in Alaska. Hundreds of thousands of people were watching Vladimir Putin's flight to Anchorage on the Internet. At that moment, security was being increased to unprecedented levels in the city hosting the meeting, while Donald Trump made encouraging statements to the press. On time, at 22:30 (Moscow time), the leaders began negotiations. The summit, which could last several hours, was the first meeting between Putin and Trump in six years. The main topic of the talks will obviously be the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. However, experts believe that the United States is also ready to discuss easing anti-Russian sanctions and joint projects. How the negotiations in Anchorage are going and why the media regarded Trump's reception of Putin as warm — in the Izvestia article.

The situation in Anchorage on the eve of the summit

Quiet Anchorage hosts a historic meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States. It became known just seven days ago after the arrival of Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow that the first Russian-American summit would take place in mid-August. The preparation of the talks between the leaders of the two nuclear powers was carried out in record time.

This morning it became known that Trump intends to receive Putin in Alaska with the highest honors. The American president personally met his Russian counterpart on the airfield in Anchorage. The presidents got out of their planes to meet each other. After taking photos together with the words "Alaska 2025" on the background, Putin and Trump drove to the meeting place in the American leader's limousine, where they had a one-on-one conversation without interpreters.

Vladimir Putin became the first Russian leader to visit Alaska since its sale in the 19th century. However, even in 160 years, this state has not lost its Russian flavor. For example, in Anchorage there is a shopping center "Russian Jack Plaza", located next to the Cathedral of St. Innocent, which serves as the center of the Orthodox community. It is not uncommon to meet Russian-speaking people in Anchorage, and there are also people originally from Russia. Locals say that names such as Nikolai, Peter, Joseph, Irina and Nadia are still popular among the indigenous people.

In short, Alaska is a place where the Russian delegation should feel at home. She was accommodated at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel, which is located on the shores of Lake Hood. The Kremlin pool journalists were also stationed nearby.

The organizers paid special attention to security measures. The police have brought additional staff on duty. The sky over Anchorage is blocked in a radius of almost 50 km and at an altitude of up to 5.5 km. And a well—protected facility, the Elmendorf–Richardson joint military base, was chosen as the venue for the meeting of the presidents.

The 300,000-strong town, despite increased security measures, was not completely blocked off. The behavior of the local fauna is indicative. So, on the road near the military base, journalists noticed a moose, which calmly crossed the highway past passing cars. It looked as if the animal was trying to enter the base. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova jokingly commented: "Zelensky no longer knows what to come up with."

The clothes of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also attracted the attention of journalists. The Foreign Minister arrived at the hotel wearing a sweater presumably with the inscription "USSR". For some reason, this modest attribute caused a stir in the Western and Ukrainian press. "Sergey Lavrov's outfit in Alaska hints at nostalgia for the USSR," Politico journalists tried to joke. The media immediately found out that a sweater similar to the one worn by Lavrov was sold by the Russian clothing brand SelSovet, based in Chelyabinsk. On the website, its cost is about 11 thousand rubles. It was reported that after this news, the sweaters in the store were sold out by lunchtime.

Positions of the Russian Federation and the USA

The talks between Putin and Trump began in the 3+3 format. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov also participated on the Russian side, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff participated on behalf of the Americans.

The Russian delegation also includes Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Presidential Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev. The U.S. delegation includes Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Latnick, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth. The White House said that a total of 16 people, including press Secretary Caroline Levitt, were part of the US presidential delegation.

— The inclusion of such a diverse group suggests that the summit will focus on a wide range of topics, not just Ukrainian issues. Along with Rubio and Bessent, Trump is taking about half of the US government with him. In terms of numbers, representatives of the trade bloc clearly outweigh representatives of the security and intelligence sectors, which may indirectly indicate the Americans' willingness to discuss easing anti—Russian sanctions," Tigran Meloyan, an analyst at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies, told Izvestia.

The central topic of the Anchorage meeting should still be the Ukrainian settlement. In an interview with Fox News on board his plane en route from Washington to Anchorage, Trump said that Moscow and Kiev should agree on a peace deal in Ukraine, but he wants to pave the way for a possible agreement. In addition, the presidents will discuss the elimination of "irritants" in relations between Russia and the United States, as well as economic cooperation.

— The meeting is taking place in the Arctic Circle, where both nations have economic and, of course, military interests. We can even talk about potential future cooperation between the United States and Russia in the Arctic, the development of which would be interesting to observe. I think Mr. Trump always has some business interests in mind, and, of course, Mr. Putin always takes this into account," German politician Ralf Niemeyer, head of the German Council for Constitution and Sovereignty, told Izvestia.

The details of the Russian Federation's proposals to the Americans remain a secret until the last moment. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump declined to comment to the press before the talks began. Sergey Lavrov previously stated that Russia has a clear and clear position at the upcoming meeting. "We will explain it," the minister said. Kirill Dmitriev, in turn, noted that the summit of the presidents would be aimed not only at resolving the conflict in Ukraine, but also at restoring bilateral cooperation. "Therefore, it is important that not only economic issues are on the agenda, not only Ukraine, but the restoration of relations between Russia and the United States," he said.

Patriarch Kirill held a prayer service before the meeting between Putin and Trump. U.S. Vice President Jay D. Vance is also praying for peace before the summit. And the owner of the White House himself published a succinct post on the eve of the negotiations: "The stakes are high."

Before flying to Alaska, he stated that he planned to discuss the territorial issue with the Russian leader, but it was significant that Kiev should make a decision on this matter. He ruled out security guarantees for Ukraine in the NATO format, but admitted that they are possible with the participation of Europe and other countries. In addition, Donald Trump indicated that if progress is made in resolving the conflict, he is ready to discuss the resumption of economic cooperation with the Russian Federation. The US President noted that he sees Moscow's interest in such cooperation.

Reaction to the negotiations in the world

The Western press is wondering how the negotiations can end. Trump's warm greeting to Putin stands in stark contrast to the quarrel between the American president and Zelensky, writes NBC. Reuters informs: "Trump and Putin greeted each other like old friends; to say that their reception was warm would be almost an understatement." "Trump arranged many welcoming events for Putin — a flight of military planes, a red carpet, a presidential handshake and a ride with Trump in the presidential limousine. Trump even applauded Putin as he approached him on the red carpet," The New York Times reported.

CNN had previously reported that Vladimir Putin praised Donald Trump's peacekeeping efforts and hinted at a possible nuclear deal at the Alaska summit. The Guardian noted that the Russian leader may offer the US president financial incentives at the summit on Ukraine. Politico suggests that the leaders may reach a "major deal" that could change the balance of power in world politics. Reuters wrote that the US administration was discussing the possibility of involving Russian icebreakers in the implementation of gas production projects.

— The unofficial results will be significant. I think they will change the systems in Europe, and decisions will probably be made on NATO and the EU. And I can well imagine that decisions will be made on the Middle East," German political analyst Eike Hamer told Izvestia. — But, most likely, nothing will be said officially after the meeting for the media.

Meanwhile, Ukraine and Europe are anxiously following the Alaska talks. According to the Hill, Vladimir Zelensky is horrified by this meeting. French President Emmanuel Macron is ready to meet with him immediately after the summit. Without waiting for the outcome, the UK announced that it could deploy troops on the territory of Ukraine. The country's Defense Minister, John Healey, said: London is ready to increase sanctions and pressure on the Russian Federation if it shows in Alaska that its intentions are not serious.

Interestingly, before meeting with the Russian president, Donald Trump had a telephone conversation with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. According to him, he discussed with him the release of 1.3 thousand prisoners. Trump called the conversation "very good" and said he was looking forward to meeting with the leader of Belarus in the future. Trump noted that he had discussed with Lukashenko, among other things, the visit of the Russian president to Alaska.

Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that the talks could take at least six to seven hours. A joint press conference is scheduled after them. On the wall behind the stands, where the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States will stand, there is an inscription "In pursuit of peace." After the talks, Vladimir Putin plans to lay flowers at the grave of Soviet pilots in Alaska.