U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, for the first Russia-U.S. summit since 2021. The talks, scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. local time (19:30 GMT), will focus on some of the most contentious issues in the bilateral relationship, including the war in Ukraine, nuclear arms control, and broader security concerns.
Fast-Tracked Preparations and Political SignificanceKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preparations for the meeting were completed in an “unprecedentedly short time frame” following a productive visit to Moscow by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. He noted that both leaders are “ready to talk” and intend to address the most difficult issues, adding that such mutual political will is rare in current global politics.
The Russian delegation will include senior officials such as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and special envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Diverging Priorities on UkraineThe Alaska summit takes place against the backdrop of a war in Ukraine now in its fourth year. Frontlines have remained largely static, with Russian forces making incremental gains in the east while continuing long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out ceding territory, rejecting Trump’s earlier suggestion of land swaps as part of a peace deal.
Putin has shown no indication of ending the conflict short of achieving full military objectives, a prospect analysts say could take years. Despite these differences, the Kremlin says it sees “huge untapped potential” in U.S.-Russia relations beyond the Ukraine conflict.
Nuclear Arms Control on the AgendaPutin has suggested that the talks could lead to progress on nuclear arms control, linking it to broader peace efforts. He praised what he described as “energetic and sincere” U.S. efforts to stop the hostilities and said agreements on strategic offensive weapons could create long-term conditions for peace.
The New START treaty, the last remaining bilateral agreement limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, is set to expire on February 5 next year. Without renewal or replacement, both sides could exceed the current cap of 1,550 deployed strategic warheads. Recent tensions over nuclear rhetoric have underscored the stakes, with Trump ordering U.S. nuclear submarines closer to Russia earlier this month following remarks by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
White House Messaging and Trump’s GoalsWhite House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump prefers diplomacy as the primary approach but retains “plenty of tools” such as sanctions if necessary. She described the meeting as an opportunity for the president to “look the Russian president in the eye” and explore possible progress toward a peaceful resolution.
According to David Kearn, an American academic and visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Managing the Atom Project, Trump’s central objective is to secure a tangible outcome, such as a ceasefire or agreement on a follow-up summit. Even a commitment to a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy and Putin could be presented by Trump as a diplomatic win.
Summit FormatFollowing the one-on-one session, the two leaders will join their delegations for a working lunch, after which they are expected to hold a joint press conference. Broader security issues, trade, and economic cooperation are also on the agenda.
While expectations remain low for a breakthrough, both Moscow and Washington are framing the Alaska meeting as a critical step in re-engaging on security matters and potentially reshaping the diplomatic landscape between the two nuclear powers.