The White House has confirmed that Friday’s summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will take place at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska — their first meeting in six years.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the talks as a “listening exercise” aimed at gaining a “better understanding” of the situation in Ukraine. The framing comes amid European concerns that the meeting — with only Putin in attendance — could sideline Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected Putin’s reported demands for the remainder of Donetsk and the wider Donbas region, warning that surrendering them would dismantle key defence lines and expose Kyiv to future attacks.
European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, are holding multiple calls with Zelenskyy and separately with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance ahead of the summit. The talks are being billed as “transparent,” though analysts see little prospect for a breakthrough, with Russia seeking territorial gains and Ukraine unwilling to concede.
