August 14, 2025: Trump-Putin summit preparations

Our live coverage of the preparations for the Trump-Putin summit has moved here.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and its ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev have arrived in Alaska for tomorrow’s high-stakes Russian-American summit, according to Russian state-owned news agency RIA.

Before flying to Alaska, Darchiev told a correspondent from Russia’s Channel One that talks to normalize relations with Washington are ongoing.

Also expected on Russia’s negotiating team are Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy Aide Yury Ushakov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Kirill Dmitriev, a senior negotiator and head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Ushakov shared more details today about plans for the summit, saying the presidents will first have a one-on-one conversation, with the help of interpreters, before continuing talks over a business lunch.

Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev talks with CNN's Matthew Chance on Thursday.

Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russia understands that progress on Ukraine peace talks is essential for any restart in Russia’s economic cooperation with the US.

Asked whether any specific deals are under discussion, he said: “Let’s wait for the discussions to happen.” He added that Ukraine remains the main focus but there is “general discussion about Arctic and many other possibilities.”

“Our political leaders, our diplomats will be at the front stage and then we’ll see if we get to economic questions or not,” Dmitriev said.

You can also watch Jim Sciutto’s report from Anchorage here on YouTube

We have been reporting today on the potential that “land swapping” between Ukraine and Russia could be discussed at the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed that idea in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, saying Putin wants to relinquish “tiny bits” of Ukrainian territory in exchange for Kyiv not trying to reclaim “vast lands” that Moscow would keep control over.

Watch Kuleba’s remarks below, which he made as an air raid siren blared behind him:

You can also watch this video on YouTube Shorts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in Moscow on Thursday, August 14, in the wake of his highly anticipated meeting with President Trump in Alaska on Friday.

Some European officials have expressed concerns that Donald Trump could still be swayed by Vladimir Putin, even as the US president has expressed mounting frustrations with his Russian counterpart and indicated he would not negotiate about Ukrainian territory without Kyiv.

The official said they expected Trump to be readier for this meeting than the one in Helsinki in 2018, especially after the US president’s conversations with European counterparts.

Still, there is a “vulnerability” for Trump to be alone in the room with Putin, the official said, because the Russian president is “an excellent player.”

Another European official noted that while Trump may have fewer illusions about Putin than he did in the past, it does not mean that he has a decidedly negative view of his Russian counterpart.

“It seems Trump doesn’t really believe in the possibility of Ukrainian success,” the official said.

A third European official said in their experience, Russia never engages in meaningful discussions “to actually arrive at something concrete.”

“It’s rather just to buy time,” they said.

A Ukrainian source downplayed prospects of President Volodymyr Zelensky attending any peace talks in Alaska immediately following the summit with President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Friday.

The source told CNN’s Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance that it would be “hardly feasible” logistically for Zelensky to quickly make the journey to Anchorage — nearly 5,000 miles from Kyiv, where the summit is being held.

Earlier, Trump said he wants to hold a possible second meeting — “maybe in Alaska” — between himself, Putin and Zelensky “shortly” after the summit tomorrow if it goes well.

The Ukrainian source told CNN Kyiv would be open to talks, “but if a trilateral meeting is to be held, Ukraine would want Russia to agree to a ceasefire as a first step,” before any talks could happen.

The source added that Trump is expected to debrief Zelensky by phone on the outcome of the Alaska summit and to discuss future steps.

Ukrainian servicemen run for cover following a Russian airstrike in Sloviansk, Ukraine, on Thursday.

Ahead of tomorrow’s summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, a new Pew Research Center poll finds Americans closely divided on whether the US has a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.

Democrats remain significantly more likely than Republicans to see a role for the US in the conflict, but GOP backing for US involvement has risen since spring.

Half of the American public says the US has a responsibility to help Ukraine, and 47% say it doesn’t. The share of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who say such a responsibility exists stands at 35% — a 12-point rebound since March, although still significantly below the 66% of Democrats and Democratic-leaners who say the same.

Overall, 40% of respondents said they’re very or somewhat confident in Trump to make wise decisions when it comes to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with 59% saying they’re not too confident or not at all confident in his decision-making.

About a third say Trump is favoring Russia too much in the war, with 6% saying he’s favoring Ukraine too much, 28% that he’s striking the right balance, and the rest unsure.

The Pew Research Center survey was conducted August 4-10 and surveyed 3,554 US adults using a nationally representative online panel. Results among the full sample have a margin of error of +/- 1.8% pts.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on Thursday.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that European leaders may also be part of meeting he hopes to broker between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at halting the war.

“The more important meeting will be the second meeting that we’re having,” Trump said in the Oval Office ahead of his Friday sit-down with Putin in Alaska. “We’re going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelensky, myself, and maybe we’ll bring some of the European leaders along, maybe not.“

Trump added that he believes Putin and Zelensky are ready to make peace after more than two years of fighting, though he lamented that the war in Ukraine has proved more difficult to resolve than he first expected.

US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrive for a meeting at Finland's Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met one-on-one twice before.

In 2017, they met alone during their first encounter at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Then in 2018, they sat one-on-one in Helsinki, Finland, after which Trump sided with Putin over US intelligence agencies on the question of Russian election interference.

Trump faced an onslaught of bipartisan fury — and global condemnation. It was a rare time in Trump’s presidency where he admitted a mistake, saying after returning to the White House that he “realized there is some need for clarification” about his Helsinki remarks.

Some context: It’s not atypical for leaders to meet alone with their counterparts, but Trump and Putin’s relationship has been the subject of intense scrutiny. And during Trump’s first term, even senior officials said they sometimes were left in the dark about what was discussed when aides were left out.

CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Jeff Zeleny contributed reporting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has adamantly said his country “will not give land to the occupier” ahead of US President Donald Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US officials say a plan offered by Putin to halt the war in Ukraine would include significant territorial concessions by Kyiv, according to Western officials briefed on the matter.

Zelensky vowed earlier this week that he would not give eastern Ukrainian land to Moscow, saying that abandoning the Donbas region would open the door for Putin to “start a third war” in Ukraine.

Russia currently controls just over 18% of the country, an effort to expand its territory that started when Putin illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.

Here’s a look at how we reached this point:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a signing ceremony with Parguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Thursday.

President Donald Trump hopes to reach “some stoppage in fighting” between Russia and Ukraine to create space for negotiations on a full end to the war, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rubio said the US is “hopeful” that progress can be made and stressed the importance of a ceasefire.

“The longer these wars go on, the harder they are to end,” Rubio said, adding that prolonging fighting impacts which side has “leverage” in negotiations. “That’s the reality of ongoing fighting, which is why a ceasefire is so critical,” he added.

“To have a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, you will need agreement from both Ukraine and Russia,” he said.

Rubio reiterated the view of Trump that the US will likely know “very early” in the meeting “whether something is possible or not.”

Trump himself has said that he believes he will be able to gauge the potential for progress within minutes of meeting his Russian counterpart.

Rubio said for the summit, preparations are “going very fast because this was put together very quickly.”

“We’ll see how tomorrow plays out,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has indicated this week that there could be some “land swapping” to end the war in Ukraine — a move both Kyiv and Moscow have rejected.

Just a short time ago, he said in an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade:

“The second meeting is going to be very, very important because that’s going to be a meeting where they make a deal — and I don’t want to use the word divvying things up, but you know to a certain extent, it’s not a bad term, OK? But there will be a give and take as to boundaries, land, etc, etc.” he said.

Watch an explanation from CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh on the areas of Ukraine that are sticking points in a potential deal:

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Map shows what parts of Ukraine Putin wants

01:45 • Source: CNN

President Donald Trump said he could decide to have a solo press conference rather than a joint one after his meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin if the “meeting doesn’t end well.”

“I’m going to have a press conference. I don’t know if it’s going to be a joint. We haven’t even discussed it. I think it might be nice to have a joint and then separates,” the president told Fox Radio’s Brian Kilmeade.

“So, something like that will happen. Or the meeting doesn’t end well, I’ll just have a press conference and head out. I’ll head back to Washington.”

It comes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the plan was to have the leaders hold a joint press conference. The Kremlin had initially announced it.

Trump did indicate he would speak to the press no matter what.

If the meeting is “negative,” Trump said he would have a press conference to say that “the war is going to go on.”

An entrance to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska on Wednesday, ahead of the scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US President Donald Trump predicted that his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin has a 25% chance of failure, previewing the summit as an effort to set the table for a second meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reach a deal to end the yearslong conflict.

Asked during an interview with Fox Radio’s Brian Kilmeade today whether there was any scenario where the meeting would be viewed as a failure, Trump said, “Yeah, 25%.”

“This meeting sets up the second meeting. The second meeting is going to be very, very important, because that’s going to be a meeting where they make a deal,” Trump said.

He suggested there would be “give and take” on boundaries and lands during a second meeting.

Tomorrow’s meeting, he said, is “like a chess game.”

Trump also expressed openness to hitting Russia with additional sanctions if the meeting doesn’t end well.

“I would, yeah. … If it’s not solved,” he said, referring to the war in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is heading into Friday’s Alaska summit wanting to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

The president kept expectations for the meeting high after White House officials earlier this week downplayed the face-to-face session as a “listening exercise.”

Trump also suggested his goal is to move toward a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting “three different locations” are on the table — including the possibility of “staying in Alaska.”

Trump offered a key caveat, however: “If it’s a bad meeting, I’m not calling anybody — I’m going home. … But if it’s a good meeting, I’m going to call President Zelensky and the European leaders.”

Pressed on whether he’d offer economic incentives to Russia during the meeting, Trump demurred.

“Well, I’d rather not say because I don’t want to play my hand in public, but whatever my hand is, economic incentives — and disincentives maybe — are more important, in a way, but incentives economically, you know,” he said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said no documents are expected to be signed during the Russia-US summit in Alaska, Russian state media reported today.

Although Peskov said it would be a “mistake” to predict the outcome of tomorrow’s talks, he stressed that there are no plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump to formalize any agreements.

“President Putin and President Trump are ready to talk and will discuss the most difficult issues,” he added.

The Kremlin’s top economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev told CNN that tomorrow’s summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska is a chance to reset US-Russia relations “if the meeting goes well.”

“I think dialogue is very important and I think it’s a very positive meeting for the world because during (the) Biden administration, no dialogue was happening, so I think it’s very important to hear (the) Russian position directly,” Dmitriev said today when asked what Russia was hoping to get out of the meeting.

Dmitriev, who is the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, has been a key player in Russia’s dialogue with the Trump administration. He will be part of the Kremlin’s delegation in Alaska, suggesting that potential economic dealmaking between Washington and Moscow will also be on the agenda.

Watch the interview:

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Watch: Kremlin negotiator speaks to CNN ahead of Alaska summit

00:26 • Source: CNN

In this July 2018 photo, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin leave their joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland.

Getting the last word can be important — in life and at presidential summits — and now there is no guarantee US President Donald Trump will have it after tomorrow’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin may have already scored an early point over the White House by announcing a joint news conference between the two leaders following their summit in Alaska.

One of the most enduring images of Trump’s intriguing relationship with Putin is when the two men stood side-by-side in Helsinki seven years ago as Trump sided with Putin over US intelligence agencies about Russian interference in the 2016 election. In the moment — and long beyond — it was a win for Putin.

When former President Joe Biden met with Putin three years later, White House officials declined to hold a joint news conference. Biden stood alone outdoors in the blistering summer sun, getting the last word about their summit — a decision fueled by the scene in Helsinki.

A Trump administration official today dismissed any criticism of agreeing to a joint news conference in advance of the summit.

In a Fox Radio interview this morning, Trump also signaled an awareness to the risks of a joint news conference, particularly if the summit fizzles.

“I think it might be nice to have a joint and then separates. So, something like that will happen,” Trump told host Brian Kilmeade. “Or the meeting doesn’t end well I’ll just have a press conference and head out. I’ll head back to Washington.”

This post has been updated to reflect Trump’s remarks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled his country as both president and prime minister for more than 25 years, and over that time, he’s met with American presidents 48 times.

You can also watch the video here on YouTube.