Russian and American delegations have arrived in Alaska ahead of anticipated talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin later today.
Ahead of the summit, Mr Trump claimed the Russian leader was “not going to mess around with me”, as the US president hopes to seal a Ukraine ceasefire deal.
The US president also floated the idea that European leaders could be invited to participate in a second meeting, which would include Volodymyr Zelensky.
The main aim of today’s meeting is to set up talks between Putin and the Ukrainian president, Mr Trump told Fox News Radio, adding that he has three locations in mind for such a meeting.
The US president, who is gearing up to meet his Russian counterpart for the first time since 2018, said that he thinks both leaders “will make peace”.
Friday’s talks between the presidents will include a one-on-one meeting, a bilateral lunch with both delegations and a press conference, the White House announced.
Earlier on Thursday, the Russian leader praised Mr Trump’s “sincere efforts” towards ending the war in Ukraine, telling Kremlin officials the US is making “quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the fighting”.
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Key Points
- Putin is 'not going to mess around with me', Trump says
- Trump suggests European leaders could be present at second meeting
- Putin praises Trump's 'sincere efforts' towards Ukraine peace
- Trump to meet Putin at 3pm ET today
Ukraine supporters held at rally against Trump-Putin summit in Alaska
06:10
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Trump to meet Putin at 3pm ET today
05:50
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US president Donald Trump's meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin will take place at 3pm ET (1900 GMT) in Anchorage, Alaska, the White House said in a press schedule statement.
Mr Trump will depart the White House at 6.45am ET (1045 GMT) and leave Anchorage at 5.45pm Alaska Time the same day. He is scheduled to return to the White House early Saturday morning.
Trump says 25% chance that summit with Putin will fail
05:35
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US prresident Donald Trump yesterday said there was only a 25 per cent chance that the summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin would fail.
The US president will meet his Russian counterpart today at the Alaska summit for the first time since 2018.
Mr Trump said if the meeting with Mr Putin succeeds, he could bring Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to Alaska for a subsequent, three-way meeting.
In a radio interview with Fox News, Mr Trump also said he might be willing to stay in Alaska longer, depending on what happens with Mr Putin.
Explosions at Russian oil refinery
05:21
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A Russian oil refinery was set ablaze in an overnight drone attack in Samara Oblast, according to reports.
There was no official confirmation whether the drone attack was launched by Ukraine. Local residents said they heard at least ten explosions around 4am local time, UNN reported.
The drone struck an oil refinery in Syzran, the third-largest city in Samara Oblast, located about 811km from the Ukrainian border.
Can Zelensky the warrior cut it as a peacetime leader?
05:20
,
Holly Evans
Short, sweet, and largely symbolic’ might be a reasonable summary of Volodymyr Zelensky’s Downing Street visit on the eve of the US-Russia summit in Alaska.
There will be those who take issue with Zelensky’s swanning around foreign parts at such a time. There will also be those – some, if not many of them, in Russia – who hope that the coming days will, one way or another, spell the end of Zelensky’s power.
For all the missteps and failings on the part of his government in Kyiv, Zelensky is likely to be the person who has to try to shepherd Ukraine from war into peace, and he needs to be supported as perhaps the only one who can.
Read the full analysis here:
Inside Putin’s ruthless ‘winning’ mindset – and the major risk to Trump
05:05
,
Holly Evans
Understanding how Vladimir Putin thinks in the run-up to the crucial summit with Donald Trump in Alaska is about understanding what the Russian leader is accustomed to: being dominant at home, but seen as a pariah in most of the democratic world.
In his view, this Friday’s summit is about his grand re-entry onto the international stage and a complex psychological interplay with a US leader who is also fixated on what a “win” over ending (or rather stalling) the war in Ukraine would do for his personal brand.
The dynamics of a summit that has already sidelined Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky – and reduced European leaders to holding their own meeting in Berlin – will be driven by the needs of two men with immense but fragile egos.
Read the full analysis here:
Donbas: Why Russia is desperate to capture eastern Ukraine’s industrial heartland
04:50
,
Holly Evans
The future of Ukraine’s industrial heartland in the east will almost certainly play a key role in talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as they prepare to meet in Alaska on Friday.
The Russian leader has demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any any ceasefire deal, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president has said that Mr Putin wants the remaining 30 per cent of the eastern region, which has seen some of the fiercest battles in the three-and-a-half year long war.
Read the full article here:
Trump 'must be prepared' to meet with Putin, European officials warn ahead of summit
04:35
,
Kelly Rissman
European officials insisted to CNN that US President Trump come prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin while the pair discuss Ukraine while the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky is not present.
“He must be prepared because Putin is very, very well prepared,” one European official told the network about Friday’s meeting.
There is a “vulnerability” for Trump to be alone in the room with Putin because the Russian president is “an excellent player,” the official added.
Another official acknowledged the US President has been tougher on Russia recently. On Thursday, for example, Mr Trump threatened "severe consequences" if Mr Putin doesn’t agree to peace in Ukraine.
Still, this official warned: “It seems Trump doesn’t really believe in the possibility of Ukrainian success.”
What has Trump said ahead of the summit with Putin?
04:20
,
Kelly Rissman
One day before the two world leaders were scheduled to meet, US President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not going to mess around” with him.
“I am president, and he’s not going to mess around with me,” he said during a press conference at the White House.
“I’ll know within the first two minutes, three minutes, four minutes or five minutes... whether or not we’re going to have a good meeting or a bad meeting. And if it’s a bad meeting, it’ll end very quickly, and if it’s a good meeting, we’re going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future.”
The US president remained cautiously optimistic that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine “will make peace.”
"We're going to see what happens," he said. "And, I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelensky will make peace. We'll see if they can get along and if they can, it'll be great."
Meanwhile, earlier in the day on Thursday, Mr Putin praised Mr Trump for making "quite an energetic and sincere effort, in my opinion, to stop hostilities, to stop the crisis and to reach an agreement that is of interest to all those involved in this conflict.”
Putin praises Trump’s ‘energetic and sincere’ efforts to end Ukraine war
04:00
,
Holly Evans
Democratic senator says he's concerned Mr Putin is playing Mr Trump like a 'fiddle'
03:40
,
Kelly Rissman
Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen says he’s worried that Russian President Putin is playing US President Trump like a “fiddle,” he told NBC News.
"I’m always in favor of talking, and we’d all like to see peace, but I’m very worried because, from day one, while Donald Trump said he was going to end the war in Ukraine, he has been played like a fiddle by Vladimir Putin," Van Hollen told the outlet Thursday.
"All Putin sees is Trump’s weakness, and so I’m very worried that he will throw our allies and the people of Ukraine under the bus, which is what he’s done from day one," he added.
West must not be 'cowed' by Putin in pursuit of peace in Ukraine: head of British armed forces
03:20
,
Kelly Rissman
The West must not be intimidated by Vladimir Putin, says the head of the British armed forces, ahead a crucial meeting between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump.
Mr Trump says he believes Putin is ready to make a deal to end Russia’s war with Ukraine when the two leaders meet in Anchorage in Alaska on Friday.
It is set to be followed by a second meeting involving Volodymyr Zelensky, which could also be attended by European leaders, Mr Trump suggested on Thursday night.
But writing for The Telegraph, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin warned Nato allies against submitting to Moscow’s demands, and said: “Putin doesn’t want a war with Nato because he would lose. So we should not be cowed by his rhetoric or his campaign of sabotage, outrageous as it may be.”
Read the full story.
Starmer and Zelensky united on ‘strong resolve’ to secure just peace in Ukraine
03:00
,
Holly Evans
Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky are united in their “strong resolve” to secure a just peace in Ukraine ahead of the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
After a meeting at No 10, the prime minister and the Ukrainian president expressed cautious optimism about the prospect of a truce "as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious" about ending the war, Downing Street said.
Mr Trump and the Russian president are due to meet in Alaska on Friday, raising fears the pair will try to decide the end of the war themselves, leaving Ukraine excluded and putting Europe's future security in jeopardy.
Read the full article here:
WATCH:
02:40
,
Kelly Rissman
Former Ukrainian foreign minister suggests leaving land swap matter in 'gray zone'
02:20
,
Kelly Rissman
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says this deal has “nothing to do” with a land swap.
“There is nothing to swap because all this land is Ukrainian,” the ex-foreign minister told CNN.
“The only viable solution for the land issue, which indeed is the biggest obstacle in negotiations, is to leave this matter in the gray zone, where both sides will claim their title of ownership on this land,” he said.
“If President Putin doesn’t make that concession, these talks are not going to go anywhere.”
Retired Army General says Trump needs to convince Putin that Russia can’t win in Ukraine
02:00
,
Holly Evans
Ahead of Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark has said it is vital for the president to convince the Russian leader that he cannot win the war in Ukraine.
Speaking on The Record with Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax on Wednesday, Clark, a former Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, warned that Putin would not respond to conventional diplomatic threats.
“We’ve made so many threats to Russia over the last six months about consequences, and they mostly get postponed,” Clark said.
Read the full article here:
Putin is floating a new nuclear deal with the US ahead of Trump talks. Here’s why
01:40
,
Holly Evans
Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated he wants to pursue a new nuclear weapons agreement with US President Donald Trump, ahead of their anticipated summit in Alaska on Friday.
The potential accord is framed by Mr Putin as part of a wider initiative to bolster global peace, coming amid persistent pressure from Mr Trump to de-escalate the three-and-a-half-year conflict in Ukraine.
Moscow views the Ukrainian situation as integral to a complex web of security concerns that have elevated East-West tensions to their highest point since the Cold War.
Read the full article here:
Starmer and Zelensky united on ‘strong resolve’ to secure just peace in Ukrain
01:21
,
Kelly Rissman
Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky are united in their “strong resolve” to secure a just peace in Ukraine ahead of the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
After a meeting at No 10, the prime minister and the Ukrainian president expressed cautious optimism about the prospect of a truce "as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious" about ending the war, Downing Street said.
Mr Trump and the Russian president are due to meet in Alaska on Friday, raising fears the pair will try to decide the end of the war themselves, leaving Ukraine excluded and putting Europe's future security in jeopardy.
Read the full story.
A ceasefire is 'critical,' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says ahead of summit
01:00
,
Kelly Rissman
A ceasefire is "critical,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, ABC news reported.
"We want there to be a peace, we're going to do everything we can to achieve one, but ultimately, it will be up to Ukraine and Russia to agree to one," Rubio said at a State Department event.
"They're going very fast because this was put together very quickly, and it’s in Alaska, so we’ve got to get there," he said of the preparations.
"We'll see how tomorrow plays out. As the president said, his hope is to interact with Mr. Putin tomorrow and sort of get a sense very quickly and early whether a peace is possible or not."
New poll shows Americans split on whether US has responsibility to help Ukraine
Friday 15 August 2025 00:42
,
Kelly Rissman
Ahead of the summit on Friday, more than half of Americans — 59 percent —said they are not confident that the US president can make wise decisions about the war in Ukraine, a new Pew Research survey found.
Americans were also split on how much the US is supporting Ukraine.
Of those polled, 29 percent said the US is not providing enough support to Ukraine, while 18 percent said the country is providing too much.
Meanwhile, half of Americans say the US has a responsibility to help Ukraine, while 47 percent say it does not.
‘I have been fighting with Ukrainian soldiers for two years. Trump and Putin can’t bring peace overnight’
Friday 15 August 2025 00:00
,
Holly Evans
A British volunteer fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia has said that soldiers on the ground feel that Friday’s summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska is “a joke” and will not lead to peace.
Drew Scott, a former British soldier who joined Ukraine’s International Legion in 2023, told The Independent that Ukrainian soldiers were “in it for the long haul” and not anticipating an imminent resolution to the conflict.
Trump and Putin will meet face to face for the first time in seven years on Friday at a summit in Alaska, but Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky will not be present. Kyiv maintains that it will not cede any occupied land to Russia as part of a peace agreement.
Read the full article here:
How many times have Trump and Putin won?
Thursday 14 August 2025 23:49
,
Holly Evans
Putin met Trump met six times during the American's first term - at and on the sidelines of G20 and APEC gatherings — but most famously in Helsinki in July 2018.
That's where Trump stood next to Putin and appeared to accept his insistence that Moscow had not interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election and openly questioned the firm finding by his own intelligence agencies.
His remarks were a stark illustration of Trump's willingness to upend decades of U.S. foreign policy and rattle Western allies in service of his political concerns.
"I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today," Trump said.
"He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be."
Since Trump returned to the White House this year, he and Putin have had about a half-dozen publicly disclosed telephone conversations.
USAID failed to monitor uses of Musk's Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, says watchdog
Thursday 14 August 2025 23:14
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Holly Evans
The U.S. Agency for International Development did not monitor the uses of 5,175 Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, with nearly half of the operational units ending up in areas fully or partly held by Moscow, according to a report by the agency's internal watchdog.
USAID's inspector general found that the agency failed to keep track of the terminals of Elon Musk's satellite internet service because it had accepted a higher risk of misuse due to "the complex wartime environment" and Ukraine's urgent need for them.
"As a result, USAID did not know where the terminals were or how they were used," said the report dated August 11 that was reviewed by Reuters.
In response, USAID said it was impractical to track the terminals once they were handed to Ukraine because of the dangerous wartime conditions and the "unprecedented emergency" created by Russian strikes on communications systems.
"The primary objective was to restore life-saving connectivity for critical public services, such as healthcare, municipal emergency shelters, and local governance," said a USAID letter included in the report.
Starmer refers to Ukraine in VJ Day 80th anniversary speech
Thursday 14 August 2025 22:42
,
Holly Evans
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day at a special event at Downing Street, Sir Keir Starmer reminded those in attendance that “peace is fragile”.
Paying tribute to those who lost their lives in the Second World War, he referenced Ukraine as he mentioned the “huge sacrifices so we have the freedoms and the life we enjoy today”.
He said: “What that gave our country, what that gave the world in terms of the freedoms and the values that we fight for.
“And, of course, those values are still contested here.
“I sat on this terrace this very morning with President Zelensky, who is fighting for the same values as we were fighting for.
“And so when we say never forget, we must pass on the stories of those who have gone before us.”
Watch: Russian government plane lands in US ahead of Trump-Putin summit
Thursday 14 August 2025 21:55
,
Holly Evans
Why is Putin talking about a new nuclear weapons treaty with the US?
Thursday 14 August 2025 21:41
,
Holly Evans
Putin has been under pressure from Trump to agree to end the three-and-a-half-year-old war in Ukraine, something Moscow says is part of a complex of security issues that have raised East-West tensions to their most dangerous level since the Cold War.
With Russian forces gradually advancing in Ukraine, Putin has rebuffed Kyiv's calls for a full and immediate ceasefire.
But if the summit makes progress towards a new arms control treaty, Putin could argue he is engaging on wider peace issues.
That could help him persuade Trump that now is not the right time to impose new sanctions on Russia and buyers of its oil and other key exports, as the U.S. leader has threatened.
It could also be part of a broader drive to improve relations with Washington, including on trade and economic issues, where the Kremlin says there is huge untapped potential.
Putin floats potential nuclear arms deal ahead of Alaska summit
Thursday 14 August 2025 21:16
,
Holly Evans
In televised comments, Putin said the U.S. was "making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict."
This was happening, Putin said, "to create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, and in Europe, and in the world as a whole - if, by the next stages, we reach agreements in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons."
His comments signalled that Russia will raise nuclear arms control as part of a wide-ranging discussion on security when he sits down with Trump. A Kremlin aide said Putin and Trump would also discuss the "huge untapped potential" for Russia-U.S. economic ties.
A senior Eastern European official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Putin would try to distract Trump from Ukraine at the talks by offering him possible progress on nuclear arms control or something business-related.
"We hope Trump won't be fooled by the Russians; he understands all (these) dangerous things," the official said, adding that Russia's only goal was to avoid any new sanctions and have existing sanctions lifted.
Recap: Trump claims peace is possible between Putin and Zelensky
Thursday 14 August 2025 20:51
,
Alexander Butler
President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Thursday about the possibility of peace between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We have a meeting with President Putin tomorrow. I think it's going to be a good meeting,” Mr Trump told reporters. “But the more important meeting will be the second one we're planning.”
“We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelensky, myself, and maybe some European leaders. Maybe not. We'll see," Mr Trump said.
Donbas: Why Russia is desperate to capture eastern Ukraine’s industrial heartland
Thursday 14 August 2025 20:45
,
Holly Evans
The future of Ukraine’s industrial heartland in the east is likely to play a key role in talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as they prepare to meet in Alaska on Friday.
The Russian leader has demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any any ceasefire deal, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president has said that Putin wants the remaining 30 per cent of the eastern region, which has seen some of the fiercest battles in the three-and-a-half year long war.
But losing Donetsk would give Russia control of almost all of the Donbas, the collective name for Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland which has been long coveted by Putin.
Earlier this week, Zelensky vowed Ukraine would “never leave” the Donbas and warned that Putin could use it as a spring board for a future invasion.
Read the full analysis from Bryony Gooch here:
Can Zelensky the warrior cut it as a peacetime leader?
Thursday 14 August 2025 20:30
,
Holly Evans
Short, sweet, and largely symbolic’ might be a reasonable summary of Volodymyr Zelensky’s Downing Street visit on the eve of the US-Russia summit in Alaska.
There will be those who take issue with Zelensky’s swanning around foreign parts at such a time. There will also be those – some, if not many of them, in Russia – who hope that the coming days will, one way or another, spell the end of Zelensky’s power.
For all the missteps and failings on the part of his government in Kyiv, Zelensky is likely to be the person who has to try to shepherd Ukraine from war into peace, and he needs to be supported as perhaps the only one who can.
Read the full article here:
Reuters analysis: Which Donald Trump will negotiate with Putin in Alaska?
Thursday 14 August 2025 20:24
,
Alexander Butler
When US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Helsinki in 2018, the pair alarmed allies with a friendly encounter where Trump sided with the Russian leader over his own intelligence agencies on election interference.
Mr Trump flies to a meeting in Alaska with Putin on Friday in a different public mood - impatient with the Russian's unwillingness to negotiate an end to his war in Ukraine and angry over missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.
The world is waiting to see if it will be this tougher version of Mr Trump who shows up in Anchorage or if it will be the former real estate tycoon who has sought to ingratiate himself with the wily former KGB agent in the past.
The answer could have deep implications for European leaders concerned that Russia, if allowed to absorb parts of Ukraine, will be more aggressive toward Nato allies near Russia like Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
It matters even more for Ukraine, which has been losing ground to Russian forces after three-and-a-half years of grinding combat. Despite his harsher tone toward Mr Putin over the past months, Mr Trump has a more extensive history of trying to placate the Russian leader.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Mr Trump declined to directly criticise Mr Putin. The Russian president, shunned by multiple presidents, praised Mr Trump for working to improve Russian-US relations.
Kremlin watchers are looking to see whether Trump will be enchanted by Putin again and swayed by his argument that Russia has a right to dominate Ukraine. “It's a reasonable concern to think that Trump will be bamboozled by Putin and cut a terrible deal at Ukraine’s expense,” said Dan Fried, a diplomat for several US presidents who is now at the Atlantic Council.
This is a moment for European leaders to decide what they want
Thursday 14 August 2025 20:15
,
Holly Evans
Notwithstanding the warmth of the embrace when Volodymyr Zelensky left his talks with the prime minister in Downing Street, the president of Ukraine has been left isolated and, disgracefully, out in the cold as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska to discuss the fate of his country.
It may be that there can be no settlement on Ukraine without Ukraine, as European leaders and Mr Zelensky himself tried to tell President Trump during their virtual meeting. But the framework for that settlement will unquestionably be constructed far away from Kyiv.
Sir Keir Starmer was right to put on such a public display of solidarity with his friend Mr Zelensky. His contribution to the peace process has been valuable.
Read the full article here:
Watch: Ukrainian civilians held captive in Russia since 2014 released in huge exchange
Thursday 14 August 2025 20:00
,
Holly Evans
Trump wants Putin-Zelensky meeting in Alaska
Thursday 14 August 2025 19:29
,
Holly Evans
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would like to see a second meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Alaska.
Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
"I would say that tomorrow, all I want to do is set the table for the next meeting, which should happen shortly. ... I'd like to see it actually happen, maybe in Alaska," Trump said.