It’s published
The Kremlin has revealed details about the much-anticipated Alaska meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, which will be held on Friday.
Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said consultations took place Thursday at U.S. Air Force joint base in Anchorage, Elmendorf Richardson, and the summit program was finalized.
The meeting begins with a one-on-one conversation between the leaders in the presence of an interpreter at 9:30pm.
Working breakfasts are scheduled immediately, and the duration and timing will depend on how the initial conversation progresses.
After working breakfast, the lecture continues in a broader format with the delegation.
The Russian delegation includes Ushakov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belusov, Finance Minister Anton Silanov and Head Kiril Dmitriev of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
The lineup for the US delegation has not been announced.
In particular, to the Moscow delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Putin, leads a Russian team in a direct meeting with Ukraine in Istanbul.
Medinsky also represented Moscow in the first attempt in Istanbul in March 2022. His absence broadly demonstrates the Kremlin’s stance on the Istanbul meeting with Ukraine and his lack of motivation for direct dialogue with Kiev.
Low expectations and high interests
Putin’s aide Ushakov said the central topic of the Alaska Summit was a “reconciliation” of Russia’s war in Ukraine, but economic cooperation and global security would also be discussed.
Usakov said the Kremlin considers the meeting to be symbolic “at the grave of a Soviet pilot in Alaska.”
The Centre for Countering Disinformation in Ukraine said Putin could be preparing certain pseudo-historical material for a meeting with Trump, according to the Defense Forces Centre.
These may include geographical maps aimed at convincing the US president that Ukraine is a “artificial nation” formed at the expense of other countries’ territory.
Putin repeatedly used this false argument to justify a full-scale Ukrainian invasion.
Commenting on the upcoming Alaska Conference, Trump somehow downplayed its importance and outcome, explaining that he would “set a table for the second meeting.”
“If the first meeting works, we’ll hold a second meeting,” Trump said, adding that he prefers to hold a second meeting with Putin and Zelensky “almost immediately.”
Trump also said that if Trump and Putin’s Friday meeting fails in terms of Moscow’s willingness to end the war with Ukraine, Russia will face serious consequences.
Asked if he believes Putin can convince Putin to stop targeting Ukrainian civilians, Trump replied: “I had this conversation, so I think the answer to that is no (with Putin).”
The Ukrainian president said he hopes that the central topic will be an immediate ceasefire at upcoming conferences in Alaska.
“The US President spoke about this over and over. He suggested to me that after the meeting in Alaska we discussed all the outcomes, if any, and decide on the next step,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
After a meeting with German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Wednesday, Zelensky went to London on Thursday for a brief sit-in with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer.
The Ukrainian president said the debate focused on the possibility of security assurances in Kiev. “If the US succeeds in pressing Russia to stop murder and engage in genuine substantive diplomacy.”
