White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt announced today that the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place in Anchorage, Alaska.
Speaking at a press briefing, Levitt said the talks between the leaders of the United States and Russia will be held in Alaska’s largest city.
“On Friday morning (local time), President Trump will travel across the country to Anchorage, Alaska, for a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Trump is determined to try to end this war and stop the killings. As he has repeatedly stated, he will always prefer peace and cooperation whenever those outcomes can be achieved. There is no leader in the world today more committed to preventing or ending wars than President Trump,” Levitt said.
When asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been invited, she replied:
“This meeting is taking place because the President of Russia requested to meet the President of the United States through his special envoy, Steve Wittkoff. President Trump accepted this meeting at President Putin’s request. This administration has truly used every tool and taken every measure to achieve peace through a diplomatic solution. Only one of the parties involved in this war will be present, so the president will go there to better understand how we can hopefully bring it to an end.”
President Trump has stated that he will attempt to return part of Ukraine’s territory during the August 15 meeting with Putin. He said the talks in Alaska will be preliminary in nature, aimed at persuading Putin to end the war, and may include some territorial exchanges.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. Both ministers discussed preparations for the Trump–Putin meeting and confirmed their intention to hold productive talks.
