US President Donald Trump said he would meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. The Republican hinted that a possible agreement between Moscow and Kiev to end the war in Ukraine could include an exchange of territories, AFP reported.

On August 8, Putin held consultations with the leaders of China and India ahead of the summit with Trump, who spent his first months in office trying to mediate peace in Ukraine without achieving a breakthrough.

"The long-awaited meeting between me, as President of the United States, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the great state of Alaska," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Earlier at the White House, he said there would be "an exchange of territory that would benefit both sides" — Ukraine and Russia — without giving further details.

The Kremlin did not immediately confirm the date and location of the talks.

Three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have failed to produce results, and it remains unclear whether the summit will bring peace any closer.

Russian bombing has forced millions of people to flee their homes and destroyed large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Putin has rejected repeated calls from the US, Europe, and Kiev for a ceasefire. 

He also ruled out talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at this stage, a meeting that the Ukrainian president considers necessary to make progress on the agreement.

The summit in Alaska will be the first between the current US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva in June 2021.

Trump and Putin last met in 2019 at the G20 summit in Japan during the Republican's first term. Since January, they have spoken on the phone several times. | BGNES