 "Trump’s pride vs Putin’s legacy: The high stakes at the meeting in Alaska")
On August 15, the world’s eyes will turn to Alaska — namely the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a remote military installation which plays host to some of America’s most fearsome fighter jets. Why? It is here that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will sit face-to-face for the first time in seven years for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
This meeting amounts to one of the biggest gambits of the US president’s second term. Hosting the meeting raises expectations that he’ll stop the fighting that first broke out in February 2022. Analysts believe that Trump faces traps in sitting down with Putin. Some worry that it could be a golden opportunity for Putin to influence Trump’s vision for how to end the war.
For Trump, the summit may be part of his drive for a Nobel Peace Prize by ending Putin’s war against Ukraine using the “art of the deal”.
We take a closer look at this summit — the whos, the whys and the whats associated with this meet.
Who will be present for Trump-Putin meet in Alaska?
Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska’s Anchorage on August 15, Friday. Elmendorf-Richardson combines the US air force’s Elmendorf base and the US army’s Fort Richardson. It is Alaska’s largest military base and is home to more than 32,000 people — about 10 per cent of Anchorage’s total population.
The area is also significant for Russia: the US purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire 158 years ago.
However, missing from this meeting is the country most affected – Ukraine itself. Speaking on Volodymyr’s absence from the discussions, Trump said earlier, “I would say he could go, but he’s been to a lot of meetings.”
Trump did, however, say that Zelenskyy would be the first person he would call afterwards.
And following Trump’s call with European leaders and Zelenskyy on Wednesday, he said that would look into the possibility of a trilateral — Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWhy are Trump and Putin meeting now?
Even amidst his campaigning for president, Trump had vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Initially, the US president even expressed support of Russia and critical of US military aid to Ukraine, held off on a meeting while ending the war appeared impossible. He repeatedly expressed his frustration.
Then, last week, he moved up the deadline for imposing new sanctions or tariffs unless Putin ended the war. He also raised tariffs on Indian imports to the United States to 50 per cent to penalise it for continued imports of Russian oil . With the sanctions deadline looming, the Russians, according to a New York Times report, requested a summit.
What does Putin want from the meeting?
When Putin ordered for the invasion of Ukraine three-and-a-half years ago, he didn’t think Kyiv would be able to fend off Russia’s advances for so long. However, with grit and a whole lot of help from Europe and the US, Zelenskyy’s troops have held them back.
Many experts note that perhaps this would be driving Putin’s decisions when it comes to his sit-down with Trump on Friday. As Ivor Bennett, Sky News’ Moscow correspondent said, “The only deal I think he’ll (Putin) be willing to accept at Friday’s summit is one that secures Moscow’s goals.
These include territory (full control of the four Ukrainian regions which Russia has already claimed), permanent neutrality for Kyiv and limits on its armed forces. He’ll try to convince Trump that such a deal is the quickest path to peace. The only alternative, in Russia’s eyes, is an outright triumph on the battlefield.”
In fact, even in the past, Putin has said that for a ceasefire of any kind, Ukraine would have to give up the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. In a memorandum circulated at the Istanbul talks in March, Russia insisted a 30-day ceasefire would only take effect once Ukraine had fully pulled back from these four regions.
Many others note that the talks on Friday are another stalling tactic for Putin as well as a way to try to improve frayed ties with Washington. He also might seek to discuss issues outside the framework of Ukraine, including economic deals or cooperation in the Arctic.
William Taylor, who was chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Ukraine during Trump’s first term told NBC News, “Putin may try to divert President Trump from Trump’s goal of stopping the war and establishing a ceasefire by promising things later. Then, Putin continues to fight and continues to kill Ukrainians.”
Some observers, however, have dismissed the meeting as a sign Trump has allowed Putin to once again deceive him. They note that Trump threatened Russia with tougher sanctions, but instead Putin now has a summit where he can once more pretend to want peace. They view this as Putin’s latest gambit to defuse Trump’s frustration with him and head off his threat to impose tougher sanctions on Russia.
What’s at stake for Trump?
This Alaska meeting with Putin is very important for Trump. Experts note his pride is at stake here. That’s because one of Trump’s campaign promises was to end the Russia-Ukraine war on the first day in office. However, it’s taken him 200-plus days to come so far.
Michael McFaul, who was US ambassador to Russia in the Obama administration, stated to NBC News, “President Trump — just by going to a meeting with Putin, who for most of the democratic world is a rogue, imperialist dictator — is giving him legitimacy.”
There’s also his desire for a Nobel Peace prize. He has linked his deserving of the prize to his efforts in Ukraine, among other conflicts.
However, his position on the war has been inconsistent. Earlier this year, he seemed to align himself with the Kremlin, limiting military aid to Ukraine for a time and holding a shouting match with Zelenskyy during a notorious Oval Office meeting in February.
But as his frustration with Putin grew, he authorised more arms sales intended for Ukraine. He criticised Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian cities as both “disgraceful” and “disgusting.” And a month ago, he directly criticised Putin.
On Wednesday, Trump even said, “there will be very severe consequences” for Russia if Putin did not agree to halt the war after the meeting. Asked if he believed he could convince Putin to stop targeting Ukrainian civilians, the American president said the two leaders had already discussed that.
“I’ve had a lot of good conversations with him, and then I go home and see a rocket hit a nursing home, or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the streets,” Trump said.
What does Ukraine hope will happen?
Ukraine, which has been kept out of Friday’s meeting, is hoping that Trump bats for them. Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that no land would be ceded by his nation and that no territorial concessions could be a part of a ceasefire.
It’s left to be seen what comes out of the meeting, but as the US president himself put it earlier, anything could happen.
With inputs from agencies
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