Putin and Trump will meet at a military base. What the media is writing
The meeting of the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, will take place at a military base near Anchorage in Alaska. The White House noted that the talks would be an opportunity to hear the Kremlin's position. European leaders, meanwhile, are trying to convey to Trump their views on the conflict in Ukraine. What the media write about the upcoming summit is in the Izvestia digest.
The New York Times: Trump and Putin will meet at a military base
According to a White House official familiar with the meeting plans, Trump will meet with Putin at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage on August 15. The President of the United States will make a day trip to Alaska. White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt called the meeting a "listening exercise" for Trump and added that meeting with Putin would give him a better idea of the Russian leader's plans.
The New York Times
"And the purpose of this meeting is for the president to better understand how we can put an end to this <military operation>."
Trump has visited the Anchorage base several times since taking office in 2017, and Friday's meeting will be his first stop in Alaska since returning to office in January. The meeting at the base will make it easier for Trump to make a short trip, the official said, adding that the American military base provides additional security.
CNN: Officials rush to prepare for historic Alaska meeting
American officials who were trying to find a venue for a meeting between Trump and Putin quickly discovered a serious snag. Summer is the peak tourist season in Alaska, and the available and equipped options for hosting the two world leaders have been severely limited. When some prominent figures in Alaska received information about the arrival of the presidents, some of them began to contact the guests with an offer to stay at their home.
CNN
The summit organizers soon came to the conclusion that Anchorage would be the only city in the vast state suitable for hosting the summit. And only the Elmendorf-Richardson joint base on the northern outskirts of the city could meet the security requirements for the historic meeting, although the White House hoped to avoid a situation where the Russian leader and his entourage find themselves on the territory of an American military facility.
The two countries' top diplomats, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, discussed "some aspects of the preparations" on Tuesday. Usually, a summit at which the stakes are high is preceded by extensive negotiations on the agenda and results. But Trump himself said that he was approaching this meeting as a "trial", having no prior expectations regarding its further development.
The Washington Post: The White House sharply lowered expectations from the Trump-Putin summit
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said Trump expects his meeting with Putin this week to be a "listening exercise," dramatically downplaying the possibility that an agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine could be reached soon, despite the president's warning last week that Kiev needed to "be ready to sign something."
The Washington Post
The lowered expectations from Friday's meeting in Alaska occurred against the background of the fact that Russia has achieved significant successes on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine and, apparently, was not in the mood for concessions that might be necessary to achieve a long-term cessation of hostilities.
Leavitt made it clear that the White House views the summit as the first face-to-face meeting. When asked if Trump was ready to discuss issues unrelated to resolving the conflict, such as thawing trade between Russia and the United States, Leavitt replied that the president intends to focus on Ukraine. Her comments reinforced Trump's remarks at a press conference on Monday, where he began lowering expectations, saying that "I can walk away and say 'good luck,' and that will be the end."
BBC News: Zelensky and European leaders to hold phone conversation with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joins European leaders in talks aimed at increasing pressure on Trump to side with Ukraine during Friday's meeting with Putin in Alaska. During the online call with Trump, the leaders are expected to reiterate that no decisions should be made without Kiev's participation, including changing its borders.
BBC News
Trump has said that any peace agreement will include "some exchange of territories," and it is believed that one of Vladimir Putin's demands is for Kiev to give up those parts of eastern Donbass that it still controls. Zelensky said on Tuesday that such a concession could be used by Russia as a springboard for future attacks.
There has been concern among Ukraine's European allies about the possibility of Trump agreeing to Putin's demands. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called a meeting, and Zelensky will come to Berlin to join him on a video call with other European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Bloomberg: Putin spoke with Kim Jong-un before meeting with Trump
Putin held a telephone conversation with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to inform him about the conflict in Ukraine ahead of a planned summit with Trump in Alaska. During the phone conversation, Putin thanked Kim Jong-un for his support. The two leaders "exchanged views on issues of mutual interest." The Kremlin claimed that Putin shared information with Kim Jong-un "in the context of upcoming negotiations" with Trump.
Bloomberg
Kim Jong—un expressed his firm conviction that the DPRK will always be faithful to the spirit of the treaty between the DPRK and Russia and will fully support all measures that the Russian leadership will take in the future, the Korean Central News Agency reported, referring to the mutual defense pact signed by the two leaders last year.
The call followed a telephone conversation between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, during which Xi expressed his joy at the dialogue between the United States and Russia. Last week, Putin also spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In June 2024, Putin visited Pyongyang and invited Kim Jong-un to come to Moscow.
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