Trump and Putin to Meet in Alaska for High-Stakes Summit on Ukraine ‘Land Swap’ Deal

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold a high-stakes bilateral summit in Alaska on Friday to discuss a potential end to the war in Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year. The diplomatic effort is centered on a controversial “land swapping” proposal envisioned by President Trump, a concept that has been explicitly rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been excluded from the direct talks.

The summit is framed as a major “Trump-Putin power play,” with President Trump positioning himself as a “dealmaker-in-chief” capable of quickly assessing the potential for an agreement to end the conflict. However, with Ukraine’s firm opposition to ceding any territory and the ongoing intensity of the fighting, analysts believe there are “few grounds for optimism” for a significant breakthrough. The meeting marks the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since 2019 and is only the fourth U.S.-Russia summit since 2010.

A ‘Feel-Out’ Meeting

President Trump described the upcoming summit as a “feel-out meeting” to determine “what the parameters are” for a peace deal. Expressing confidence in his negotiating abilities, Trump predicted he would know “probably in the first two minutes” if an agreement was possible. “That’s what I do, make deals,” he stated.

The core of Trump’s proposal involves what he terms “land swapping” between Russia and Ukraine. “Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They’ve occupied some very prime territory,” Trump said. “We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine”. For his part, President Putin’s primary goal is to persuade Trump of the benefits of exchanging territory for a ceasefire to solidify Russia’s gains.

Ukraine’s Stance and Exclusion

The decision to hold a bilateral summit has left Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “out in the cold”. He has repeatedly “insisted that his country would not trade land for peace” and is reportedly concerned that Putin’s true intention is to seize large portions of Ukrainian sovereign territory. Zelenskyy has also expressed “irritation” with Trump’s suggestion that he may lack the constitutional authority to concede land. President Trump has committed to briefing Zelenskyy and European leaders immediately following his meeting with Putin.

European allies have urged Trump to consult closely with Ukraine before the summit. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is organizing a separate virtual summit to discuss potential agreements, security guarantees for Kyiv, and how to structure future peace talks.

A Strategic Alaskan Venue

The choice of Alaska for the summit was described by a Russian foreign affairs adviser as “entirely logical”. While a location of “mutual inconvenience” due to long flight times for both leaders, it serves a crucial purpose for President Putin. He faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes related to the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. As neither the U.S. nor Russia recognizes the court’s jurisdiction, Alaska provides a “safe place” for him to visit.

This summit follows the controversial 2018 meeting in Helsinki, where Trump sided with Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies on the matter of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Beyond Ukraine, Putin’s agenda for private discussions is expected to include sanctions, trade, and NATO’s influence in Europe. Given the starkly conflicting positions, analysts find it “hard to envisage any ice-breaking peace deal emerging” from the talks.