Trump Downplays Ceasefire Talks Ahead of Alaska Summit with Putin, Suggests Second Meeting with Zelensky
Washington/Alaska – August 15, 2025
On the eve of his high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, U.S. President Donald Trump has tempered expectations of an immediate ceasefire in the Ukraine war, despite expressing optimism that Putin is ready to bring the conflict to an end.
Speaking to reporters before the Friday meeting, Trump said he believes both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are willing to make peace. However, he emphasized that a meaningful breakthrough may require a second round of talks, this time involving President Zelensky and potentially other European leaders.
“I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelensky will make peace. We’ll see if they get along,” Trump said. He added, “I think it’s going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second one… Maybe we’ll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not. I don’t know that yet.”
The Alaska summit marks the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin since 2021, and comes at a pivotal moment in the more than three-year-long war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. If realized, a future meeting involving Putin and Zelensky would be the first direct engagement between the two leaders since the war began.
While Trump has framed the summit as a potential turning point in the conflict, he also made it clear that an immediate ceasefire is unlikely to emerge from Friday’s talks.
From Moscow, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the central focus of the Alaska summit will be the Ukraine crisis. “It is probably obvious to everyone that the central topic will be the resolution of the Ukraine crisis,” Ushakov stated. He also noted that broader issues, including peace, security, and regional matters, will be discussed.
Ushakov said the summit will begin at 11:30 am local time (1930 GMT) with a one-on-one meeting between Putin and Trump, accompanied only by their interpreters. This private session will be followed by a working breakfast involving both leaders’ delegations.
As anticipation builds around the Alaska meeting, all eyes will be on whether Trump and Putin can lay the groundwork for a broader peace process — or if Friday’s talks will serve as little more than a diplomatic opening act to more consequential negotiations to come.