Trump-Putin Alaska Summit Raises Ukrainian Fears Over Conflict Outcome

Trump and Putin Plan Alaska Summit Without Kyiv

Donald Trump’s upcoming summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska already has officials in Kyiv sweating—and for good reason. Announced abruptly on Trump’s Truth Social, the meeting is set for August 15, 2025. It comes on the heels of Trump handing Putin multiple ultimatums to end the war in Ukraine—first 50 days, then trimming it to just 10—and threatening secondary sanctions against anyone buying Russian oil if the guns didn’t go silent by early August. When Putin shrugged off the deadline, Trump called his counterpart “very disappointing,” but still threw open the doors for direct talks.

Here’s the part making waves: Trump went public with the meeting without so much as a heads-up for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. No invitations, no effort to make it a trilateral summit, and even confirmation that he’d meet Putin before Zelenskyy despite pushback from inside the White House. “They would like to meet with me and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing,” Trump said, giving little assurance to Ukraine that its fate is still up for negotiation.

Arctic Business, Ukrainian Worries

For the Russians, the focus is somewhere else entirely. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov played up “intersecting economic interests” in Alaska and the Arctic. Putin’s team poured more fuel on the fire by touting dreams of American-Russian partnerships on infrastructure, energy, and the Arctic environment—with complete omission of Ukraine from the conversation. Their message is loud and clear: Let’s talk business, not borders.

Picking Alaska as the summit venue is more than a quirky choice. The state is packed with history—the U.S. bought it from Russia in 1867—and is now a melting pot of interests thanks to its critical Arctic location. Trump hasn’t visited since becoming president again, but made past campaign stops. For Putin, this is his first U.S. trip since 2015, and the symbolism isn’t lost on anyone following the chess match in Eastern Europe.

You can see why Ukrainians are alarmed. Officials in Kyiv, left on the sidelines, worry the new angle is less about their sovereignty and more about deals that lock in the status quo—Russia holding on to occupied territory. While Trump once boasted he could end the conflict “within 24 hours,” his willingness to cut Ukraine out of the conversation feels like an about-face. NATO and EU diplomats are getting anxious too, with three years of weapons and aid at risk of being swept aside should Washington and Moscow reach a separate understanding. Critics warn it could normalize Russian occupation in the east and weaken the fragile Western coalition backing Kyiv's fight for its territory.

As August approaches, the Alaska summit is shaping up as a high-stakes test—not just for U.S.-Russia relations, but for the fate of Ukraine. It’s not just about who gets to sit at the table; it’s about whose interests get served once the talking stops.