"HIGH STAKES!" Such was US President Donald Trump's description of his flight to Alaska on his social media site Truth Social, prior to a much-awaited summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the event being regarded as historic.
Here's a 10-point summary of the story:
On board Air Force One, Trump explained to the press that his visit was not meant to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine," he insisted.
"Putin feels that his constant barking makes him strong in negotiations, but I think that hurts him. I think we will get some outcome at the summit with Putin. I am trying to end the war to save lives. Russia will suffer very badly economically if it does not come to an agreement," Trump said. He added that land swaps would be the subject of discussion, but the decision lay in the hands of Ukraine.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Trump to persuade Russia to stop its "invasion." "It is time to end the war, and the necessary measures must be implemented by Russia. We are relying on America," said Zelensky on social media.
The US delegation accompanying Trump consists of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, among others.
A Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated the talks might be a six- to seven-hour affair, and the hope is that the meeting yields fruitful results. He noted that the one-on-one talks between Putin and Trump would also involve advisers.
The Anchorage, Alaska, summit may turn out to be instrumental for the future of Ukraine, with the war there having been under way since February 2022. The visit would be Putin's first to the West since the commencement of the war.
While Trump accepted the invitation at Putin's urging, he has since proceeded with caution, threatening that the summit will be over quickly if Putin is not willing to negotiate. European leaders and Zelensky, who was not invited and has already ridiculed any pressure from Trump to give up land, will be watching every word and action closely.
Popular for claiming his negotiating abilities, Trump characterized the summit as a "feel-out meeting" to gauge Putin, whom he had seen in 2019. "I am president, and he's not going to mess around with me," Trump informed journalists at the White House. He also added that he would talk to European leaders and Zelensky, indicating that any agreement would be reached through a three-way negotiation with Ukraine to "divvy up" land.
The talks are set to start at 1900 GMT on Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska's biggest US military base, once a Cold War outpost for listening in on the Soviet Union. In a nod to history, the US bought Alaska from Russia in 1867—a point Moscow has invoked to justify possible land exchanges.
Alaska's location added its own nuances to the historic moment, such as moose and bear sightings. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov showed up in a sweatshirt bearing the old Soviet insignia "USSR" ("CCCP").
The summit is of strategic concern to India, especially US tariffs on Russian oil. Columbia University economist Jeffrey D. Sachs explained to NDTV that India must be careful about getting sucked into what he called the US' "misguided trade war with China." He added, "… I have been saying to my dear Indian friends for years, which is that the United States uses other countries. It does not act responsibly towards other countries, so be careful.". India must not be allowed to be used by the US, say, as somehow in the US' ill-conceived trade war with China."
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