"The much anticipated meeting between myself, President of the United States, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia will take place on 15/8 in the great state of Alaska. Details to follow", former President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
Trump previously said there would be a "territorial exchange" benefiting both Russia and Ukraine, but did not elaborate.
Russian officials confirmed the time and location of the meeting. "It seems quite logical that our delegation will simply fly across the Bering Strait, and this important, long-awaited summit meeting between the leaders of the two countries will be held in Alaska," Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to the Russian president, said.
Ushakov added that Moscow invited Trump to visit Russia after the summit.
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Trump and Putin at a meeting in Helsinki, Finland in July 2018. Photo: AP |
Trump and Putin at a meeting in Helsinki, Finland in July 2018. Photo: AP
This will be the first summit between the Russian and American presidents since Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva in June 2021.
The last time Trump and Putin met in person was at the G20 summit in Japan in 2019, during Trump's first term. The two leaders have spoken by phone several times since the Republican returned to the White House in January.
The meeting between Trump and Putin is a sign that US-Russia tensions have eased somewhat. Relations between the two countries previously escalated when Trump issued an ultimatum that he would impose sanctions if Russia did not reach a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine by 8/8.
However, it is unclear whether this summit can bring peace closer in Ukraine after three rounds of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey failed to yield substantive progress.
Putin held several phone calls with world leaders before his meeting with Trump. The Kremlin said that when speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, Putin announced the "main results" of his meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow two days earlier.
Xi expressed his support for a "long-term" solution to the Ukraine conflict, according to Russia.
"China is pleased to see Russia and the US maintain contact, improve relations and promote a political solution to the Ukraine crisis," Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying during the phone call.
The Kremlin added that Putin also discussed the results of his meeting with Witkoff during phone calls on Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Pham Giang (According to AFP)
