Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to court US President Donald Trump with financial incentives in exchange for siding with Moscow over Ukraine when the two leaders meet in Alaska on Friday.
The hastily arranged summit, held at Putin’s request, will be his first visit to meet a US president on American soil since 2007, and has caught Kyiv and its European allies off guard. It follows weeks of failed peace talks in Turkey and comes with little expectation of a breakthrough, reports Guardian.
Moscow’s stance remains unchanged: Ukraine must withdraw from key regions and abandon its NATO ambitions, demands Kyiv has rejected from the outset.
Putin’s pitch will appeal to Trump’s business instincts. His adviser Yuri Ushakov said the talks would focus on “huge untapped potential” in US–Russia economic relations, with a view to expanding trade and cooperation. That is why Putin is bringing two senior economic advisers, including Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who has spearheaded Moscow’s response to Western sanctions. Removing those sanctions remains a central Russian demand in any peace deal.
A former Kremlin official said Putin intends to portray Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the party prolonging the war and present a peace settlement on Russian terms as a gateway to lucrative opportunities for US.
Ukraine still controls key cities and fortified positions in Donetsk, and President Zelenskyy has ruled out giving up more land for peace, warning it would set the stage for future aggression. Putin is expected to push for US recognition of those territories as Russian, while holding on to southern regions vital to Russia’s land bridge to Crimea.
Despite low expectations, the meeting offers Putin a chance to advance his long-held vision of dividing global influence with leaders like Trump and China’s Xi Jinping. For Trump, it provides an alternative to sanctions he has little appetite for. Both leaders face the risk of leaving the table without tangible gains, but for now, Putin appears content to use the summit as a step towards reshaping the post-war order on his own terms.
