Trump announced that he will meet with Putin next Friday in Alaska, and that “Zelensky will have to sign something”

The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place on August 15, 2025, in Alaska.

Trump announced the news on his Truth Social account:

“The long-awaited meeting between me, the President of the United States, and President of Russia Vladimir Putin will take place on Friday, August 15, 2025, in the great state of Alaska. Additional information will be provided later.”

Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov has also confirmed the date and location, calling Alaska a symbolic choice due to the geographical proximity of the two countries. He said the presidents will focus on discussing “options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.” Ushakov also revealed that the next Putin–Trump meeting is expected to be held in Russia, and an official invitation has already been sent to the U.S. president.

Earlier today, speaking at the White House after talks with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must be prepared “to sign something.”

“President Zelensky must get everything he needs because he will have to be ready to sign something, and I think he’s working hard to do that,” Trump said.

He also emphasized that Putin wants to meet “as soon as possible.”

According to Trump, Washington is offering a settlement plan that includes mutual territorial concessions:

“Some territories will return, some will be exchanged. There will be certain territorial rearrangements.”

Trump noted that the issue of a territorial exchange between Ukraine and Russia is “difficult” but could benefit both sides. He added that both Putin and Zelensky are interested in achieving peace and stressed that his goal is not to win the Nobel Peace Prize:

“If we hadn’t stepped in, Ukraine and Russia would have grown into a world war. I stopped that. Now the only question is when it will be settled — and it could be very soon.”

He also suggested that a joint meeting with Putin and Zelensky in the White House Oval Office could take place in the coming weeks, similar to today’s trilateral talks between Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev:

“We have a chance for that,” Trump concluded.

Earlier, Ukrainian officials expressed skepticism about the idea of a Trump–Putin meeting, fearing the Kremlin could use the negotiations as a pressure tool. The U.S. State Department confirmed that preparations for the summit are already underway.