WASHINGTON, DC – US President Donald Trump announced plans on social media to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15 to further peace talks towards ending the war in Ukraine.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
Earlier in the day, Trump gave a speech at the close of a successful peace summit between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia at the White House, during which the sides signed a trilateral declaration to end decades of conflict.
Speaking to reporters after the signing ceremony, Trump said there was “a shot” at resolving the Ukraine war.
A war of words on responsibility
Trump said in his comments to the press that he believes that he is “getting very close” to a ceasefire deal with Russia on Ukraine. He added that the location for the summit with Putin would be revealed later on Friday, describing it as “a very popular one.”
He then painted a grim picture of the war’s toll, claiming Russia lost “almost 25,000” troops in the last month and a half, while Ukraine’s losses were “just a small number fewer.”
Trump was unequivocal in his assessment of the war’s origins, again repeating that his predecessor is to blame. “This was not my war, this was Biden’s war,” he said.
The meeting with Putin would have been held sooner, Trump said, but that wasn’t possible due to “security arrangements that unfortunately people have to make.”
He then hinted at the complex negotiations ahead for Ukraine, suggesting that a potential resolution would involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
“We are looking to get some territory back,” Trump said, adding it would be for the “betterment” of both countries.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has repeatedly refused calls to give up any of its territory in exchange for a ceasefire.
Trump praised European nations and NATO for their increased military spending, which he said was a result of his efforts and had led to them purchasing US-made equipment.
He concluded by noting that European nations are “in for over $100 billion,” but that “it should be the opposite” and that the US “should have spent nothing” on the war because it “should have never happened.”
The “Trump route” for Armenia and Azerbaijan
When it comes to the Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement, Trump credited the deal to his administration and stressed the importance of the meeting, stating, “I think if it didn’t get done now, it might have never gotten done.”
The centerpiece of the agreement, which was reported first by Kyiv Post on Thursday, is a new transit corridor named the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” or TRIPP.
Senior US officials, in a background briefing on Friday, said the route would challenge Russian and Iranian influence in the region by providing a direct trade and energy link from the South Caucasus to Europe.
The administration is set to immediately launch working groups to implement the roadmap, with negotiations on the “Trump Route” expected to begin next week.
The new route, according to US officials, is a commercially-driven initiative designed to “ensure peace for generations to come.”
Nine different operators, including three from the US, have already expressed interest.
On diplomacy and the Nobel Prize
The possibility of a Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic efforts has been discussed for years.
“I’m not doing it for that,” Trump said, when asked about the topic on Friday. “I’m doing it because of I really, number one, I want to save lives.”
He claimed his efforts have prevented the war from becoming a global conflict.
“I think if we didn’t come Ukraine, Russia would have ended up being a World War,” he said.