Following a high-stakes meeting with Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media that “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA” has been made. The statement, posted to his Truth Social platform, offered no specifics but comes just days after the leaders’ three-hour summit in Alaska—the first time Putin has set foot on Western soil since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While the meeting concluded without a formal agreement, both leaders used the opportunity to offer warm words about their interaction, fueling speculation about the direction of peace talks.
The summit in Alaska reportedly focused on a peace proposal where Russia would withdraw from small areas of occupied Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine ceding a larger, fortified swathe of land in the east. This potential “land-for-peace” deal is causing significant concern among Ukraine’s allies. Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff indicated that the leaders also discussed “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine, which he called “game-changing.”
The stage is now set for a critical meeting in Washington, D.C., where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and key European leaders will meet with Trump. The European delegation, which includes French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is reportedly seeking to present a united front and reinforce their support for Ukraine.
This Washington meeting is seen as a crucial effort to bolster Zelenskyy as Trump appears to be pushing for a swift resolution to the conflict, possibly based on the terms discussed with Putin. The presence of European heavyweights like Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, underscores the seriousness with which Europe views these negotiations and their collective resolve to ensure Ukraine’s interests are protected.