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President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday landed in Anchorage, Alaska and have begun their highly anticipated talks in pursuit of ending the war in Ukraine.
The meeting marks the first time leaders from the U.S. and Russia have met in-person since Putin launched his deadly invasion of Ukraine more than three-and-a-half-years ago.
The meeting, which began at approximately 3:30 pm EST, is expected to last several hours, with initial estimates ranging roughly four hours, though the Kremlin on Friday signaled the talks could last up to seven hours.
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hand with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they meet to negotiate for an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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Trump said ahead of the meeting that he would not enter into a deal or grant territorial concessions regarding Ukraine, though questions mounted in the lead up to the high-level talks about whether Washington would forge a minerals deal with Moscow.
The president told reporters on Thursday he would wait to see how the talks play out before he would say if he may pursue a mining agreement – the optics of which remain unclear as they could potentially benefit Russia’s economy, and therefore Putin’s war chest.
Though notably, both the U.S. and Russia saw their top business negotiators travel with their corresponding delegations as U.S. Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Scott Lutnick – both of whom have engaged in top-level trade talks – as well as Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, were reported to have traveled for the trip.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they meet to negotiate for an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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The White House confirmed that alongside the president and his top economic officials, Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also made the roughly 8-hour journey to Anchorage for “expanded bilateral” discussions and a “working lunch.”
Though only Witkoff and Rubio will be in the meeting alongside Trump, while Putin is expected to be accompanied by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov was also reported to have made the roughly eight-and-a-half-hour flight, but it is unclear if he will be sitting in on the meeting with Putin and Trump.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (C, L) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, R) walk on the tarmac upon arrival at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump said he will call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders immediately following his discussions with Putin.
It remains unclear if Trump and Putin will address the press following the high-level meetings.