U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are holding a high-stakes Alaska summit without Ukraine or the European Union at the table — a move experts say could make it harder to achieve a lasting peace in the war.
“Not having Ukraine in the negotiations, not having the EU in the negotiations … raises big questions about whether the negotiations will ultimately be successful and whether they can come up with something that would bring Ukraine and Russia to the [negotiation] table,” says Julie Garey, a Northeastern University associate teaching professor of political science.
Trump will meet Putin on Friday in Anchorage. The meeting was announced last week as Trump’s deadline for Russia to commit to a ceasefire in Ukraine was expiring. Three previous rounds of Trump-facilitated talks between Ukraine and Russia this summer did not result in an agreement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly emphasized Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, will not be participating in the talks. However, Zelenskyy and European leaders spoke with Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday morning in advance of the summit.
