Trump Announces Meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15, Hints at 'Swapping of Territories'

Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to discuss potential pathways to end the war in Ukraine. 

The announcement took an unexpected turn as Trump suggested that any peace agreement might involve “some swapping of territory”, a proposal likely to face strong opposition from Kyiv and its Western allies.

The revelation came during Trump’s White House meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, where he stated, "We are going to have a meeting with Russia. We’ll start off with Russia."

While he provided few specifics on potential progress in ending Moscow’s invasion, he hinted that territorial concessions could be part of a future deal.

"It’s very complicated. But we’re going to get some back, and we’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both," Trump said, without elaborating further.

Ukraine and European leaders have consistently rejected any peace settlement that legitimizes Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian land, including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia. 

However, Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine surrender these territories as a precondition for negotiations, along with halting Western military aid and abandoning its bid to join NATO.

The upcoming Alaska summit marks a high-stakes diplomatic effort, but the prospect of territorial exchanges is expected to draw sharp criticism from Ukraine and its supporters. 

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