U.S. President Donald Trump stated Friday he’ll meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in every week’s time, as he continued to boost the prospect of lastly reaching an finish to the battle in Ukraine.
“The extremely anticipated assembly between myself, as President of the US of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will happen subsequent Friday, August 15, 2025, within the Nice State of Alaska,” Trump wrote on Reality Social. “Additional particulars to comply with. Thanks on your consideration to this matter!”
Trump confirmed the assembly with Putin as Canada stated it intends to decrease the value cap on Russian oil, alongside Britain and the European Union, to exert “renewed strain” on Moscow to finish the battle it began greater than three-and-a-half years in the past with its invasion.
Friday additionally marked Trump’s deadline for the Kremlin to make peace or face extra U.S. sanctions.
Regardless of no finish to combating on the bottom, Trump expressed optimism earlier Friday that there was progress being made towards ending the battle.
“I believe we’re getting very shut,” he informed reporters on the White Home, including that first “we’re going to have a gathering with Russia.”
“I’ll be assembly very shortly with President Putin. It could have been sooner, however I suppose there’s safety preparations that sadly folks must make. In any other case, I’d do it a lot faster. He’d like to satisfy as quickly as doable. I agree with it, however we’ll be asserting that very shortly.”
Trump additionally appeared to partially affirm a report earlier Friday from Bloomberg {that a} peace deal backed by the U.S. and Russia would cement Russia’s territorial beneficial properties in Ukraine, although the U.S. president instructed Ukraine may additionally regain some territory.
“It’s very difficult, however we’re going to get some again, we’re going to get some switched,” he stated. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of each, however we’ll be speaking about that both later or tomorrow or no matter.”
Trump’s assembly with Putin would be the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021, when former U.S. president Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva.
Trump stated Thursday that he would meet with Putin even when the Russian chief won’t meet together with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That stoked fears in Europe that Ukraine may very well be sidelined in efforts to cease the battle.
Get day by day Nationwide information
Get the day’s prime information, political, financial, and present affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox as soon as a day.
Putin and the Kremlin have repeatedly stated they’re open to assembly with Zelenskyy however solely as soon as a peace deal is close to completion.
Canada, allies up strain
In a joint assertion Friday, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and International Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated the value cap for Russian crude oil shipments can be lowered from US$60 to US$47.60 per barrel alongside the U.Okay. and the EU.
Ukraine’s allies have focused Russian oil earnings because the battle started in an effort to degrade Moscow’s navy, whereas additionally making an attempt to stop vitality shortages in international locations that depend on these exports.
“By additional decreasing the value cap on Russian crude oil, Canada and its companions are ratcheting up the financial strain and limiting a vital supply of funding for Russia’s unlawful battle,” Champagne stated in a press release.
The federal government stated present value caps of US$100 on high-value refined Russian oil merchandise, similar to diesel and petrol, and US$45 on low-value refined oil merchandise, similar to gasoline oil, stay unaffected by the change.
Trump signed an government order Wednesday to position a further 25 per cent tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, and has warned of sanctions and tariffs for some other overseas purchases.
Preventing continues in Ukraine
Ukrainian forces are locked in intense battles alongside the 1,000-kilometre entrance line that snakes from northeast to southeast Ukraine.
The Pokrovsk space of the japanese Donetsk area is taking the brunt of punishment as Russia seeks to interrupt out into the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk area. Ukraine has important shortages of fighters.
Intense combating can also be going down in Ukraine’s northern Sumy border area, the place Ukrainian forces are partaking Russian troopers to stop reinforcements being despatched from there to Donetsk.
Within the Pokrovsk space of Donetsk, a commander stated he believes Moscow isn’t interested by peace.
“It’s unattainable to barter with them. The one possibility is to defeat them,” Buda, a commander of a drone unit within the Spartan Brigade, informed The Related Press. He used solely his name signal, consistent with the principles of the Ukrainian navy.
“I would really like them to agree and for all this to cease, however Russia won’t conform to that. It doesn’t need to negotiate. So the one possibility is to defeat them,” he stated.
Within the southern Zaporizhzhia area, a howitzer commander utilizing the decision signal Warsaw, stated troops are decided to thwart Russia’s invasion.
“We’re on our land, we’ve no means out,” he stated. “So we stand our floor, we’ve no selection.”
The Institute for the Research of Conflict, a Washington suppose tank, stated in an evaluation Thursday that “Putin stays bored with ending his battle and is trying to extract bilateral concessions from the US with out meaningfully partaking in a peace course of.”
“Putin continues to consider that point is on Russia’s aspect and that Russia can outlast Ukraine and the West,” it stated.
But Trump claimed Friday that he believes Putin “needs to see peace” simply as a lot as Zelenskyy does.
Zelenskyy stated Friday in his nightly tackle to the Ukrainian those who Kyiv and European allies he’s spoken to in latest days agree it was now doable to realize at the least a ceasefire, relying on ample strain on Russia.
— With recordsdata from the Related Press
© 2025 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
