by Redazione

As Presidents Trump and Putin convene in Alaska, the summit raises critical questions about the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine and the potential reconfiguration of the international order.

 

By Dr. Nidal Shoukeir

Professor of Strategic Communications and Governmental Relations

 

The eyes of the world are turning in the coming hours to the joint military base “Elmendorf–Richardson” in the city of Anchorage, Alaska, where the highly anticipated meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will take place. This important meeting, now referred to as the “Alaska Summit,” marks the first encounter between the two leaders during Trump’s second term, amid global anticipation of its potential impact on the international scene, particularly regarding the Ukrainian file.

“Alaska”… From History to the Negotiation Table

In recent days, media outlets and analysts have focused on the significance of this summit and the symbolism of choosing Alaska as its location. It is worth noting that the state has previously hosted high-level meetings of this kind, such as President Ronald Reagan’s reception of Pope John Paul II in 1984 and President Richard Nixon’s meeting with Emperor Hirohito of Japan in 1971.

However, those meetings are one thing, and a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is quite another. Alaska carries a unique historical dimension in U.S.–Russian relations; in the 19th century, it was part of Russian territory before being sold to the United States by Tsar Alexander II in 1867. Today, this remote land once again becomes a point of convergence between two global powers—not through buying and selling, but around a negotiation table that could potentially reshape the balance of power in a turbulent world.

Beyond its historical significance, the Alaska Summit adds major political dimensions: it brings together two powers that directly influence most international and regional files and occurs amid the international isolation faced by President Putin since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Furthermore, Putin’s visit to the United States carries symbolic meaning, as it represents his first presence on U.S. soil since 2015 and the first-ever visit by a Russian leader to the state of Alaska, giving the summit an exceptional character both in form and substance.

The Ukrainian File on the Trump–Putin Agenda

Of course, during this highly anticipated meeting, the two leaders will discuss many issues, but the Ukrainian file remains the most prominent topic of the Alaska Summit. President Trump’s ambitions to end the war in Ukraine are well known. The world still recalls his famous claim during his campaign that he could end the war in Ukraine in just 24 hours.

Since returning to the White House for a second term earlier this year, Trump has shifted his country’s approach to this war and applied multiple pressures on the Ukrainians to achieve his goal. He also sent his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow several times and communicated with Putin four times, including one phone call lasting two and a half hours, demonstrating his seriousness in seeking agreements to end the war.

Given the importance of this summit, all parties involved in the Ukrainian conflict mobilized immediately after its announcement in an attempt to influence the negotiation process. Putin intensified consultations with leaders of countries with strong ties to Moscow, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and leaders of Brazil, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan, while also escalating military operations on the ground to gain additional bargaining chips.

Meanwhile, Europe—angry at being excluded from the summit—was in a state of high alert, led by the French–German–British “troika,” pressuring the Trump administration to take Ukrainian interests and European concerns into account. In the past 24 hours alone, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Härtz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held three consecutive meetings to exert maximum pressure before the summit: the first with European partners and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the second with these partners plus President Trump, and the third within the “Coalition of the Willing” to support Ukraine.

Four Major Challenges to Ending the War

Now, as the date of the historic “Alaska Summit” approaches, and despite the recent wave of optimism, Trump’s task of ending the longest European conflict since World War II appears extremely difficult and complex, for four main reasons:

  • The complex battlefield reality: Russia has not achieved a decisive victory, and Ukraine has not been defeated; the confrontation remains open, with heavy exchanges of fire continuing more than three years into the war.
  • The wide gap between the parties’ demands: Russia insists on a comprehensive peace agreement based on the battlefield reality, while Ukraine refuses any concessions over its occupied territories and demands an immediate ceasefire.
  • European security guarantees: What is needed today is not merely an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, but broader understandings that provide security guarantees for Europe, now Ukraine’s main supporter, and ensure protection against any future Russian attacks.
  • Convincing nuclear Russia to make concessions: This is an extremely difficult challenge, given Moscow’s insistence on its status as a great power and its unwillingness to back down easily, especially since it sees its nuclear arsenal as a key pillar of its global standing and an irreplaceable deterrent.

 

Today, the world holds its breath in anticipation of this summit, which has sparked considerable debate, expectations, and concerns in recent days. Each side attaches its hopes to it according to its interests, but it is certain that its outcomes will not only shape Ukraine’s future—they could also reshape the contours of the global order for decades to come.

Thus, anticipation remains the prevailing sentiment; the world is closely watching what will emerge from the hours of negotiation in Anchorage. The most pressing question remains: Will the “Alaska Summit” end the war in Ukraine? Or are we on the brink of a new “Yalta” defined by the Trump–Putin duo?

(Associated Medias) – Tutti i diritti sono riservat

L’articolo Nidal Shoukeir, “Will the “Alaska Summit” End the War in Ukraine?” proviene da Associated Medias.