President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet next Friday, August 15, marking the first in-person encounter between U.S. and Russian leaders since Moscow’s lethal 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The leaders are expected to meet in Alaska, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 

“The much-discussed meeting with me, the President of the United States, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the beautiful state of Alaska,” Trump announced in a post Friday evening. “Further updates will be provided. Your attention to this matter is appreciated!”

The choice of venue sparked significant interest since it was hinted at during discussions on Wednesday, following White House envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow for talks with the Kremlin leader.

Subsequent reports hinted that Putin might be willing to meet with Zelenskyy face to face, but it would require certain “conditions.” However, the specifics of these conditions remain vague.

Putin is rumored to have suggested that Ukraine must officially relinquish the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Moscow unlawfully annexed in 2022 but still doesn’t completely control.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has responded to similar territorial demands by emphasizing that Ukraine’s Constitution mandates a national referendum before making any territorial concessions.

Despite the immense hurdles that remain, Trump appeared optimistic when speaking to reporters on Wednesday that “there’s a very good prospect that [Putin and Zelenskyy] will” meet.

Zelenskyy said at least one bilateral meeting between the U.S. and Russian leaders was suggested, which would potentially be followed by a meeting with Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy. 

S President Donald Trump (R) meets Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) on the first day of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28, 2019. (Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

It remains unclear what the president hopes to definitively get out of meeting with Putin in person after expressing frustration with the Kremlin chief despite months of attempts to forge a ceasefire. 

Trump wouldn’t comment on how likely he thought a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv could be on the horizon and echoed his previous frustrations with Putin by telling reporters, “I’ve been disappointed before with this one.”