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Alaska summit looms: what Kyiv faced on 14 August
Summary
A look back at the eve of the Trump–Putin meeting announced for Alaska, and what was at stake for Ukraine.
What did Ukraine face on 14 August 2025, the last full day before two presidents sat down to discuss its war without it? The meeting had been announced on 10 August: US president Donald Trump said he would meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska on 15 August to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
A summit about Ukraine, held in Alaska
The announcement placed the war at the centre of a bilateral Russia–United States encounter. Ukraine was the main topic, yet the meeting was set between Washington and Moscow. For Kyiv, the days before 15 August were therefore a period of waiting on the outcome of talks about its own future.
What followed
The summit took place on 15 August 2025 at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage. It ended without an agreement being announced. Trump later suggested that, in his view, the onus was now on Ukraine to cede territory in order to end the war.
That later turn gives the eve of the summit its significance. On 14 August, the only firm knowledge was the date, the venue and the stated purpose: talks on ending the war. The outcome, and the pressure on Kyiv that Trump later signalled, lay ahead.
