Trump and Putin met. What is known for now

The US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin have already met in Alaska. This is their first meeting since Donald Trump became US president for a second time in January. Since then, the leaders have only spoken by phone.

Trump arrived first, followed by Putin a little later. The Kremlin leader was given a red carpet as he stepped off the plane.

At the meeting, the leaders shook hands, while journalists shouted at Putin to ask if he would stop killing civilians. He, of course, ignored these questions.

Then the US president and the head of the Kremlin got into the same car.

Shortly before their meeting, NBC News, citing a White House official, reported that the format of the meeting had changed, and the previously scheduled face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin would now take place in a "three-on-three" format.

The talks will be attended by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trumpʼs special representative Steve Witkoff, who has previously flown to Russia for negotiations several times.

What preceded

Trump has previously said there is a “good chance” he will meet with Putin and Zelensky — saying the meeting could happen soon after his summit with the Kremlin leader. However, if he doesn’t get the answers he needs by August 15, the three-way meeting will not happen.

CBS reported, citing sources, that the US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin could meet at the end of next week. The US is already working on a place for the leaders to meet. The Kremlin leader himself, commenting on the possibility of meeting with Zelensky, said that there are currently no suitable conditions for this.

• The Wall Street Journal reported that on August 6, Putin presented the Trump administration with a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine. In the first phase, Ukraine would withdraw its troops from the Donetsk region and freeze the front line. In the second phase, Putin and Trump would agree on a final peace plan, which would then be discussed with Zelensky.
• On August 9, European partners and Ukraine responded to Putinʼs plan with a counterproposal. It states that before any other steps, the parties must achieve a ceasefire.
• "Ukrainians will not give away their land," was how President Zelensky reacted to the announcement of the meeting between Trump and Putin. He emphasized that the Ukrainian Constitution has a clear answer about territories.

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