Trump Hints at ‘Swapping of Territories’ Between Ukraine and Russia Ahead of Alaska Talks
Trump stated that a possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine would involve territorial exchanges, as he confirmed upcoming discussions with Russia’s Putin on August 15 in Alaska.
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine would involve territorial exchanges, while confirming that face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled for August 15 in Alaska.
“But we’re going to get some (territory) back. We’re going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories, for the betterment of both,” Trump said, without giving further details on which regions could be impacted.
Trump mentioned that he plans to meet the Russian president next Friday in Alaska, in a Truth Social post.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Significantly, the Kremlin has consistently rejected the idea of Trump meeting alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
US envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed holding a three-way meeting involving Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but the Kremlin did not respond to the suggestion, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
He added that Moscow was “focusing on preparations for a bilateral meeting with Trump in the first place.”
Putin has stated that he is not planning to meet Zelenskyy, while the Kremlin maintains that preparations are underway for next week’s bilateral summit with Trump.
The planned summit will mark Trump’s first official meeting with Putin since beginning his second term in January 2025, and the first formal US–Russia presidential meeting since June 2021, when then-President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva.
Trump’s remarks came after comments from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who indicated that a pause in the war could be nearing. Tusk said this view came following discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has recently been in touch with Trump and other European leaders.
“There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict – I don’t want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict – is closer than it is further away,” Tusk told reporters. “There are hopes for this.”
