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“What to Expect From Putin and Trump’s Possible Nuclear Deal at the Alaska Summit?”
Just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Anchorage, the Russian leader has broken his silence, and he’s sending signals that the talks could go beyond Ukraine’s war and into one of the most dangerous realms of global security: nuclear weapons.
In his first public remarks since Trump announced the Alaska summit, Putin on Thursday described the Trump administration’s efforts to stop the war in Ukraine as “energetic” and “sincere,” saying Washington appeared committed to finding an agreement “of interest to all parties involved in this conflict.” But his comments also hinted at a broader ambition: forging a long-term peace framework between Moscow and Washington that could include a new deal on strategic offensive weapons, the category that covers nuclear arms and their delivery systems.
Putin told senior Russian officials at the Kremlin that the aim of the summit is to “create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, as well as in Europe, and in the world as a whole.” He then suggested that this peace could be built on follow-up talks with the U.S. “in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons.”
While Putin didn’t elaborate, such agreements historically refer to treaties like New START, which came into force in 2011 and set strict limits on deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons. That treaty is set to expire in February 2026, and its future has been uncertain amid escalating U.S.–Russia tensions.
Even as Putin spoke of peace, recent weeks have underscored the fragile nature of U.S.–Russia relations. Earlier this month, Trump revealed that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned near Russia in response to “highly provocative” statements from Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and now deputy chairman of the Security Council. Medvedev, known for inflammatory social media outbursts, including veiled nuclear threats, prompted Trump to act “in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.”
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What to Expect in Alaska Summit
According to Yury Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, Friday’s summit will begin with a private, one-on-one session between Trump and Putin, joined only by interpreters. That will be followed by expanded talks over a business lunch, touching on:
- The war in Ukraine
- U.S.–Russia cooperation in trade and economic issues
The day will conclude with a joint press conference, a moment likely to be watched as closely for body language as for words. Putin’s negotiating team will include heavyweights from Russia’s foreign, defense, and finance ministries, as well as Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.
One notable absence from the Alaska summit: Ukraine and European leaders. Neither has been invited, fueling concern in Kyiv and across Europe that the talks could produce an agreement without their direct input. That concern drove European leaders to organize a last-minute call with Trump on Wednesday, hoping to influence his approach before he sits down with Putin.
After the call, European officials struck a cautiously optimistic tone, saying Trump was receptive to their core demands, that any ceasefire must be immediate, and that Ukraine must have a direct role in future negotiations. The Alaska meeting is already loaded with expectation. A breakthrough could pave the way for a ceasefire in Ukraine, open the door to renewed nuclear arms talks, and ease some of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical tensions.
But with Ukraine and Europe watching from the sidelines, and both leaders bringing complex domestic and international pressures to the table, the outcome is anything but guaranteed.
On Friday, when Trump and Putin sit down face to face in Anchorage, the world will be watching to see if the “energetic” peace efforts Putin praised will produce real results, or simply mark the start of a new, equally tense chapter in U.S.–Russia relations.
