WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
The eyes of the whole world are on Anchorage, Alaska, where the President of the United States of America Donald Trump and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin are meeting today, with the aim of negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine that has been going on since February 2022. The venue of the summit will be Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, and this represents the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since 2019 and the first on US soil since 2007.
Participants
Leading the Russian side, Putin is marking his first visit to the US in the last decade, with the support of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, the head of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Kirill Dmitriev and economist Andrei Belousov.
The US delegation is led by Trump, who is seeking to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, economic advisers Scott Besant and Howard Latnik, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and General Dan Kaine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Key Objectives and Context
President Trump has presented the summit as a key opportunity to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, stressing the urgency of ending the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. The meeting also serves as a platform for Trump to showcase his diplomatic skills and reaffirm his role as a global peacemaker. However, the exclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from the talks has raised concerns among Western allies about Ukraine's marginalization in negotiations that directly affect its sovereignty.
A chronological overview of the information is provided below.
19:18 Trump: Nothing is guaranteed
Trump said he did not know what would make his summit with Putin a success, adding that he wanted to see a ceasefire.
Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters on Air Force One: "I can't tell you that. I don't know. Nothing is guaranteed. I want certain things. I want a ceasefire."
"I want to see a ceasefire as soon as possible... I will not be satisfied if it is not today," he added, stressing that Europe and Zelensky would be involved. "I want the killing to stop."
18:22 Trump: If the meeting does not go the way I want, I will walk out
Trump told Fox News that he would walk out of the planned meeting if it does not go the way he expects.
18:01 Russian journalists served Kiev-style chicken
Russian state media highlighted the symbolic gesture during the delegation's flight to Alaska. Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan posted on Telegram that journalists on the state plane were served chicken Kiev, a dish long associated with Ukraine, CNN reported. RT reporter Yegor Piskunov suggested that the choice of meal could signal optimism ahead of the talks.
17:55 Kellogg to skip meeting
Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg will not attend the Anchorage meeting, US officials said. His absence is explained by the fact that Russia sees him as too friendly to Ukraine, which could be "counterproductive" for the meeting.
Kellogg previously shared all the information from his talks with the Ukrainians with Trump and Rubio. Although there is concern in Europe that he is not part of the delegation, sources cited by CNN say that he is expected to be included in future talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine.
17:48 RIA: Atmosphere ahead of talks "combat"
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriyev said the atmosphere ahead of the Putin-Trump talks was "combat", Russian state news agency RIA reported.
Dmitriyev also said the talks would cover the entire spectrum of Russia-US relations, not just Ukraine, and that they were aimed at restoring Russia-US relations, not just the economy.
17:31 Scheduled time
• 11:00 a.m. local time (9:00 p.m. CET): Putin's plane is expected to land in Alaska and be met by Trump, the Kremlin said. Trump and Putin will meet and hold a joint press conference shortly after.
• 2:45 a.m. Alaska time (12:45 p.m. CET): Trump has departed Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
• 5:45 p.m. local time (3:45 a.m. CET): Trump is expected to depart Anchorage for the White House. Trump is expected to return to the White House early Saturday morning.
5:23 p.m. Kremlin: Talks could last at least six to seven hours
The Kremlin expects the talks in Alaska to yield results, Russian state news agency RIA reported.
RIA also said that the Kremlin said Putin and Trump's aides would also attend the meeting.
5:17 p.m. Peskov: Putin will arrive on time for summit
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin would arrive on time for the summit.
"The president always arrives on time," Peskov said on a plane in the Russian far-eastern region of Magadan.
Clarification Putin is notorious for being late for meetings. During a 2013 visit to the Vatican, he kept Pope Francis waiting for him for nearly an hour. Since coming to power, he has kept a number of world leaders on alert ahead of the meeting.
On his way to Alaska, Putin stopped in the city of Magadan, where he toured an industrial plant, chaired a meeting of the local government, and visited schoolchildren at a hockey rink.
Magadan is about a four-hour flight from Anchorage, Alaska.
Peskov said Putin’s departure from Magadan would be “punctual,” and that the Russian president was expected to land in Anchorage at 11 a.m. local time, where Trump would meet him.
