Overview

• Trump and Putin will meet on Friday at the Elmendorf-Richardson air base near Anchorage in Alaska, holding talks on Ukraine without direct Ukrainian participation.
• European leaders and President Zelenskyy held virtual consultations earlier this week and issued a joint declaration insisting that Ukraine’s people must freely decide their own future before any peace deal.
• The US Treasury suspended select Russia sanctions through August 20 to facilitate Putin’s attendance, and Trump warned of “very serious consequences” if Moscow refuses to pursue an end to the war.
• Media reports say Trump offered security guarantees for Ukraine to European partners and pledged not to negotiate a partition of Ukrainian territory at the Alaska summit.
• Renewed Russian advances in Donetsk have intensified calls for a ceasefire, while German polls reveal overwhelming skepticism about the summit’s ability to secure peace and broad demand for Ukraine’s direct participation.