President Donald Trump raised eyebrows this week when he announced, “I’m going to Russia on Friday,” during a press conference about crime in Washington, D.C. In reality, Trump is not going to Russia — he’s heading to Alaska to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The mix-up came as Trump ranted about rising crime in the nation’s capital, saying, “This is a tragic emergency, and it’s embarrassing for me to be up here. You know, I’m going to see Putin. I’m going to Russia on Friday. I don’t like being up here, talking about how unsafe and how dirty and disgusting this once beautiful capital was.”
Despite his comments, the high-stakes meeting is set for August 15th — not in Moscow, but on U.S. soil. Trump confirmed on Truth Social.
“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,” he wrote.
The talks are expected to focus on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. That war began in 2022 when Russian forces invaded, triggering global condemnation and an arrest warrant for Putin from the International Criminal Court — something Trump has brushed off.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski voiced both concern and hope ahead of the summit. “While I remain deeply wary of Putin and his regime, I hope these discussions lead to genuine progress and help end the war on equitable terms,” she said.
Some critics questioned the symbolism of choosing Alaska — a former Russian territory bought by the U.S. in 1867 — as the meeting site. Russian officials, however, praised the decision. “Alaska echoes those ties and makes the U.S. an Arctic nation,” said Russia’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Sanctioned oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev added, “Alaskans respectfully remember their Russian past and their Orthodox present.”
Trump also floated the idea of including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in future talks, but aired his frustration: “I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, ‘Well, I have to get constitutional approval.’ He’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap.”
“There’ll be some land swapping going on,” Trump said. “To the good – for the good of Ukraine, good stuff, not bad stuff, also some bad stuff for both.”
Trump, who once claimed he could end the war in 24 hours, admitted the road ahead won’t be easy. “We’re going to change the lines, the battle lines they need. But I want to have a meeting set up between the two leaders.”
Watch the clip below:
Just imagine if Biden had said this:
Trump: "I'm going to see Putin. I'm going to Russia on Friday."
Trump is going to Alaska on Friday — which has not been part of Russia since 1867.
Where the hell are you, @jaketapper? Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/lSdJyO6mzf
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) August 11, 2025
