Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin set to meet at Alaska military base

(From left) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walk in the garden of the chancellery in Berlin to join a video conference of European leaders with the US President on Wednesday. PIC/AFP

As administrators from both nations scramble to prepare for a historic summit, White House officials stated that US President Donald Trump will be meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska's Anchorage, CNN reported.

Anchorage - the largest city in the state - has been finalised for the meeting of both leaders on Friday. As per CNN, the military base was selected due to its ability to meet strict security requirements, despite the White House's initial reluctance to host the Russian delegation on a US military installation.

Other venues were either unavailable or ill-equipped to handle the security and logistical demands of such a high-profile meeting. Some Alaskans even offered their private homes, though it remains unclear if those offers reached decision-makers.

The summit, scheduled for Friday, marks the first in-person meeting between the leaders of the US and Russia in over four years, preparations for which are still underway. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Berlin on Wednesday to join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for talks with European and US leaders ahead of the Trump-Putin summit.

Merz has convened a series of virtual meetings on Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukraine's leaders heard ahead of the summit they have been sidelined from. Zelenskyy is due to meet with European leaders first, in preparation for a virtual call with Trump and Vice President JD Vance later.

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