The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on August 15 will be held at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base, less than ten kilometers from Anchorage , CNN reports. According to the summit organizers, only the base met the security requirements for the historic meeting, although the White House hoped to avoid the prospect of hosting the Russian leader and his entourage at a US military base.

On the other hand, CNN highlights, American officials trying to identify and book a venue for the summit encountered a major obstacle: summer is the peak tourist season in Alaska, and the available and well-equipped options for hosting the two world leaders were severely limited.

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky, fearing that Putin and Trump might reach an agreement that goes over his head, reiterates his position: "I exclude any withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass."

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters at the White House, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt tried to dampen excessive expectations for the summit: for Trump, it's a "listening exercise," she said, reiterating that Trump hopes for a future trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky . "The president has always said he wants peace. But this is a bilateral meeting with one of the two warring parties. And both sides are needed to reach an agreement."

However , Trump himself had spoken of an "exchange of territories" for an agreement, which is why Zelensky reiterated that transfers to Moscow are excluded .

Despite publicly displaying a heavy hand, behind the scenes Zelensky – according to some international media rumours – is reportedly willing to make some territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for peace (as the Trump administration considers inevitable), provided that the negotiations include the security guarantees for Kiev envisaged in the plans of the European allies.

Putin, for his part, will land in Anchorage, said John Bolton, Trump's former adviser, determined to rewind time and take the tycoon back to February, the time of his clash with Zelensky in the Oval Office. Putin will try to "woo" Trump with potential economic deals, teasing the president's businessman persona, and to revive relations between the two countries that have been stalled for years .

(Unioneonline)

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