At their next summit in Alaska, President Donald Trump says he is ready to make big promises to Russian President Vladimir Putin. These include granting access to some of Alaska’s natural resources and providing a portion of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals from areas that Russia presently controls.
Trump stated that ending the war in Ukraine is the aim in an interview with Fox anchor Brian Kilmeade on Thursday, but he also conceded that the strategy is far from certain. He compared it to a game of chess. There is a twenty-five percent risk that this meeting will fail, even though it sets up the second meeting.
The comments are the first time Trump has estimated the chances of the negotiations failing. On the first day of his president, he ran on a platform of stopping the war in Ukraine, but the administration is already coming under fire for rumors that such concessions are being considered.
Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman, expressed his surprise on X by tweeting, Can you believe that Trump will agree to let the Russians into Alaska? Whoa. Let’s watch the Republicans explain this.
Hold on, then. Will Trump promise to let the Russians into FUKKIN ALASKA?
Whoa. Republicans should defend thispic.Follow @75BYsllTvC on Twitter
Slava Ukraini’s Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) August 14, 2025
Trump’s consideration of giving Moscow access to Alaska’s resources, which might strengthen Russia’s geopolitical interests in the Arctic, was first reported by The Telegraph. Russian nationalists have long criticized the 1867 acquisition of the state from Russia. In recent years, Putin has also referred to it as an error, even signing a decree in 2024 that deemed the transaction unlawful.
The possible offer of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, in addition to Alaska’s riches, might provide Putin with even more motivation to accept a peace agreement. Ukraine has large quantities of these minerals, which are thought to be essential for producing high-tech goods, such as defense gear.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly denied the accusations, stating that there is no truth to anonymous people claiming to understand the president’s thoughts. She continued by saying that only the President knows how to proceed in the direction of peace and has firsthand experience meeting with international leaders to try to address disputes worldwide.
Trump said, “We’ll see what happens,” in response to questions from reporters in the Oval Office about whether such plans were being given serious consideration.
Without giving any details, the president added that he is considering a variety of incentives and disincentives in order to come to a consensus. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal have suggested a sanctions package that includes 500 percent tariffs on nations purchasing Russian gas, oil, and uranium. When asked if he would consider adopting this package, Trump said, “Oh sure, if it’s not solved.”
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, will host the meeting on Friday. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, will not be present.
Putin met with top officials in Moscow on Thursday and expressed his belief that the United States was actively working to end the conflict and find a solution. But according to analysts, the Russian leader might have the upper hand going into the negotiations because he is pushing for talks on nuclear weapons and wider commercial connections in addition to Ukraine.
John Bolton, a former national security adviser, told CNN earlier this week that Putin is going to try to reintegrate Trump using all of his best KGB experience because he knows he pushed him a little too far.
