US President Donald Trump (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during their gathering connected the sidelines of the G20 Summit successful Hamburg, Germany, connected July 7, 2017
Mikhail Klimentiev | AFP | Getty Images
As Russian President Vladimir Putin holds face-to-face talks with White House person Donald Trump connected Friday, Ukraine — and the satellite — volition beryllium watching with baited breath.
The authorities leaders are acceptable to statesman their acme astatine 11:30 a.m. section clip (3.30 p.m. ET) astatine the Elmendorf Richardson subject basal successful Anchorage, Alaska.
There volition past beryllium a moving luncheon for some delegations, earlier the presidents clasp a associated property league to summarize their talks.
The presser volition undoubtedly beryllium 1 of the astir intimately watched events of this year, revealing conscionable however adjacent — oregon acold — is the extremity of the warfare successful Ukraine that has spanned much than 3 and a fractional years.
"Trump wants to exhaust each options to person a peaceful extremity to war," the White House stated connected the eve of the Alaska summit.
It remains to beryllium seen whether those "options" volition yet beryllium bully oregon atrocious for Ukraine.
Not lone is simply a ceasefire astatine involvement — if Trump tin transportation Putin to hold to 1 — but truthful are Ukraine's territorial integrity, Europe's security, Russia's system and geopolitical alliances.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has a checkered narration with Trump and was not invited to the Friday event, volition beryllium tense arsenic the talks get underway.
Both helium and his European allies fearfulness the U.S. person could capitulate to skilled negotiator Putin's apt demands for Moscow to clasp occupied Ukrainian territory and chopped abbreviated Ukraine's NATO rank aspirations, successful instrumentality for halting its subject offensive.
What's the schedule?
Moscow has released much details astir the acme than the White House, which lone this week confirmed that the presidents' talks would beryllium a "one-on-one" meeting.
The Kremlin echoed that view, stating that Trump and Putin volition conscionable "in a tete-a-tete format" down closed doors with translators successful tow, "naturally," according to Putin's adjutant connected overseas affairs, Yuri Ushakov.
"Considering that precise important topics of a delicate quality volition beryllium discussed, the database of participants successful the negotiations is not big," Ushakov added, successful comments translated by NBC News.
Russia's delegation includes lone a fewer members of Putin's interior circle, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's concern and commercialized envoy, arsenic good arsenic Ushakov.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov looks on, adjacent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, arsenic they hold for the US-Russia acme astatine the Villa La Grange, successful Geneva connected June 16, 2021.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
The statesmanlike adjutant commented that "it is evident to everyone that the cardinal taxable volition beryllium the colony of the Ukrainian crisis," including the "broader tasks of ensuring bid and security," arsenic good arsenic pressing planetary and determination issues.
Signaling that Russia volition beryllium looking to extol the economical benefits of a rapprochement with the U.S., Ushakov added that "an speech of views is expected regarding the further improvement of bilateral cooperation, including successful the commercialized and economical area," noting that "this practice has tremendous and, unfortunately, untapped potential."
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