A member of the military stands outside an entrance to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 14, 2025, ahead of the August 15 scheduled meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Drew Angerer / AFP
Putin says upcoming Anchorage talks could reshape relations with Washington and revive strategic arms limits.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, August 14th that the United States is making “sincere efforts” to halt the war in Ukraine, hinting that Moscow could agree to a nuclear arms control deal with Washington as part of broader peace talks.
Addressing senior ministers and security officials, Putin tied the possibility of new strategic weapons agreements to establishing “long-term conditions for peace” between the two countries, Europe, and the whole world.
His comments come ahead of Friday’s summit in Anchorage, Alaska—the first Russia–U.S. meeting at presidential level since June 2021.
The two nations hold the largest nuclear arsenals globally, and the last remaining treaty limiting them—New START—is set to expire next February. It caps deployed warheads at 1,550 per side; without renewal or replacement, both countries could exceed that limit.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the meeting will focus on Ukraine but also explore wider security and economic cooperation, noting that Putin and Trump will discuss the “huge untapped potential” of U.S.–Russia trade relations.
The summit will begin with a one-on-one session between Putin and Trump, followed by talks between delegations, a working lunch, and a joint press conference.
Rebeka Kis is a fifth-year law student at the University of Pécs. Her main interests are politics and history, with experience in the EU’s day-to-day activities gained as an intern with the Foundation for a Civic Hungary at the European Parliament.
