Trump-Putin Alaska meeting: Hotels, cabs booked out ahead of 'high-stakes' summit. Are there curbs on flights?

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet soon in Anchorage, Alaska, for a closely watched summit, to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. Putin’s trip marks the first visit by an elected Russian leader to Alaska. US purchased Alaska from Moscow in 1867 for $7.2 million.

Meanwhile in Alaska, demonstrators, waving Ukrainian flags lined the streets of Anchorage, reiterated their support for Kyiv as they questioned US President Donald Trump’s ability to negotiate a deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, while others said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be present at the talks.

Donald Trump is expected to depart the White House shortly, as he heads to Alaska for a crucial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.


“HIGH STAKES!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

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What time is Trump-Putin meeting?

Trump and Putin will meet today in Anchorage, Alaska, at 3:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. local time). Trump said he believes Putin wants to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine, but also that the meeting has a 25% chance of failure.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that they would hold a joint press conference at the end of the summit.

Kremlin has said it will involve a one-on-one meeting with just the presidents and their translators, and a wider meeting with their delegations, as per Axios. Trump has said he will call Zelensky and several European leaders after it's over to brief them.

Where is the summit being held?

The summit is set to take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska's largest military installation and a Cold War base for surveillance of the Soviet Union.

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What Trump said before his meeting with Putin?

Trump has threatened Russia with “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to end the war in the meeting, from which Ukrainian President Volodymyr was excluded. If the summit goes well, Trump suggested organizing a trilateral meeting with Zelensky that may include European leaders — who remain deeply wary of Putin.

What is Putin's perspective?

The Russian leader praised the Trump administration’s efforts to stop the war and hinted that Moscow and Washington could strike a deal on nuclear arms control during their summit, reports CNN.

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Are there temporary curbs on flights?

Sources say the city is buzzing with activity, as nearby hotels are fully booked and finding a cab to or from the site has become a challenge, according to NDTV.

The federal administration has also imposed temporary flight restrictions — reportedly from 9:30 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. local time on Friday — though these measures are not expected to significantly affect commercial flights.

The possibility of a presidential summit came up in a meeting last Wednesday between Putin and Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff. European and Ukrainian officials have been growing nervous that Trump will take Putin's side in the meeting and pressure Zelensky to make major concessions.