WHAT DID PUTIN TELL HIM?: President Donald Trump is displaying extreme enthusiasm — some might say “irrational exuberance” — ahead today’s historic meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite the fact that Putin has made no concessions or public statements indicating he’s willing to agree to a ceasefire in the Ukraine war after three-and-a-half years of fighting.
In an interview on Fox radio with Brian Kilmeade, Trump oozed confidence about how he sees the day playing out, based, he said, on a pre-summit phone call with Putin. “I believe he wants peace. I believe that President Putin, when I spoke to him yesterday, I mean. I know him very well. Yes, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn’t.”
Trump seems to believe that after his face-to-face conversation with Putin, the Russian leader will quickly agree to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hammer out details of a peace agreement.
“It’s like a chess game. This meeting sets up the second meeting,” Trump said. “The second meaning is going to be very, very important because that’s going to a meeting where they make a deal. And I don’t want to use the word divvy things up, but you know to a certain extent it’s not a bad term. OK? But there will be a give-and-take as to boundaries, lands, et cetera?”
“Because of a certain relationship that he has with me running this country, he really, I believe, now he’s convinced he’s going to make a deal. He’s gonna make a deal,” Trump said, putting the odds of success at 75%. “But there is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting, in which case I will run the country, we have made America great again already in six months.”
HOPES ARE HIGH FOR TRUMP-PUTIN ALASKA MEETING AS WHITE HOUSE TAMPERS EXPECTATIONS
‘I’M NOT GOING TO NEGOTIATE THE DEAL’: Trump seems to think things will move very quickly. “I don’t know that we’re going to get an immediate ceasefire, but I think it’s going to come. See, I’m more interested in an immediate peace deal, getting peace fast,” he said on Fox radio.
“Depending on what happens with my meeting, I’m going to be calling up President Zelensky and let’s get him over to wherever we’re going to meet. I don’t know where we’re gonna have the second meeting, but we have an idea of three different locations, and we’ll be including the possibility — because it would be by far the easiest — of staying in Alaska.”
When Kilmeade asked Trump if he’d told Zelensky to be ready to come to Anchorage on short notice, Trump gave a curious response. “I don’t want to talk about a second meeting, even to him. I don’t want to even indicate there might be a second meeting. Maybe there will. Maybe there won’t.”
“It would be certainly convenient if we had a very good meeting because I’m going to let them negotiate their deal. I’m not going to negotiate the deal,” he said. “So we’re going to be calling President Zelensky if it’s a good meeting, and if it’s a bad meeting, I’m not calling anybody. I’m going home.”
TRUMP ESTIMATES 1-IN-4 CHANCE ALASKA MEETING IS NOT SUCCESSFUL, SAYS PUTIN IS ‘GOING TO MAKE A DEAL’
TRUMP WILL PLAY IT BY EAR: There is a very loose agenda for today’s summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, with Trump and Putin scheduled to sit down at 11 a.m. local time, 3 p.m. in Washington. According to a bare-bones timeline put out by the White House, Trump — who departs Washington around 7 a.m. — is scheduled to be on the ground in Alaska for about six hours.
According to guidance from the Kremlin, the meeting will start with a one-on-one conversation between Putin and Trump, with only interpreters present, after which the respective delegations will join the talks.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told “Fox & Friends” that tentative plans are for Trump and Putin to have lunch with members of delegations from both countries, after their initial meeting.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the two leaders will hold a joint press conference after the session, but Trump told Fox that it all depends on what happens. “I’m going to have a press conference. I don’t know if it’s going to be a joint. We haven’t even discussed it. I think it might be nice to have a joint and then separate. So something like that will happen,” Trump said. “Or if the meeting doesn’t end well, I’ll just have a press conference and head out. I’ll head back to Washington.”
Trump is currently scheduled to depart Alaska 5:45 p.m. local, 9:45 p.m. EDT, arriving back at the White House at 4:45 a.m. tomorrow.
TRUMP MAY HAVE ‘DELUDED HIMSELF’ IN HIS VIEW OF PUTIN: TIMOTHY NEROZZI
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HAPPENING TODAY: Russia did not let up on its air and ground attacks on Ukraine on the eve of the summit. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that 97 drones and two ballistic missiles were fired at Ukrainian targets overnight, with about two-thirds being shot down. Six civilians were killed, and more than a dozen injured, according to Ukrainian officials.
In a brief statement at the Kremlin before leaving for Alaska, President Vladimir Putin praised what he said he considered “fairly vigorous and sincere efforts to halt hostilities, resolve the crisis, and reach agreements that serve the interests of all parties involved in this conflict.”
Putin — as many Kremlin watchers have predicted — indicated he wants the talks to focus on larger issues than just a ceasefire in Ukraine, including dangling the prospect of a new nuclear deal with the U.S. “The aim is to establish long-term conditions for peace not only between our countries but also in Europe and indeed globally, especially if we proceed to subsequent stages involving agreements on strategic offensive arms control,” Putin said.
“I think that’s a nice statement. I just heard it. You gave me a little breaking news,” Trump said when Brian Kilmeade read Putin’s comments to Trump during their radio interview. “I really feel he wanted the whole thing [all of Ukraine]. I think if it weren’t me, it was somebody else, he would not be talking to anybody.”
“Putin’s comment that President Trump is ‘engaged in an energetic and sincere effort to end the war’ … is an incredibly condescending and cynical thing to say,” former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker said on CNN last night. “To say that President Trump is now engaged in a sincere effort? That is really only a code word for saying he wants to get Trump to cause Ukraine to surrender.”
“Putin’s goal is to drag this out,” Volker said. “He wants to have this meeting, start expanding the dialog into all these other issues that they can talk about as well, see whether he can spark Trump’s interest in something else, like rare earth minerals or something, and keep this going and divert the attention away from Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
UKRAINIAN DRONES HIT RUSSIA ON EVE OF TRUMP-PUTIN SUMMIT IN ALASKA
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: There is no shortage of opinions about what might happen today in Alaska. Here’s a sample:
President Donald Trump: “What I’m really doing this for us to save thousands of soldiers, you have Russian soldiers, you have Ukrainian soldiers. And then you’ll have missiles dropped into various cities and towns in Ukraine. And last week they lost 7,251 people, mostly soldiers, Russian and Ukrainian soldiers. I’m doing it for that reason … I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelenskyy will make peace. We’ll see if they can get along. And if they can, it’ll be great.”
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary: “What comes after that meeting is up to President Trump. And that’s part of the reason he is going. He has incredible instincts, and he wants to sit down and look the Russian president in the eye and see what progress can be made to move the ball forward to end this brutal war and to restore peace.”
Dmytro Kuleba, former Ukrainian foreign minister, and current member of Ukraine’s National Defense and Security Council: “Swapping land is not workable. It’s not going to work. I think we will forget about this idea … It’s going to die. There is nothing to swap. Because all of this territory is Ukrainian. The only viable solution for the land issue, which indeed is the biggest obstacle in negotiations, is to leave this matter in the gray zone where both sides will claim their title of ownership on this land.”
The Institute for the Study of War: “The Kremlin is likely to use the Alaska summit to try to deflect attention away from peace negotiations with Ukraine and towards the Russia-US relationship in order to court the Trump administration into offering Moscow sorely needed economic rapprochement. The Kremlin’s inclusion of Russian Finance Minister Siluanov and RDIF CEO Dmitriev in the Alaska delegation suggests that Russia will likely attempt to shift the focus of the summit away from its war in Ukraine and towards potential bilateral economic deals.”
K.T. McFarland, former Trump deputy national security adviser: “Most political leaders say, well, I want this as my end result. And yet they kind of have plan A that they’re going to follow, and maybe they get to that result. Maybe they don’t. But they never improvise. President Trump always improvises, and he’s a businessman. He wants to get the deal done. So, he had Plan A. Plan A was he thought he would walk into office, and his charm and personality would bring Putin and Zelensky to the negotiating table. Didn’t work. Plan B, he used economic pressure and military pressure against Zelensky. That did bring him to the negotiating table, but it didn’t bring Putin. Now, he’s on to Plan C. Plan C tomorrow, he’ll find out. Does Putin really want to do a deal or does he want to just play for time, in which case, President Trump will be on Plan D. He’ll get the job done. He just may have to use a little bit of, you know, a little bit of improvisation to get there.”
Retired Adm. James Stavridis, former Supreme NATO Commander: I hope, and I kind of think, President Trump will go into this negotiation and say, You know, Vladimir, I’ve got a deal for you. You keep about 20% percent of the country, that’s kind of the best you’re going to do. And let’s get this thing stopped. Let’s have a ceasefire. Let’s get to the negotiating table. If I were advising President Putin — Which I assure you, I’m not. I’m sanctioned by the Kremlin — I would tell Putin, Take the deal. Because if he really angers President Trump, and we continue to play cards against Putin, it’s Putin who’s going to have a problem here, not Zelensky, not the United States.”
Adm. Sir Tony Radakin, chief of the U.K. defence staff: “The Black Sea Fleet has been sent scuttling by a country with barely a navy. Russia’s strategic bomber force has been decimated by a country with barely an air force. And Russia has had to shift its economy to a war effort, which it will be incredibly hard to row back from. Putin is left with a dilemma – agree a ceasefire with his stated aims incomplete and little to show his people in return for the lost blood and treasure or continue the war indefinitely and watch his country become even weaker and poorer chasing the false dream of subjugating Ukraine.”
Olga Tokariuk, Academy associate in the Ukraine Forum: “The best would be if there is no deal tomorrow. So if there is no agreement between Russia and the US on anything, if there is like no pressure in Ukraine to make any territorial concessions, and then obviously, even the better scenario, if there are new US sanctions imposed on Russia, sanctions that President Trump threatened, but so far, failed to implement and failed to announce. So that would be the best case scenario.”
Adm. Sir Tony Radakin, chief of the U.K. defence staff: “The Black Sea Fleet has been sent scuttling by a country with barely a navy. Russia’s strategic bomber force has been decimated by a country with barely an air force. And Russia has had to shift its economy to a war effort, which it will be incredibly hard to row back from. Putin is left with a dilemma – agree a ceasefire with his stated aims incomplete and little to show his people in return for the lost blood and treasure or continue the war indefinitely and watch his country become even weaker and poorer chasing the false dream of subjugating Ukraine.”
John Bolton, former Trump national security adviser: “The question is, what Trump really thinks is going to happen in terms of the likelihood of success of a ceasefire effort? I think what he’s saying is, if I think that I can contribute to a ceasefire and get the Nobel Peace Prize, then I’ll exert the time and energy necessary to do it. But if I don’t, then I’m pulling out. Maybe that means sanctions on Russia. Maybe it means aid to Ukraine. Maybe it just means he gives up paying any attention to the situation.”
TRUMP DODGES QUESTIONS ON RARE EARTH MINERALS DEAL FOR PUTIN’S PEACE
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Hopes are high for Trump-Putin Alaska meeting as White House tampers expectations
Washington Examiner: Trump estimates 1-in-4 chance Alaska meeting is not successful, says Putin is ‘going to make a deal’
Washington Examiner: Ukrainian drones hit Russia on eve of Trump-Putin summit in Alaska
Washington Examiner: Trump dodges questions on rare earth minerals deal for Putin’s peace
Washington Examiner: Trump may have ‘deluded himself’ in his view of Putin: Timothy Nerozzi
Washington Examiner: Israel announces West Bank settlement that ‘finally buries’ Palestinian sovereignty
Washington Examiner: Trump stokes congressional showdown over DC crime
Washington Examiner: DC police chief allows officers to work with ICE to arrest illegal immigrants
Washington Examiner: A man went to prison for assaulting me. DC Police crime stats show he was never arrested
Washington Examiner: Trump says ‘phony’ DC crime statistics are being investigated
Washington Examiner: The gun that allegedly shoots by itself: New Hampshire-based Sig Sauer is fighting for its reputation
Washington Examiner: DOJ charges five cartel leaders, seeks $26 million bounties
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Trump puts Israeli fanatic before US interests
New York Times: Russia and Ukraine Agree: A Trump Summit Is a Big Win for Putin
Military.com: Flights Restricted Over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit
AP: Ukrainian defenses face a challenge as Russian troops make gains ahead of the Putin-Trump summit
Reuters: US Military Deploying Forces to Southern Caribbean Against Drug Groups
AP: Bondi names DEA head as DC’s ‘emergency police commissioner,’ but capital leaders push back
AP: In Washington Police Takeover, Federal Agents and National Guard Take on New Tasks
Washington Post: Fired DOJ employee could face prison for throwing sandwich at officers
Air & Space Forces Magazine: $2.3B in DOGE Cuts Buried in Air and Space Force Budget Proposal
Defense One: New Golden Dome Details Emerge From Industry Day
Air & Space Forces Magazine: What Does China Think of Golden Dome?
Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-15C Fighter That Downed MiGs Arrives at Smithsonian for Display
Air Force Times: Passenger on F-15 Ride-Along Ejected on Runway, Video Shows
Breaking Defense: Opinion: Why the US Needs the E-7 Now
Washington Post: Opinion: The hypocrisy of recognizing Palestine but not Taiwan
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | AUGUST 15
8 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “U.S.-Japan Global Partnership in Central Asia,” with Tomohiko Uyama, professor at Hokkaido University; Zhanibek Arynov, assistant professor at Nazarbayev University; Joseph Webster, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center; Markus Garlauskas, director of the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative; and Kyoko Imai, associate director of the Atlantic Council Indo-Pacific Security Initiative and the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/us-japan-global-partnership-in-central-asia/
10 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: “Taliban Rule and Regional Realignments Four Years On,” with Sibghatullah Ghaznawi, associate research scholar at Columbia University; Shalini Chawla, fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies; Sarah Godek, research associate at the Stimson China Program; and Akriti Vasudeva Kalyankar, fellow at the Stimson South Asia Program https://www.stimson.org/event/taliban-rule-and-regional-realignments
TUESDAY | AUGUST 26
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Defense and Security Department and the U.S. Naval Institute or a Maritime Security Dialogue virtual and in-person discussion: “The Future of Naval Aviation,” with Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, commander, Naval Air Forces and commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet in conversation with retired Rear Adm. Raymond Spicer, chief executive officer and publisher, U.S. Naval Institute https://www.csis.org/events/future-naval-aviation-conversation-vadm-cheever
TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 2
3 p.m. Senate Chamber — Senate meets to resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.2296, the “National Defense Authorization Act.” At approximately 5:30 p.m., the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.2296. http://www.senate.gov