Following the Alaska summit, Vladimir Putin held talks with leaders of Belarus and Kazakhstan and reported his meeting with Donald Trump. Trump praised Belarus for releasing political prisoners.
Putin Meets with Lukashenko
After a Friday conversation with Donald Trump in Alaska, Vladimir Putin held talks with the leaders of Belarus and Kazakhstan. The press service of Alexander Lukashenko said that the Russian leader “detailed the outcomes of the Russia‑US summit.” Meanwhile, the office of Kazakh President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev reported that the discussions helped the United States better understand Russia’s position.
Trump: I Had a Great Conversation with the President of Belarus
On Friday, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he had had “an excellent conversation with the respected President of Belarus.” He thanked him for the release of 16 political prisoners and discussed the liberation of an additional 1,300. Trump said the talk ran very successfully and covered many topics, including the president’s upcoming visit to Alaska. He added, “I look forward to meeting President Lukashenko again in the future.”
Before the White House Meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Trump on Monday, August 18, accompanied by several key European leaders. This marks a significant shift from the highly controversial Oval Office meeting earlier this year. Putin agreed to U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine and made territorial concessions as part of a potential peace agreement during his Friday summit with Trump. In a Sunday CNN interview, State Department negotiator Steve Witkoff highlighted that the United States remains committed to covering the details of a peace deal. State Secretary Marco Rubio also remarked that American life would not fundamentally change if the Ukraine war continued.
