White House confirms Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage, calling it ‘listening exercise’

WASHINGTON — President Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, the White House confirmed Tuesday.

“There were many sites discussed, but of course, Alaska is a state within the United States of America, so the president is very honored,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during her regular briefing.

Switzerland, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates had been among the speculated locations for the closely-watched summit, the first sitdown between Putin and an American president since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A venue for the meeting has not been made public, but Anchorage — a city of around 300,000 — is already experiencing an influx of officials and reporters seeking hotel rooms and other amenities to cover the high-level talks.