Trump–Putin Alaska Summit Risks Turning into ‘Farce': Researcher

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Analyst says Moscow aims to charm Trump, sideline Ukraine, and weaken Europe’s stance

By TRH Global Affairs Desk

NEW DELHI, August 14, 2025 — The high-stakes Alaska summit between former US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could devolve into a diplomatic “farce,” according to Jussi Lassila, senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

Set for Friday, the meeting’s official agenda includes the future of the war in Ukraine and a potential ceasefire. But Lassila warns that Putin’s real aim is to appease Trump, discredit Ukraine and Europe, and avoid tougher economic sanctions.

“Russia knows this game,” Lassila told Finnish daily Kuppaleheti. The researcher further argued that “Putin will project cooperation, flatter Trump’s ego, and nurture the idea of Russia and the United States as global great powers — all while pushing his own strategic interests.”

Economic Deals Over Ukraine Peace

According to Lassila, Moscow will likely raise potential US–Russia economic cooperation projects — first hinted at during February’s Riyadh summit — as a way to divert attention from the difficult Ukraine negotiations.

Tensions between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could also be exploited. Earlier this year, Trump briefly cut military aid to Ukraine after a clash with Zelensky in Washington. Lassila predicts Putin will “directly or indirectly” paint Zelensky as a problematic figure and suggest that Europe is blocking progress toward peace.

Russia’s Negotiating Playbook

If the summit results in Trump pressuring Ukraine and Europe in Moscow’s favour, Putin will have “achieved his goal,” Lassila told the Finnish daily. He warned that Russia often mixes economic and military demands, while leaving sensitive issues deliberately vague.

One possible trap: Russia could demand Ukraine withdraw troops from Donetsk as a ceasefire condition, link it to lifting sanctions, yet refuse to remove its own forces from Kherson and Kharkiv.

Lassila told the daily there is “no acute pressure for peace” in Moscow, making the meeting a chance for Putin to play for time while the war of attrition drags on and sanctions remain in limbo.

China’s Quiet Influence

Adding to the intrigue, China’s role remains unclear. Days before the summit, Putin phoned Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid Trump’s threats of 100% tariffs on Russia and its trading partners.

China expert Sari Arho Havrén of Business Finland told the daily that Beijing has been publicly cautious in pressuring Moscow but remains supportive of many of its strategic aims, including territorial claims in Ukraine. “If the outcome forces Ukraine to cede territory, that is not an unpleasant solution for Beijing,” she said.

For now, both Lassila and Arho Havrén see the Alaska talks as more about buying time than making real concessions. “Putin has the initiative again,” Lassila concluded, “and Europeans shouldn’t fool themselves into thinking Trump has suddenly come to his senses.”