President Donald Trump has revealed his intention to hold a much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The manner in which he announced this meeting has raised some eyebrows.
For nearly a century, the United States has often found itself at odds with Russia, even though the two nations were allies during World War II. As a result, direct meetings between the leaders of these two countries are quite rare. The last such meeting occurred in 2021 when then-President Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The last encounter between Trump and the Russian leader took place in Osaka, Japan, in 2019 during the G20 summit.
On August 8, Trump took to Truth Social to make the announcement public.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” he wrote.
“Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Additionally, Trump shared a screenshot of his Truth Social post on Instagram featuring a photo of him staring intently at the camera against a blacked-out background, reminiscent of the poses seen in boxing promotions.
“I like how this is presented as some kinda mega boxing match,” a commenter noted.
It seems the Trump administration is playfully promoting the meeting as if it were a heavyweight boxing event, a narrative not too far removed from contemporary politics.
“It’s like he’s cutting a promo for wwe,” remarked another user.
Another commenter jested: “Pay per view!! Where is Don King?!”
Hopefully, the meeting will be broadcast for free on national TV, as not everyone wants to pay to watch a diplomatic sit-down. However, if tensions rise, it could rival some of the most lucrative boxing matches ever.
“Biggest bout since Rocky IV,” joked another individual.
Someone else added: “Only Steve Austin [can] stop him.”
The meeting occurs against the backdrop of the Republican president’s ultimatum to Russia regarding its actions in Ukraine, which passed yesterday.
Frustrated that Putin did not respond to his calls to halt the bombing of Ukrainian cities, Trump, about two weeks ago, escalated his threat to impose additional sanctions on Russia and implement secondary tariffs targeting countries purchasing Russian oil if the Kremlin failed to move toward a resolution.
Despite Trump’s attempts to influence Putin to end the conflict, there has been no significant progress. However, he has now secured an in-person meeting with the Russian leader.