The troubling part of the Trump–Putin summit at Elmendorf–Richardson Air Base, south of Anchorage, on Friday, August 15, 2025, is not just that it takes place without Europe or Ukraine present. What makes it even more alarming is that this meeting could amount to a grand bargain that reshapes global power balances far beyond the war in Ukraine.
For over a century, both the UK and the EU have feared U.S.–Russia cooperation more than U.S.–Russia rivalry. When Washington and Moscow align, Europe becomes irrelevant, and its geopolitical role is put at risk.
Analysts writing in Foreign Affairs say the “Alaska Summit” goes far beyond Ukraine. They describe it as a potential “development deal of the century.” With both leaders controlling much of the Arctic, a region opening new shipping lanes and revealing untapped energy fields and rare minerals, the first movers will secure enormous gains by building ports, pipelines, and trade routes. Excluding Europe is no accident; it’s a way to keep it from claiming a share of these expected windfalls.
Trump and Putin, both shrewd in business and politics, know the rule: “Once a secret leaves two people, it’s no longer a secret.” So, they chose a tight, limited meeting, away from the endless debates and moral posturing of European leaders. Europeans, meanwhile, worry for three main reasons: power (a U.S.–Russia Arctic deal sidelines Europe as a global trade gatekeeper), energy (new pipelines and routes shift control of oil and gas away from Europe), and politics (closer U.S.–Russia ties undercut Europe’s sanctions strategy).
For Britain, the summit threatens its long-standing strategy: keeping the U.S. apart from Russia to preserve London’s role as the indispensable broker of global politics and trade.
For the U.S., however, the meeting represents something else entirely: greater economic freedom, new trade routes, access to fresh resources, and a degree of independence that allows Washington to act in its own workers’, businesses’, and national security interests; without being bound by Europe, NATO, or the old-world order.
The likely outcome of the Alaska Summit? America reclaims its identity as an independent power that prioritizes its own interests over those of its allies; Ukraine first among them.
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Munich 1938 – Alaska 2025
The Munich Conference of September 1938, between Nazi Germany on one side and Britain and France on the other, aimed to resolve the crisis over the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. But Czechoslovakia itself was excluded from the talks. The result: Europe appeased Hitler, granting him territory in exchange for a hollow promise not to expand further; paving the road to World War II.
Today, Ukraine finds itself in a similar position; excluded from negotiations about its own fate. Trump is betting on his deal-making instincts to keep Russia at bay, while Putin, emboldened by battlefield gains, believes no one will stop him.
Where Are the Arabs?
Just a week ago, during a visit to Moskow, Putin suggested to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed that the Emirates host the summit. That did not happen; Alaska won the bid. This is the only public sign that connects us Arabs to the cold summit.
The Middle East is not on the formal agenda. Yet, with Trump the dealmaker and Putin the strategist, it is hard to imagine the region won’t surface in their bargaining. Possible side discussions include Israel’s war on Gaza, its confrontation with Iran, and the normalization track with Syria. For Washington, sounding out Moscow on these issues could be part of the trade.
The issue of energy cannot be overlooked. Despite the crises Moscow is facing today, three years into its entanglement in the Ukrainian muddle, it continues to play a key role in global oil and gas markets. This creates overlapping Russian American interests, allowing both leaders to explore exchanges that could extend beyond Ukraine to include Syria, Iran, and Israel.
