The Kremlin announces the schedule for the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin – and has already offered warm words for the US. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy provides details on the allies' weapons program. Follow all developments in the live ticker.

On Friday, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet for peace talks in Alaska. Shortly before the meeting, Trump threatened the Kremlin leader with"very serious consequences" if he did not agree to end the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin launched a charm offensive.

All developments on the Ukraine summit in our live ticker:

5:41 p.m. – Trump sees meeting only as preparation

Trump described the meeting with Putin as preparation for a future, more important three-way summit with Zelensky."This meeting sets up the second meeting," the US president told Fox News Radio."The second meeting will be very, very important because at this meeting, they will make a deal."

"And I don't want to use the term 'carve something up,'" Trump adds."But you know, to a certain extent, that's not a bad term. There will be some give and take when it comes to borders and territories."

2:36 p.m. – EU Commission targets 19th sanctions package for September

The EU Commission hopes to hold a vote on the next package of sanctions against Russia in September."Hopefully, we can adopt it next month," said an EU Commission spokeswoman. She did not provide details on the potential content of the package.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas recently announced after a video conference of EU foreign ministers that there would be a 19th package. The EU intends to use these sanctions to make it more difficult for Russia to continue its war of aggression against Ukraine.

Sanctions in the EU are decided unanimously by the member states. In the past, there have been internal debates, for example, when Hungary and Slovakia blocked sanctions against Moscow. Whether the timeline can be met remains to be seen.

2:24 PM – Putin praises Trump

One day before his meeting with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin positively assessed the United States' efforts to end the war in Ukraine."The US government (...) is, in my view, making quite energetic and sincere efforts to end the fighting, resolve the crisis, and reach agreements that satisfy all parties involved," Putin said, according to the Kremlin.

2:03 p.m. – New prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine have each exchanged 84 prisoners of war. The United Arab Emirates brokered the exchange, the Defense Ministry announced. All released Russians are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving psychological and medical care. Kyiv confirmed the process.

12:16 p.m. – Ukraine receives weapons worth $1.5 billion – a third of the sum from Germany

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine will receive $1.5 billion from European allies to purchase US weapons. The money comes from the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Zelensky wrote on Platform X. The mechanism"truly strengthens our defense," he said.

The German government had announced that it would contribute up to $500 million (almost €430 million) to the support package for Ukraine, for which a new NATO mechanism ("Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List") was established. The alliance coordinates the delivery of weapons procured from the United States.

The German Ministry of Defense and the German Foreign Office referred to an announcement by US President Donald Trump that the United States will supply Ukraine with military equipment and ammunition in the form of several support packages. The financing will be provided by European partners and Canada.

11:53 a.m. – Kremlin announces time for Trump-Putin summit

The Kremlin has announced the start time for talks expected on Friday between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin."Everything will begin tomorrow at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time (9:30 p.m. CEST)," Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said, according to Russian news agencies. The main topic will be Russia's war in Ukraine.

According to Ushakov, a joint press conference between Putin and Trump is planned after the talks. In addition to Ushakov, the Russian delegation will include Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Kirill Dmitriev, who is in charge of the US negotiations.

10:05 a.m. – Rutte thanks Germany for its participation in the arms package

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte thanked Germany for co-financing a US arms package for Ukraine. Wednesday's announcement underscores"once again" Berlin's willingness to "help the Ukrainian people defend their freedom and sovereignty," Rutte said on the online service X.

The Federal Ministry of Defense and the Federal Foreign Office announced on Wednesday that Germany, together with other NATO allies, was prepared to finance one of the first packages of weapons and ammunition from the United States for Ukraine, worth up to $500 million. NATO will coordinate the implementation of the deliveries, the two German ministries announced. Rutte praised Germany as"the largest European donor of military aid to Ukraine."

US President Donald Trump announced in July that he wanted to supply new weapons to Kyiv – but European countries like Germany would have to pay for the military equipment.

08:29 – Masala: “There are indications that Trump could offer Putin the exploitation of natural resources in Alaska.”

Political scientist Carlo Masala expects a"charm offensive" from Vladimir Putin at the summit in Alaska. The Kremlin chief will point out to Donald Trump"how positive the development of bilateral relations between the US and Russia could be," Masala said in an interview with WELT TV."There are now indications that Trump could offer him, so to speak, the exploitation of raw materials in Alaska." A relaxation of sanctions against the Russian aviation industry could also be part of this. The British newspaper"Telegraph" is reporting on this possible offer. According to the report, the discussion concerns Russia's potential access to rare earths in Alaska.

There's a risk that Trump will forget everything the Europeans are demanding when meeting with Putin."That is indeed the great danger."

Masala considers the proposal to treat the occupied Ukrainian territory like the West Bank model (reported on by the British "Times") unlikely."All these considerations are simply pointless, especially because Putin has made it very clear what he wants." The Kremlin chief doesn't want a territorial swap, but rather complete control over several Ukrainian territories.

Masala considers an American security guarantee for Ukraine a viable option."There will be no American presence on Ukrainian soil, but it will send a clear signal to Russia that if Russia should consider attacking any European presence in Ukraine, it will have to reckon with the Americans."

07:45 – Starmer welcomes Zelenskyy in London today

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in London today. Zelensky will arrive at Downing Street around 9:30 a.m. (local time, 10:30 a.m. CEST), Starmer's office said.

07:06 – US considers “West Bank” model for Ukraine, according to report – White House denies

The British newspaper"The Times" reports on a controversial proposal for negotiations between the US and Russia: According to the report, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, during his visit to Russia, discussed a model for resolving the Ukraine war in which Russia would assume military and economic control over the occupied parts of Ukraine and establish its own administrative authority – similar to how Israel took control of the West Bank in 1967. A border shift would not be officially recognized here, the newspaper said. The source with insight into the US National Security Council stated that.

"It would be just like Israel's occupation of the West Bank," the source is quoted as saying."It will still be Ukraine, because... Ukraine will never give up its sovereignty. But in reality, it will be occupied territory, and the model for that is Palestine." The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967. The Palestinians claim the territories for their own state.

However, a White House spokeswoman denied the report."This is complete fake news," Anna Kelly told the newspaper."Nothing of this nature has ever been discussed with anyone."

01:31 – Trump promises security guarantees for Ukraine

According to a report by Politico, US President Donald Trump is offering European politicians US security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump also assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and allies that he would not negotiate a division of Ukrainian territory during his meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin this week, according to the US television network NBC.

Wednesday, August 13:

10:36 PM – US government suspends some sanctions for Trump-Putin meeting

The US government is partially suspending some sanctions against Russia to allow for the meeting between President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. The pause will last until August 20, the US Treasury Department announced.

The US government has imposed sanctions on Russian government agencies and companies in recent years. A key reason for this was Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. This could make travel to Alaska more difficult for those affected. At the same time, the Treasury Department clarified that no blocked property would be released – and that the suspension expressly applied only to activities related to the meeting in Alaska. No names were mentioned in the Treasury Department's announcement.

8:44 PM – Trump threatens Putin with “very serious consequences”

US President Donald Trump has threatened Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin with"very serious consequences" if he fails to agree to an end to the war in Ukraine. In response to a question on this, Trump said Putin must be prepared for this if he does not agree to an end to the war at his meeting with Trump in Alaska on Friday. The president did not respond to a follow-up question about whether he meant tariffs by"consequences."

Trump also again suggested a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kremlin leader Putin. He himself would also participate, if both Zelensky and Putin so wished, the US president said. However, he would first wait to see how his meeting with Putin in Alaska, scheduled for Friday, goes—because another meeting might not take place.

6:34 p.m. – Germany helps finance support package

Germany is financing one of the support packages for Ukraine, consisting of US weapons and ammunition. This was announced jointly by the Ministry of Defense and the Federal Foreign Office following a video conference involving several European representatives of the"Coalition of the Willing." Germany, along with other NATO allies, is prepared to finance one of the first packages, totaling up to 500 million US dollars, it was stated.

NATO will coordinate the implementation of the deliveries, the two German ministries announced. Financing will then be provided by the European partners and Canada. The support packages will include military goods that either cannot be produced by European industry or can be delivered by the US more quickly than by other NATO partners. This also includes air defense capabilities.

5:18 PM – Macron wants three-way meeting with Putin, Trump and Zelensky in a “neutral country” in Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a three-way meeting between US President Donald Trump, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Europe. Trump will push for such a meeting, Macron said at his summer residence in Bormes-les-Mimosas after a video conference between the Europeans and the US president."We would like this to take place in Europe, in a neutral country that is acceptable to all sides."

5:09 PM – Von der Leyen praises “very good phone call” with Trump

Following a virtual meeting of Ukraine's European allies with US President Donald Trump, the President of the European Commission spoke of a"very good phone call." "Today, Europe, the US, and NATO have strengthened the common ground for Ukraine," von der Leyen wrote on the online service Bluesky."No one wants peace more than we do, a just and lasting peace," she emphasized.

4:48 PM – Zelenskyy hopes for immediate ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes the upcoming Alaska summit will result in an immediate ceasefire and robust security guarantees for his country. He said this, according to a translation by the Chancellery in Berlin, after consultations with European heads of state and government and US President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine must be at the table in all negotiations concerning his country's future. Furthermore, Russia must not be granted a veto over Ukraine's accession to NATO.

4:26 PM – Merz: “There is hope for movement, there is hope for peace in Ukraine.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) views the upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska as an exchange in which"important decisions could be made." Merz said this at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Chancellery. The two had previously connected via video link with US President Donald Trump. They had a constructive conversation.

As Europeans, we are doing everything in our power to set the course in the right direction. We want Donald Trump to"succeed in Anchorage on Friday," Merz said. We have told Trump:"Fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be safeguarded in Alaska." In this case, Trump can count on Europe's"full support."

After the talks on Friday, Trump will first inform Zelensky, then the European heads of government."There is hope for movement, there is hope for peace in Ukraine," Merz concluded.

He also made several demands on the outcome of the summit:

• Ukraine must be at the table if negotiations continue – so far, Russia has rejected this.
• Ukraine is ready to negotiate territorial issues. However, the so-called contact line must be the starting point. Russia had demanded that the Ukrainian army withdraw from areas in the Donbass that it continues to hold.
• Merz further stated that Kyiv needs"robust security guarantees," and the Ukrainian armed forces must also be allowed to defend their country.
• Negotiations must also be part of a common transatlantic strategy.
• There must be consequences if the meeting is unsuccessful:"If there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, then the United States and Europe must increase the pressure," Merz explained. Trump is aware of this position and shares it"to a large extent."