Bloomberg columnist Mark Champion believes that the very fact of a planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U. S. President Donald Trump in Alaska is already a win for Moscow. He argued that the invitation itself marks a diplomatic success for the Kremlin. If the summit were to delay U.S. sanctions or produce a peace plan capable of sowing discord between Ukraine and its allies, Champion noted, the advantage for Russia would be even greater.

The journalist pointed out that this trip would be Putin’s first visit to the United States since 2007, aside from attending the UN General Assembly in New York in 2015. In Champion’s view, such a visit would bolster Putin’s international image and underscore Russia’s «significant historical influence as a major power.»

Champion also stressed that Putin enters the talks with an edge, as the meeting appears «insufficiently prepared." He warned that if Trump wants to emerge from the summit as a «deal-maker rather than a pushover," he should consider postponing it for more thorough preparation. In his opinion, the time for a Putin-Trump summit will come, but it is unlikely to be in Alaska this week.

Earlier, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that the two leaders are scheduled to meet on August 15 in Alaska, with the main agenda focused on finding a long-term peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian war correspondent Alexander Kots has a more restrained outlook on the possible outcomes. He suggested that the most the meeting might achieve is a temporary aerial ceasefire — aimed at demonstrating Kyiv’s unwillingness to negotiate and end the hostilities.