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NORTH TO ALASKA, TRUMP MEETS PUTIN Cartoon published 08/14/2025 President Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for a one-on-one summit aimed at brokering a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The meeting will occur behind closed doors, with discussions potentially including land swaps or territorial issues. European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have urged Trump not to make unilateral concessions without his involvement. Trump has warned of “severe consequences” for Russia if Putin refuses to agree to peace terms. Meanwhile, French President Macron emphasized no territorial swaps are on the table, aligning with NATO’s stance against recognizing Russian-occupied territories. A lot of entities seem to want the war to continue—a war that has resulted in millions of deaths. Biden certainly wanted the war to continue until Russia’s defeat. That meant countless more billions of American taxpayer money going toward Ukraine’s defense. The US should have little interest in Ukraine, but Biden, NATO, and American war hawks like Bolton seemed to want endless death while American’s paid for the war by means of inflation. Putin does not want NATO encroaching on his doorstep. Ukraine wants freedom and suffered greatly under the old Soviet Union—millions of Ukrainians were starved to death by Stalin. It’s no wonder many there still hate Russia, but it has long been in Russia’s sphere and Russia has millions of troops to spend in continuance of the fight—Ukraine does not. That’s why Zelensky wants to bring western Europe and America into the fight. That could lead to World War III, but Zelensky is willing to risk that to stay in power and continue the war. Zelensky is the low man on the Alaskan totem pole. Trump can hammer out a deal regardless of that Zelensky thinks. If he does, he should rank very high in the polling. The majority of Ukrainians want the war to end. Trump has already brokered peace deals between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Thailand and Cambodia, Israel and Iran, and India and Pakistan. If anyone can work out a deal between Ukraine and Russia, Trump can—but it’s mostly up to Russia. Putin must be willing to pull back the Russian bear of war and accept his territorial gains. —Ben Garrison