President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are hours away from their Friday face to face meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
Both leaders will be accompanied by a host of other officials for the high-profile summit that could determine the future of the Russia-Ukraine war, a conflict Trump vowed to end during his campaign last year.
Here’s a look at who is attending in both delegations.
U.S. Delegation
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff
Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff recently returned from a trip to Ukraine where he met with Russian officials to discuss the prospects for a peace deal in the war.
Witkoff has been Trump’s envoy for a host of foreign policy trouble spots. He’s been engulfed in talks with foreign leaders throughout the first part of Trump’s second term.
He is seen as being close to the president and is a critical communicator between Trump and many foreign leaders.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will head to Anchorage with Trump and plans to push for “security guarantees” as requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“To achieve a peace, I think we all recognize that there’ll have to be some conversation about security guarantees,” Rubio told reporters at the State Department on Thursday, according to Reuters.
He said “territorial disputes” must be settled before peace talks can advance into a stable reality.
Rubio met with his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in early July. The two will cross paths again during Friday’s summit.
Rubio is holding down two roles in the Trump administration, both as secretary of State and national security adviser. The longtime senator also has key contacts on Capitol Hill.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will join the delegation in Alaska as Trump and Putin meet for highly anticipated peace talks.
Bessent has emerged as the No. 1 player within Trump’s Cabinet on the economy, a role often held by the Treasury secretary.
He will likely be the messenger of what could happen economically if Putin cooperates with what Trump wants, and what might happen if he does not.
Bessent ahead of the summit said if discussions sour, the president would be open to further sanctions on Moscow amid mounting pressure to end the bloodshed overseas.
“I think everyone has been frustrated with President Putin. We expected that he would come to the table in a more fulsome way,” Bessent told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday.
“It looks like he may be ready to negotiate, and we put secondary tariffs on the Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, if things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,” he added.
Other officials traveling alongside the president include Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Communications Director Steven Cheung, chief of staff Susie Wiles, political aides Dan Scavino, James Blair, Beau Harrison, Nick Luna, Robert Gabriel, Will Scharf, Ross Worthington and Ambassador Monica Crowley.
Russian Delegation
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has a storied career entrenched in the Kremlin’s diplomatic operations during times of conflict and stability.
He’s served as the foreign minister since 2004 and as Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations prior to his current role.
Lavrov has overseen Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in both 2014, when forces took over Crimea, and 2022.
He’s expected to bring a historical context to peace talks with a clear vision of Putin’s future objectives.
Foreign Policy Adviser Yuri Ushakov
Foreign Policy Adviser Yuri Ushakov will also attend Friday’s summit. The former ambassador is expected to bring a calming tone to high stakes discussions geared towards ending the war in Ukraine.
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov will join the delegation in Alaska with a stark understanding of the frontlines of battle in Ukraine. Belousov was once Russia’s Vice Prime Minister and worked as an economist before that.
Belousov was selected to oversee war operations last year as the Kremlin launched its offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
Other members of the Russian delegation at Friday’s summit include Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Investment Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
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