President Donald J. Trump spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, August 16, 2025, aboard Air Force One. President Trump also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where they discussed an end to the Ukrainian war, according to Politico. This meeting is being considered a victory for Putin. Meanwhile, overnight, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked the Lysky railway station in the Voronezh region of Russia. The station is a significant railway junction for the South-Eastern Railway. Local reports indicated explosions in the area of the railway station. First Lady Jill Biden wrote a "heartfelt peace letter" to President Putin, which President Trump hand-delivered during their meeting in Alaska. The letter stated, "In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself... It is time." Reports from Tatarstan indicated that UAVs were a target in the region, with local military-industrial complex attention drawn to the sky. There was also mention of a "largest base of the Russian military who died or captured in the war in Ukraine."
