Top US, NATO military officials en route to Alaska ahead of Trump-Putin summit

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth is traveling separately from the president to Alaska on August 15, a defence official confirmed to CNN, ahead of President Donald Trump’s scheduled summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Hegseth was not listed among the officials accompanying the president on the trip. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine is also traveling to Alaska, according to his publicly available schedule.

Moreover, the US European Command’s top commander, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, is already in Alaska to provide military guidance to both President Trump and Secretary Hegseth.

A senior NATO military official told CNN that Grynkewich is advising the president as he seeks to “bring this war to a peaceful close.”

By Sabian Mammadli