On Friday, US President Donald Trump stated that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not reach an agreement to resolve the war in Ukraine after a nearly three-hour summit in Alaska, though he characterized the meeting as “very productive.”
At a joint press conference with Putin, Trump said, “There were many, many points that we agreed on.” He added, “I would say a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite got there, but we’ve made some headway. So there’s no deal until there’s a deal.” Trump said they did not reach an agreement on “probably the most significant” aspect of their meeting, but he believes there is a “very good chance” of getting there.
Earlier, Putin expressed hope that the agreements reached at the summit could be a launching pad for settling the Ukraine conflict and restoring ties between Russia and the US. He said, “I expect that today’s agreements will become a reference point, not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also launch the restoration of business-like, pragmatic relations between Russia and the United States.” Putin also suggested that the next meeting with Trump could take place in Moscow, saying in English, “Next time in Moscow.”
Putin, however, did not specify the points of agreement and maintained that the “root causes” of the conflict must be eliminated for a lasting peace, a sign of his continued resistance to a ceasefire. While the leaders met, the war raged on, with air raid alerts in eastern Ukraine and reports of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently ruled out formally ceding any territory to Moscow and is seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States. Trump said he would call Zelenskyy and NATO leaders to update them on the Alaska talks.
There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to the summit. Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on the Telegram messaging app, “It seems Putin has bought himself more time. No ceasefire or de-escalation has been agreed upon.” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky welcomed Trump’s efforts but expressed doubt about Putin’s sincerity, stating, “If Putin were serious about negotiating peace, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today.”
For Putin, the summit was a diplomatic victory, regardless of the outcome. He can use the meeting as evidence that Western attempts to isolate Russia have failed. Trump, who has previously claimed he could end the war within 24 hours, said the task proved tougher than expected. He hopes a truce will bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker.
Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the summit, and his European allies had feared that Trump might betray Ukraine by freezing the conflict and informally recognizing Russian control over a portion of its territory. Trump tried to assuage these concerns by stating he was not there to negotiate for Ukraine but to get both sides to the negotiating table. He also said that he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial concessions.
The meeting, which took place at an Air Force base in Anchorage, Alaska, also included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy to Russia Steve Witkoff, and Russian foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov, among others. The talks ended without a joint press conference where questions were taken.
