United States president, Donald Trump and Russian president, Vladimir Putin on Thursday afternoon had a high-stakes summit in Alaska that lasted nearly three hours, in which they described their talks as "very productive" and "mutually respectful".
President Trump said, "There is no deal until there is a deal", meaning there are no final arrangements, while President Putin called their discussions "thorough and useful." He said that Russia was "genuinely interested in ending" the fighting, but suggested it has "legitimate concerns" that need to be resolved.
These statements were made during a quick, post-summit joint press conference that happened at the conclusion of their talks - which were focused on Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands, and where, in the days leading to summits, Russian forces had appeared to be making significant advances in Ukraine. Presenters at the press conference included President Trump and President Putin, but neither did take questions.
"We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left," Mr Trump told reporters, adding: "We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there."
Russian President Viktor Putin spoke at the outset -- for a longer time than Trump -- telling reporters that "the negotiations were held in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere." He characterized the discussion as "very thorough and useful," and that there was hope that "the understanding we have reached will... pave the way for peace in Ukraine."
He also said Moscow expected "that Kyiv and the European capitals will perceive all this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles".
The Russian President also warned against "attempts to disrupt the emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues." "I have said more than once that for Russia, the events in Ukraine are associated with fundamental threats to our national security," he said.
He added that "a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and in the world as a whole must be restored."
Russia has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine abandon its efforts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and give up its eastern territories that Moscow believes it has annexed. Kyiv has consistently rejected those demands, arguing that any peace deal must come with concrete security guarantees to ensure Russia does not attack again.
The summit took place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, the largest military installation in Alaska and a former Cold War outpost used to monitor the Soviet Union. Both arrived on presidential aircraft and stepped onto the tarmac of the air base, where Trump applauded Putin as he stepped on Western soil for the first time since ordering the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
At the press conference following the summit, Trump emphasized the areas of agreement he believed he had with Putin without suggesting how their sometimes unusually friendly discussions would impact the war. Putin cited the importance of U.S.-Russia cooperative efforts and generally felt they made progress in their discussions. As he left the stage, at the same time Trump was allegedly raising the option for a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English, "Next time in Moscow."
President Trump had previously expressed respect for Vladimir Putin and suffered some of the greatest criticism of his political life after a 2018 summit when he deferred to and accepted Putin's denials of U.S. intelligence assessments that said Russia tried to meddle in the 2016 elections.
There is still no meeting scheduled, but ahead of his return to the White House, Trump indicated a respect for his own relationship with the Russian leader and blamed the war on former President Joe Biden, asserting he would achieve peace in under 24 hours.
Not even with all the attempts he made to reach out to Putin -- including high-profile meeting at the White House on February 28 in which he held up an open punishment (remember, Putin, has helped you?) for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky -- did it work to even embolden any willingness to reach a compromise on the part of the Kremlin.
Trump has publicly expressed frustration about Putin's position. Just recently he threatened "very severe consequences" if Putin continues to insist on refusing to make an agreement for a ceasefire. But Trump agreed to meet with Putin in Alaska.
To highlight the historical nature of the meetings, Alaska, is the state the U.S. purchased from Russia in 1867, a sale Moscow has at times brought up to advance the idea of a territorial exchange.
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