ANCHORAGE, Alaska: U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for nearly three hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday, but the high-profile summit ended without a breakthrough on the Ukraine war.
Both leaders presented the talks as constructive. President Trump described the summit as “extremely productive”, saying, “We’ve made some headway… many points were agreed to, there are just a very few that are left.” However, he emphasized, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.” He added that he plans to speak soon with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO leaders about the path forward.
President Putin, meanwhile, said discussions took place in a “respectful, constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere.” He repeated that Russia seeks an end to the conflict but insisted that peace will only be possible if what he called the “root causes” of the war are resolved.
The meeting began with a ceremonial welcome. Trump greeted Putin on a red carpet, and the two leaders shook hands warmly before riding together in the same limousine to the talks. Formal negotiations later included U.S. Secretary of State and Russia’s foreign minister, along with senior aides from both sides.
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Despite the cordial atmosphere, the summit ended without any announcement of a ceasefire. Trump acknowledged that the most critical points of disagreement remain unsettled but left open the possibility of progress in future meetings.
At the close of the press conference, Putin invited Trump to Moscow for the next round of talks. Trump accepted, calling the proposal “interesting” and saying he could “possibly see it happening.”
The summit came as fighting continues in Ukraine. In Kyiv, President Zelensky responded by warning that Russia has shown “no sign” of halting its offensive but said he still hopes broader international negotiations can eventually produce a solution.
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