Trump-Putin Alaska Summit Ends Without Breakthrough on Ukraine

The highly anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday concluded without any agreement to halt or pause Moscow's war in Ukraine, despite both leaders describing the nearly three-hour talks as “productive.”

In a brief media appearance following the discussions, Trump and Putin offered few specifics and declined questions. Standing before a backdrop reading “Pursuing Peace,” Trump said, “There were many, many points that we agreed on. I would say a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite got there, but we’ve made some headway. There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

Putin, meanwhile, emphasized that he expected Ukraine and its European allies to accept the outcome constructively and not disrupt what he described as “emerging progress.” He also reiterated Moscow’s long-standing stance that the so-called “root causes” of the conflict must be addressed for a lasting peace, signaling continued resistance to a ceasefire.

"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 said. 

The summit failed to deliver concrete steps toward a ceasefire in the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years or toward a potential meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, both of which were objectives set by Trump ahead of the talks.

The summit began with pomp and ceremony, including a red carpet welcome for Putin at an Air Force base, with U.S. military aircraft flying overhead. The meeting also included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s envoy to Russia Steve Witkoff, Russian foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Despite the spectacle and high expectations, the summit ended anticlimactically, with no tangible progress toward resolving the Ukraine conflict.

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