Trump, Putin hail ‘progress’ in Alaska summit but Ukraine deal still elusive
New Delhi, Aug 16: Meeting for the first time in over five years, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a high-stakes summit in Anchorage, Alaska, their first face-to-face encounter since Trump left office in 2021. The closed-door talks, lasting several hours, were aimed at finding common ground on ending the war in Ukraine but ended without a breakthrough.
Trump said the two had “made some headway” and “great progress” but stressed: “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.” He added that “many points were agreed to” but “a few” remained unresolved, saying only that “one is the most significant” without giving details.
He promised to “make calls to NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other appropriate officials,” saying it was “ultimately up to them.”
“We’ll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon,” Trump told Putin, adding that the two could stop “thousands of people a week from being killed.” Putin said he was “sincerely interested” in ending the conflict, which he called a “tragedy,” but insisted that “the primary causes of the war must be eliminated” and warned Ukraine and Europe not to “sabotage” talks. Describing the meeting as a “starting point for resolution” held in a “respectful, constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere,” Putin agreed with Trump’s claim that the war “would not have happened” if he had remained in office in 2022. He concluded with an invitation: “Next time in Moscow.”
Developments after Alaska meet
Following his meeting with Putin, Trump spoke by phone with NATO leaders, including Zelensky, during his return flight. “It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Such an accord, he said, would be “more substantial than a mere Ceasefire Agreement.” Calling it “a great and very successful day in Alaska,” Trump confirmed that Zelensky would travel to Washington on Monday for Oval Office talks. “If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved,” he added. The joint call included European leaders: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In a written statement, Zelensky said his one-hour one-on-one conversation with Trump was “long and substantive,” followed by a joint discussion with European leaders. He stressed that “all three leaders should be present” himself, Trump and Putin at the next round of talks, and underlined the importance of Europe being involved “at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America.” The Ukrainian president, who had been left out of the Alaska summit, framed his forthcoming trip to Washington as a chance to “align positions” before any trilateral meeting with Putin. He welcomed what he called “positive signals” from Washington on security guarantees but warned that Ukraine expected firm commitments alongside diplomatic progress. For now, the path to a ceasefire, let alone a wider peace deal remains uncertain. But with Zelensky heading to Washington and a possible trilateral summit looming, the Alaska talks have set the stage for what could be the most serious push for peace in Ukraine in years.
