16.08.2025 00:27

A three-hour private meeting between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska concluded Friday evening without a significant breakthrough on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Despite high expectations and a backdrop emphasizing peace, the summit, their first since 2019, yielded no concrete agreements to halt the devastating war that has claimed over a million lives. The lack of progress was palpable, leaving the international community largely unsatisfied.

While Trump claimed numerous points of agreement were identified, he conceded that substantial issues remained unresolved, emphasizing the absence of any formal deal. Similarly, Putin issued a brief statement, cautioning Ukraine and its European allies against interfering with unspecified “progress,” a statement devoid of concrete details. The press conference, unusually, featured no questions and no signed documents, leaving the event characterized by a conspicuous lack of concrete outcomes.

The meeting, held at an Anchorage Air Force base, saw Trump accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy to Russia Steve Witkoff. Putin's delegation included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and top foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov. Their discussions, held in a secure setting, ultimately failed to produce a headline-grabbing result, highlighting the deep divisions between the two leaders.

Trump's initial objective was to secure Putin's commitment to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a ceasefire. However, Zelenskyy was notably excluded from the proceedings, fueling concerns in Kyiv and European capitals that Trump might implicitly endorse Russia's territorial gains, potentially solidifying Moscow's control over approximately 20% of Ukraine. The absence of a resolution and the exclusion of Zelenskyy cast a long shadow over the summit's already underwhelming results.