Trump Putin Alaska Summit: A highly anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday concluded without any agreement to resolve or pause Moscow’s war in Ukraine, though both leaders described the talks as productive.
Following the nearly three-hour meeting in Alaska, U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin made a brief joint appearance before the media. They said progress was made on unspecified issues but offered no details and took no questions.
“We’ve made some headway,” Trump said, standing before a backdrop reading “Pursuing Peace.” He added, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.” The talks did not yield any clear steps toward a ceasefire in what is Europe’s deadliest conflict in 80 years—a goal Trump had set ahead of the summit. However, simply meeting face-to-face with the U.S. president was seen as a victory for Putin, who has been largely ostracized by Western leaders since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
After the summit, Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity he would delay imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil, citing progress with Putin. “Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now,” Trump said regarding Chinese tariffs. “I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now.”
Although Trump has threatened sanctions on Moscow, he has yet to implement them, even after Putin ignored a Trump-imposed ceasefire deadline earlier this month. In the interview, Trump also suggested a meeting would be arranged between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which he might also attend. He did not provide details on the organizers or timing of this proposed meeting.
Putin, speaking earlier to reporters, made no mention of a meeting with Zelenskiy. He expressed hope that Ukraine and its European allies would view the U.S.-Russia talks constructively and avoid efforts to “disrupt the emerging progress.” Putin reiterated Russia’s long-standing position that the “root causes” of the conflict, as defined by Moscow, must be addressed for lasting peace—indicating resistance to an immediate ceasefire.
There was no immediate response from Kyiv following the summit, the first meeting between Putin and a U.S. president since the war began. When asked by Hannity what advice he would give Zelenskiy, Trump said, “Gotta make a deal.” “Look, Russia is a very big power, and they’re not,” Trump added, referencing the power dynamics involved. The war has resulted in over a million casualties, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts. (SHABD)
