ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—A high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded Friday in Alaska, marked by warm welcomes and a public display of cordiality that contrasted sharply with the ongoing war in Ukraine. While billed as an effort to broker peace, the summit failed to produce a ceasefire or a tangible agreement to end the conflict, instead serving as a significant diplomatic victory for the Kremlin and a source of anxiety for Kyiv and its European allies.
The summit's location at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a U.S. military installation once crucial to Cold War defense, was symbolic. Yet, the official welcome for Putin was far from cold, featuring a red-carpet greeting, military flyovers, and a private limousine ride with President Trump. The optics of the event—Putin's first time on U.S. soil since the 2022 invasion—were celebrated by Moscow as a sign that its efforts to break international isolation had succeeded. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that for years the Western press "talked about Russia's isolation, and today they saw the red carpet being rolled out to greet the Russian president."
In their brief public remarks, both leaders struck an optimistic but vague tone. President Trump called the talks "extremely productive," stating that "many points were agreed to" but that "one is probably the most significant" and remains unresolved. He maintained his "no deal until there's a deal" stance, acknowledging the difficult nature of the negotiations. Putin, for his part, described the talks as "constructive" and hinted at unspecified "agreements" that could form a "starting point" for a broader normalization of U.S.-Russia relations, including cooperation in trade, the Arctic, and space. Neither leader took questions from the press, ending the summit earlier than planned and leaving many details to speculation.
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The lack of concrete results was particularly concerning for Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the summit, had publicly warned that any deal reached without Ukraine's direct participation would be "against peace." His fear that the meeting had simply "bought Putin more time" was echoed by Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko. This sentiment highlights the core issue that Russia's primary precondition for peace is addressing the "root causes" of the conflict, a position that effectively rules out an immediate ceasefire and ties any negotiation to Moscow's political demands.
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European allies also voiced skepticism. The Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavsky, questioned Putin's sincerity, stating that "if Putin were serious about negotiating, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today." This reaction underscores the fear among European leaders that the U.S. might agree to concessions involving Ukrainian territory without Kyiv's consent, risking a serious breach in transatlantic relations. The summit's optics and limited outcomes left many observers concerned about the future trajectory of international efforts to end the conflict.
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The stark juxtaposition between the diplomatic gestures and the ongoing violence on the ground served as a grim reminder that the conflict persists. As the talks unfolded inside the base, air raid alerts blared in eastern Ukraine, and reports of drone attacks on Russian territory underscored the intensity of the war. With no ceasefire in place and no follow-up meeting announced, the summit ended with a sense of anticlimax. While both leaders expressed optimism, the absence of a breakthrough means the world will be watching to see if this diplomatic "treading water" will eventually translate into real progress or simply prolong the conflict.
information Take from Observerbd.