President Donald Trump has ended his high-stakes Russia summit without announcing a deal to end the war in Ukraine, despite rolling out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin as the first U.S. president in years to invite him to America.
After a ride in the presidential limousine, a military flyover, and three hours of talks, a somewhat subdued Trump told reporters in Alaska: “We didn’t get there—but we have a very good chance of getting there.”
Both leaders said they made progress on ending the bloody conflict that Putin started in February 2022 when his forces invaded Ukraine.
During a press conference lasting only a few minutes, Trump and Putin spoke of an agreement of sorts, but gave no details, took no questions, and made no mention of a ceasefire.
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said. “I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate, and I’ll, of course, call up President Zelensky and tell them about today’s meeting. It’s ultimately up to them.”
The lack of an announcement is likely to fuel claims that Putin was using the meeting as a stalling tactic to stave off further U.S. sanctions.
The Russian authoritarian has been frozen out by the West for years, and his visit has been depicted in Moscow as a win for the Kremlin.
At the press conference, Putin addressed the room first, and then spoke for eight-and-a-half minutes about the history of the two nations, his desire for more business ties with America, and flattered the American president by agreeing that the war would not have happened if Trump had been in office.
He also told reporters that he greeted Trump on the tarmac in Alaska by saying, “Good afternoon, dear neighbor—very good to see you in good health and to see you alive.”
But Putin also made the point that in order to make a “lasting and long-term” end to the war, “we need to eliminate all the primary root causes” of the conflict in Ukraine.
This is viewed as shorthand for Putin’s hardline demands, which have repeatedly been rejected: that Ukraine disarms, gives up a large part of its land to Russia, and swears off joining NATO.
Friday’s summit in Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson was the first time Putin has been on U.S. soil in 10 years.
It was also the first time a U.S. president has given the VIP treatment to a Russian leader who faces an arrest warrant for war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court as well as being sanctioned by the U.S. government.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump said that he hoped to broker a ceasefire with Putin but was prepared to “walk out” if they failed to reach a deal.
He had also previously warned Putin of “very severe consequences” if he didn’t agree to a ceasefire, including potentially harsh new sanctions that would ramp up economic pressure on Russia.
But no mention was made of this on Friday, and Trump ultimately left without taking questions from the hundreds of assembled journalists.
“It was a nothing burger,” said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who has co-sponsored a proposal with Republican Lindsey Graham for “bone-crushing” sanctions against Russia.
Before they left, Trump told Putin: “Probably see you again very soon,” to which Putin replied in English: “Next time in Moscow.”
“Ooh, that’s an interesting one,” Trump said. “I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening.”
