No ceasefire in Ukraine after Alaska summit between Trump and Putin
The Alaska summit between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin has not led to a major agreement on the war in Ukraine. President Trump had hoped for a ceasefire, but he did not achieve this. “There is no deal until there is a deal,” he said afterwards. The journalists present were not allowed to ask questions.
The meeting between Trump and Putin lasted about two and a half hours, less than expected. Afterwards, both emphasised that the conversation was constructive and productive, but what exactly was discussed or achieved remained vague.
President Putin stated that Russia wants to end what he calls the conflict in Ukraine, but that the roots of that conflict must first be eradicated. “We have made really great progress,” president Trump said. But “there is no deal until there is a deal,” he added.
The meeting thus did not lead to an agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine. On his way to Alaska, Trump had said that he would “not be happy” if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine on Friday.
At the end of the press conference, Putin invited Trump to continue the talks in the Russian capital, Moscow. Trump did not want to respond concretely, although he did say he was interested. Trump said he will now call NATO leaders and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The 200 journalists present were not given the opportunity to ask questions. Trump did, however, give an interview to Fox News, in which he stated that there was “one big thing” they could not agree on, but that “we are pretty close to a deal”. Now Ukraine still has to agree. “Maybe they'll say no,” he said. “Make a deal,” was his message for Ukrainian president Zelensky. The next step is a conversation with both Moscow and Kyiv, he concluded.
US president Trump and Russia's president Putin meet in Alaska for talks about the Ukraine war © PHOTO Po/ROPI via ZUMA Press
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