…Don’t Disrupt Emerging Progress, Putin Warns Ukraine, E
President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ended their first face-to-face talks in six years on Friday without a formal agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
Both leaders, however, said “progress” had been made during nearly three hours of discussions in Anchorage, Alaska.
“We didn’t get there, there’s no deal until there’s a deal — but we made some headway. Many points were agreed to, a few remain. One is the most significant,” Trump told reporters.
According to BBC, Putin, standing alongside Trump, described the meeting as a “starting point for resolution” of the conflict, which he called a “tragedy,” and warned Ukraine and its European allies not to undermine the talks.
“We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will perceive all this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles, will not make attempts to disrupt the emerging progress through provocations and behind-the-scenes intrigues,” he said.
CNN reports that the two leaders exchanged handshakes before travelling together in Trump’s limousine to the summit venue.
A blue backdrop reading “Pursuing Peace” set the stage for their talks, which included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy to Russia Steve Witkoff, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.
“I’ve always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin — Vladimir,” Trump said, calling the talks “extremely productive” but added that “some things are still to be decided.”
Putin agreed with Trump that Ukraine’s security must be ensured, he said, “Of course, we are ready to work on that. I would like to hope that the agreement we’ve reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not invited to the summit, prompting concerns in Ukraine and Europe that Trump might accept a freeze in the conflict that leaves Russia in control of about one-fifth of Ukraine.
Trump said he would call NATO allies and Zelensky “very soon” to brief them. “I’m going to start making a few phone calls and tell them what happened,” Trump noted.
Zelenskyy later said the summit should open the way for a “just peace” and three-way talks including Ukraine.
But he accused Russia of continuing hostilities during the Alaska meeting, citing a missile strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region that killed one person and injured another.
“It’s time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
Putin said ending the war would require addressing the “primary causes” of the conflict, without specifying what those were.
He thanked Trump for the “well-wishing tone” and said both sides should be “results-oriented,” adding that “Trump clearly cares about the prosperity of his nation. But he understands Russia has its own interests.”
