Putin and Trump meet in Alaska to discuss Ukraine, but no final deal is reached

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a meeting on August 15 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in the US state of Alaska.

The two leaders discussed the resolution of the crisis in Ukraine, announcing that progress was made in the talks but that a final agreement has not yet been reached.

Putin traveled to Alaska from the Russian city of Magadan, while Trump arrived from Washington. The Air Force One aircraft carrying Trump landed at the military airfield around 10:30 AM local time. The Russian leader’s plane landed half an hour later. Trump waited on his aircraft during this time.

The two leaders disembarked from their planes at almost the same moment and met on the tarmac. After shaking hands, they walked to a podium prepared for a photo opportunity.

At that moment, a B-2 Spirit bomber, escorted by four F-22 fighter jets, flew overhead. Putin traveled to the summit area in Trump’s Cadillac presidential state car.

The meeting lasted about three hours

The meeting began in a restricted format. The Russian delegation included Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Presidential Aide Yuriy Ushakov, in addition to Putin.

The American delegation consisted of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Representative Steve Witkoff.

At the beginning of the meeting, Russian and American journalists in the room attempted to ask the leaders questions. Although Putin tried to answer one question, his voice was inaudible over the noise. Consequently, the leaders proceeded with the meeting behind closed doors without making opening remarks.

It was later announced that the expanded delegation meetings, planned to take place over lunch, were canceled. On the Russian side, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, were expected to attend the lunch.

On the American side, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were scheduled to participate.

After the meeting, which lasted approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, the leaders appeared before the cameras for a joint press statement.

Trump: There is no deal yet

Donald Trump described his meeting with Putin as “very productive.” Trump stated, “Unfortunately, there is no deal yet. We had productive talks. And the first, perhaps most important thing, is that we have a good chance to reach a peaceful solution. We haven’t achieved that yet, but I thank President Putin and his team for doing everything necessary for it.”

Noting that they had agreed on many issues, Trump added, “There are only a few items left, some are not very important, while one is probably the most important, but we have a good chance of resolving that as well.”

Trump said he would hold phone calls with NATO officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to brief them on the meeting.

Expressing his hope to meet with Putin again very soon, Trump responded to the Russian leader’s invitation of “Next time in Moscow” by saying, “A very interesting offer. They will probably condemn me, but I think it is quite possible.”

Putin: The root causes of the crisis must be eliminated

In his speech, Vladimir Putin thanked Trump for the invitation to Alaska. Putin said, “When we got off the planes, I told him, ‘Good day, dear neighbor. It is very good to see you healthy and alive.’”

Emphasizing that Russia and the US are neighbors, Putin noted that a significant part of the two countries’ shared history is connected to Alaska.

Putin stated that US-Russia relations must shift from confrontation to dialogue. He expressed that for the solution in Ukraine to be long-term, the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated and all of Russia’s concerns must be taken into account, while also acknowledging that Ukraine’s security must be ensured.

“I hope the understanding we have reached will bring us closer to this goal and pave the way for peace in Ukraine,” Putin said.

Following the statements, the leaders left the room without answering questions from journalists. Trump returned to Washington, while Putin departed for Russia after laying a wreath at the graves of Soviet pilots in Alaska.

Zelenskyy to meet with Trump in Washington

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on his Telegram channel that he would meet with Trump in Washington on August 18 to discuss the details of a ceasefire with Russia.

Zelenskyy stated that he had a phone conversation with Trump lasting over 1.5 hours, first one-on-one and then with the participation of European leaders.

Zelenskyy noted that Trump supported the proposal for a trilateral summit (Ukraine, US, Russia) and emphasized the importance of including European partners at every stage of the negotiations.

Claim that Putin wants a comprehensive agreement instead of a ceasefire

Meanwhile, Axios reporter Barak Ravid, citing a source on his social media account, wrote that Trump told Zelenskyy and European leaders in their conversation that Putin supports a comprehensive peace agreement, not just a ceasefire.

According to the source, Trump said, “I think a quick peace deal is better than a ceasefire agreement.”

In his statement in Alaska, Putin had said, “We believe that for the solution in Ukraine to be sustainable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated, all of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a just balance of security in Europe and the world must be re-established.”

Prior to the summit, The Wall Street Journal had reported that Moscow was prioritizing the resolution of territorial issues before discussing a ceasefire, whereas Kyiv and the Europeans were giving priority to a ceasefire and proposing that territorial matters be addressed later.