Alaska summit ends as Trump and Putin give few details on Ukraine

Anchorage, Alaska (dpa) – US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a high-stakes summit inAlaska on Friday, with both leaders describing the talks as productive, but offering few details on how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

During a brief 12-minute press conference after the meeting at the Elmendorf–Richardson military base in Anchorage, Trump said they had agreed on a number of important points, but gave no specifics.

Putin likewise spoke of agreements that could serve as a starting point for resolving the conflict, without providing details, and confirmed that the war had been one of the central topics.

Journalists were not allowed to ask questions, and no written agreement was published.

Trump to brief NATO, Zelensky

Trump said he would brief NATO allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

“It’s ultimately up to them,” he added.

Trump described the summit as productive but said some points remained unresolved. “We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant,” he said.

“One is probably the most significant … We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there,” he added.

Putin described the talks as constructive and substantive. Speaking first at a joint press conference, he said: “We have established good direct contacts with Mr Trump.”

Putin ‘genuinely interested’ in ending war

The Russian leader added that the war in Ukraine might not have broken out if Trump had been in the White House and stressed Moscow was “genuinely interested” in ending the crisis.

According to the Kremlin, the summit’s direct talks lasted two hours and 45 minutes and included foreign ministers and senior advisers.

The face-to-face marked the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Putin launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Trump thanked the Russian leader at the end of the press conference and said they would “speak again soon” and probably “see you again very soon.” To Trump’s surprise, Putin added, “Next time in Moscow.”

The US president did not commit to a visit, saying: “Oh, that’s an interesting one. I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening.”

Trump says Ukraine deal ‘close’

Trump later told Fox News that a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine could be within reach.

“I think we are pretty close to a deal. Now look, Ukraine has to agree to it,” Trump said.

It was initially unclear whether Trump had already briefed Zelensky on the outcome of the talks at the time of the interview.

When asked what advice he would give Zelensky after the Alaska summit, he replied: “Make a deal.” The US president described Russia as “a very big power” and Ukraine as not.

EU sought common ground with US on Ukraine peace

Ahead of the summit, European allies of Ukraine had sought a common position with Washington at the initiative of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Europe’s demands included that Ukraine be present at any follow-up meeting and that a ceasefire be in place before negotiations.

Merz ruled out recognition of Russian territorial gains and called for security guarantees to ensure Ukraine retains a strong military.