Alaska: Trump-Putin summit ends without Ukraine deal

ANCHORAGE: The much-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended without any agreement to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The two leaders met for nearly three hours in Alaska on Friday. Both called the talks “productive” but announced no breakthrough. Trump, usually talkative, ignored reporters’ questions.

“We’ve made some headway,” Trump said in front of a backdrop reading “Pursuing Peace.” But he added: “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

The war in Ukraine, now in its third year, is the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Western leaders have isolated Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The Alaska summit was his first meeting with a US president since the war began.

After the talks, Trump told Fox News he would hold off on new tariffs against China for buying Russian oil. He hinted at possible land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine, saying a deal was “pretty close” but dependent on Kyiv’s approval.

“Gotta make a deal,” he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy through the media.

Trump tariffs on steel and semiconductor chips coming soon

Putin made no mention of a meeting with Zelenskiy. He insisted that what Russia calls the “root causes” of the conflict must be addressed for lasting peace, signalling no change in Moscow’s stance.

There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv. Zelenskiy has ruled out giving Russia any territory and is demanding US-backed security guarantees.

The summit began with pomp, including a red-carpet welcome for Putin. But it ended with no concrete steps toward peace. Putin, wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, invited Trump to Moscow for the next meeting.

Trump’s campaign promise to end the war within 24 hours remains far from reality.

FIGHTING CONTINUES

While the leaders met, heavy fighting continued. Eastern Ukraine remained under air raid alerts.

Governors of Russia’s Rostov and Bryansk regions reported that some of their territories were under Ukrainian drone attacks.

Russia’s air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight over various Russian regions, including 10 downed over the Rostov region, RIA agency reported on Saturday, citing the Russian defense ministry.