By Emmanuel Nduka
The much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska has ended without a breakthrough on ending the war in Ukraine, despite Trump’s claims of “great progress”.
The three-hour closed-door meeting, held Friday at a U.S. airbase in Anchorage, was Putin’s first visit to Western soil since he launched Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump rolled out a red-carpet welcome, a stark contrast to the chilly reception Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received during his Washington trip earlier this year.
Putin, sounding upbeat, described the talks as “long overdue” and expressed hope that an agreement reached with Trump would “pave the path towards peace in Ukraine,” though he gave no details. He also warned Kyiv and its Western allies against “torpedoing the nascent progress” through provocations.
Trump echoed Putin’s optimism, calling the meeting “very productive,” but admitted, “We didn’t get there”. He stressed that no ceasefire or final deal had been reached, though he hinted only “a very few” issues remained unresolved.
In a later Fox News appearance, Trump urged Zelenskyy to cut a deal with Moscow. “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not. They’re great soldiers… Now it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done,” he said, adding that he might personally attend a future Putin–Zelenskyy meeting.
International observers widely viewed the summit as a diplomatic win for Putin, granting him renewed global legitimacy without making concessions.
Western media noted the Kremlin was already celebrating the outcome as a “victory” even before Putin departed Anchorage.
Ukraine’s opposition lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on Telegram: “It seems Putin has bought himself more time. No ceasefire or de-escalation has been agreed upon”.
Some Western analysts, however, suggested Kyiv may have been relieved that Trump stopped short of endorsing territorial concessions. “That was the worst-case scenario,” said Melinda Haring of the Atlantic Council.
Still, doubts linger over Trump’s willingness to sideline Kyiv and NATO allies in pursuit of closer ties with Putin. The U.S. president ended the joint press appearance by thanking Putin and hinting at another meeting “very soon”.
Putin quickly extended an invitation: “Next time, in Moscow”.
Smiling, Trump responded: “I might get a little heat on that one,” but did not rule it out.
