Putin Invites Trump to Moscow After Failure to Reach Deal
Trump and the Russian president both gave remarks at the end of a more than three-hour, high-stakes meeting on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, where they lavished praise on each other—but signaled little progress toward a ceasefire deal.
'Mr. President, I'd like to thank you very much, and we'll speak to you very soon, and probably see you again very soon,' Trump told Putin while wrapping up their meeting.
'Next time in Moscow,' Putin responded in English in front of a crowd of reporters.
'Ooh, that's an interesting one,' Trump replied. 'I'll get a little heat for that one, but I could see that possibly happening.'
It would be a remarkable concession from the president after their summit wrapped up with zero indication that any progress had been made beyond more talks, despite Trump greeting Putin on U.S. soil with a warm smile and even applauding him as he walked up.
'There's no deal until there's a deal,' Trump conceded after insisting they had 'really made some great progress.'
He also boasted that he has always had a 'fantastic relationship with President Putin.'
While Trump tried to paint an optimistic picture for future talks, and argued that they did agree on many points (which he did not name), it appeared that the meeting had played out on Putin's terms.
The Russian president was the first to speak during their joint 'press conference,' after which both men walked away without taking a single question from the press.
Putin claimed the negotiations were 'quite useful,' but failed to outline once again what would get him to stop fighting in Ukraine.
Putin said it had been the president who proposed the meeting in Alaska, and shared how he greeted Trump as a 'dear neighbor' on the tarmac.
He spoke about areas of cooperation where he hopes the U.S. and Russia could work together in the future.
'I expect today's agreement will be a starting point not only for the solution of the Ukrainian nation but also will help us bring back business… and pragmatic relations between Russia and the U.S.,' Putin said, through a translator.
Without making a single public concession in the war after he invaded Ukraine in 2022, Putin can now fly back to Moscow with the images of him back in the U.S. for the first time since 2015, smiling and laughing with Trump.
The president walked away empty-handed despite previous empty threats to impose crippling sanctions against Russia and its partners.
Trump had said on Wednesday that there would be 'very severe consequences' if Putin did not agree to end the war after their meeting Friday, but he made no mention of those consequences on Friday while admitting there was no deal.
'Putin achieved most of what he wanted. Trump achieved very little,' the president's former national security adviser John Bolton said on CNN.
'I thought Trump looked very tired up there. I mean very tired. Not disappointed. Tired,' Bolton added.
Former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, an Obama appointee, said it was hard for him to understand what the purpose of the summit was and that the fundamental test of success was not achieved.
Panetta said Trump somehow thought he could use the power of his personality, but it did not work.
'You don't schmooze Putin. You've got to be tough with Putin,' he said. 'Putin knows what he wants. Putin is not to be trusted, and you've got to be tough with him.'
Republicans in Congress were noticeably quiet immediately after the meeting wrapped up, but Democrats were quick to blast Trump and accuse him of giving Putin the upper hand.
'While we wait for critical details of what was discussed, on first take it appears Trump handed Putin legitimacy, a global stage, zero accountability, and got nothing in return,' said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. 'Our fear is that this wasn't diplomacy—it was just theater.'
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NBC News
2 minutes ago
- NBC News
A Ukrainian startup develops long-range drones and missiles to take the battle to Russia
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Spurred by its existential fight against Russia — and limited military assistance from Western allies — Ukraine has fast become a global center for defense innovation. The goal is to match, if not outmuscle, Russia's capabilities, which were on brutal display Thursday — and Fire Point is one of the companies leading the way. The Associated Press was granted an exclusive look inside one of Fire Point's dozens of covert factories. In a sprawling warehouse where rock music blared, executives showed off their signature FP-1 exploding drones that can travel up to 1,600 kilometers (994 miles). They also touted publicly for the first time a cruise missile they are developing that is capable of traveling 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), and which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes will be mass-produced by the end of the year. Even as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for an end to the 3 1/2-year war — and dangles the prospect of U.S. support for NATO-like security guarantees — Ukrainian defense officials say their country is determined to become more self-sufficient in deterring Russia. 'We believe our best guarantee is not relying on somebody's will to protect us, but rather our ability to protect ourselves,' said Arsen Zhumadilov, the head of the country's arms procurement agency. Ukraine's government is now purchasing about $10 billion of weapons annually from domestic manufacturers. The industry has the capacity to sell triple that amount, officials say, and they believe sales to European allies could help it reach such potential in a matter of years. Drone innovation grew out of necessity Like most defense companies in Ukraine, Fire Point grew out of necessity after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Despite pleas from Ukrainian military officials, Western countries were unwilling to allow Kyiv to use their allies' longer-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. That's when a group of close friends, experts from various fields, set out to mass-produce inexpensive drones that could match the potency of Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia was firing into Ukraine with devastating consequences. The company's founders spoke with AP on the condition of anonymity out of concern for their safety and the security of their factories. By pooling together knowledge from construction, game design and architecture, the company's founders — who had no background in defense — came up with novel designs for drones that could fly further and strike with greater precision than most products already on the market. Their long-range drones had another benefit: they did not need to take off from an air field. 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Los Angeles Times
3 minutes ago
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Judge says former Trump lawyer Alina Habba has been unlawfully serving as U.S. attorney in New Jersey
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CNN
4 minutes ago
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Rubio doubles down on Trump pledge to back Ukraine security guarantees but says Europe must lead
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A meeting took place on Wednesday between US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, commander of US European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, and defense chiefs from key European nations. A broader NATO defense chiefs meeting was also held Wednesday, led by Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone. The military meetings followed discussions at the White House on Monday between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several other key European allies. During the meetings, Trump said the US would be involved in Ukraine's security — but made clear that Europe would be the 'first line of defense.' An official familiar with Wednesday's meetings said the declaration of US involvement 'changed everything' for the planning around Ukraine's security guarantees. Military planners from the 'Coalition of the Willing' — a key group of Ukrainian allies — had already been discussing security for Ukraine, but those discussions 'had only been able to get so far, because a big unknown to them was, what was the US position?' the official said. Still, the official said allies 'recognize certainly that despite the US' involvement, which they acknowledge is still yet to be determined in concrete terms, they have an inherent responsibility for the security of Europe.' The meetings on Wednesday came in the wake of multiple significant developments in the war between Ukraine and Russia, after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week and then hosted Zelensky and several other key European leaders at the White House on Monday. The topic of security guarantees for Ukraine was at the center of the meetings on Monday, as Trump said the details would be further worked out with European leaders. Sitting next to Zelensky in the Oval Office, Trump said while Europe would be the first line of defense for Ukraine, 'We're going to help them out also. We'll be involved.' And while he initially left the door open on putting US boots on the ground in Ukraine, he ruled it out the following day during a phone interview with Fox News but suggested the US might consider providing air support. Thus far, that has been the only thing definitively ruled out, the official familiar with Wednesday's meetings told CNN. The options discussed among military leaders and planners this week ranged from US air support — unmanned and manned aircraft — to what countries are willing to put boots on the ground in Ukraine, what NATO bases would be used, and more. A second source briefed on the meeting also said possible air support has been a primary topic, and that while there is some consternation within the Trump administration about committing US pilots to flying manned air support missions over Ukraine, there is more openness to flying unmanned air support missions. US pilots could also be called upon to conduct surveillance flights over Ukraine, providing high-resolution imagery of the front line and troop movements, as part of what would be considered an intermediate option that stops short of committing American fighter jets to fly policing missions, two of the sources familiar with ongoing discussions about security guarantees said. Ben Jensen, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN that even unmanned aircraft missions would be a significant step because it could 'keep the question of doubt in Russia's mind about how much the US will commit.' But unmanned drones are too slow to conduct what are known as 'scramble' missions, a third source familiar with the discussions noted, meaning it would likely fall to other nations to provide additional air assets if that is as far as the US is willing to go. The official familiar with the Wednesday meetings told CNN that some have incorrectly assumed that Trump's comments saying the US would not put boots on the ground in Ukraine also definitively mean there won't be US pilots flying overhead. 'And what I would say is, well, the president didn't say that,' they said. Zelensky said Wednesday that Kyiv expects to have an understanding within the next two weeks of exactly what kind of security guarantees allies are prepared to provide in the event of a peace deal. Thirty countries have pledged willingness to provide security guarantees, he said, but not all of those commitments will be military aid. Some countries have committed to just financial support or imposing economic sanctions on Moscow in the event of another Russian attack, Zelensky said. 'We do not know how many countries are ready for 'boots on the ground,'' Zelensky told journalists at a briefing. 'Some may contribute boots on the ground. Some are ready to provide air defense. Some will cover the skies or conduct aerial patrols for a certain period, using the appropriate aircraft in the required numbers.' Zelensky said that Trump saying the US would participate in security guarantees reassured other countries who had previously been on the fence. He pointed to Turkey as a country that's now on board to help with security on the Black Sea. 'Without the coordination of security guarantees for Ukraine by the United States of America, there was some uncertainty among our European colleagues,' Zelensky said. Some allies have already messaged what they intend to provide. The UK, France and Germany said in a joint statement on Wednesday that they are prepared to plan an active role, including deploying a 'reassurance force' once fighting has stopped. UK Defense Secretary John Healey said again Wednesday that the UK is ready to put boots on the ground in Ukraine. But while US officials have claimed that their Russian counterparts signaled their willingness to accept security guarantees for Ukraine during Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska last week, Moscow has since publicly dismissed any security guarantees that Russia wouldn't also have a veto over – a condition that would be unacceptable to Kyiv. 'Moscow won't agree with collective security guarantees negotiated without Russia,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday, adding that Moscow would also want ally China to be part of the security agreement. 'I am confident that in the West — first and foremost in the United States — they perfectly understand that discussing the issue of security without the Russian Federation is a utopia, a road to nowhere,' Lavrov added.
