"No Deal Until A Deal": Trump after high-stakes Putin summit in Alaska

NDTV

2 days ago

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday held a "very productive" and "mutually respectful" high-stakes summit in Alaska, as the two world leaders sought a way to bring the Ukraine conflict - one of the deadliest in Europe in 80 years - to a close.
President Trump made it clear that "there is no deal until there is a deal", indicating the absence of any proper resolution during the meeting, while President Putin described the talks as "thorough and useful".
The two leaders made the remarks during a joint press conference after three hours of talks on Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a war that has killed thousands of people so far and on which Moscow has not yet relented, making rapid gains just before the summit. Both of them, however, did not take any questions from journalists.
"We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left," Mr Trump told reporters, adding: "We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there."
The Russian President said the "negotiations took place in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere". "They were very thorough and useful," he said.
The summit took place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska's largest military installation and a Cold War base for surveillance of the Soviet Union. The two leaders arrived in their respective presidential jets and descended on the tarmac of an air base, with Mr Trump clapping as Mr Putin stepped on Western soil for the first time since ordering the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
During the press conference, Mr Trump hailed what he said were wide areas of agreement with Mr Putin but offered no details on how the strikingly friendly meeting would affect the war in Ukraine.
Mr Putin spoke of the need for the US and Russia to cooperate and also spoke in general terms of progress. As he left the stage and Mr Trump spoke of a second meeting, Mr Putin smiled and said in English: "Next time in Moscow."
The US President has voiced admiration for his Russian counterpart in the past and faced some of the most intense criticism of his political career after a 2018 summit in which he appeared cowed and accepted the latter's denials of US intelligence findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 US election.
Before his return to the White House, Mr Trump boasted of his relationship with Mr Putin, blamed predecessor Joe Biden for the war and vowed to bring peace within 24 hours.
But despite repeated calls to Mr Putin, and a stunning February 28 White House meeting in which Mr Trump publicly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Russian leader has shown no signs of compromise.
Mr Trump has acknowledged his frustration with Mr Putin and warned of "very severe consequences" if he does not accept a ceasefire -- but also agreed to see him in Alaska.
Adding to the historical significance, the US bought Alaska in 1867 from Russia - a deal Moscow has cited to show the legitimacy of land swaps.