Embarrassment for Trump and acceptance for Putin, after Alaska summit yields no deal on Ukraine
Russia
Ukraine
This was supposed to be the foreign policy high point of Donald Trump 's second term.
A further step towards the Nobel Peace Prize. A crowning victory against all the doubters and naysayers. Except it wasn't.
No sooner than he'd landed, the schedule was ripped up.
No one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin, instead it was to be a three on three, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Then the widened talks were cancelled, the working breakfast binned and the press conference turned into a brief statement with no questions.
Despite Putin suggesting an agreement had been reached, President Trump soon contradicted that interpretation, saying 'There's no deal until there's a deal'.
There were no details about what they discussed, no read-out on the points of alignment and no attempt to come up with some wording on a statement.
This was a diplomatic embarrassment for Trump, leaving him exposed as having been played by Putin.
The Russian leader walked away no doubt smiling, happy with the photos of him shaking hands with the leader of the free world, touted in Russia as evidence Putin was back on the world stage.
And crucially he gained the one other commodity he needs in this war: time.
The talks left just a tiny glimmer of hope that a further summit may happen.
The ball has been duly kicked into the diplomatic long grass, leaving Putin free to push further in the Donbass, safe in the knowledge that there appears little immediate chance of Trump imposing punitive new sanctions on Russia.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: European leaders to back Zelensky today as Trump says Kyiv can end war ‘immediately'
Top European leaders will throw their weight behind Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of his meeting with US president Donald Trump at the White House today. Trump will meet Zelensky at 1.15pm (5.15pm GMT) and hold a multilateral meeting with European leaders visiting Washington at 3pm. After meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump is pushing Zelensky to strike a peace agreement instead of a ceasefire deal without Crimea and Nato membership – reiterating Moscow 's position. "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," Trump said on his Truth Social platform. "No getting back Obama given NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Putin agreed during his meeting with Trump to let the US and its European allies offer Ukraine security guarantees, US envoy Steve Witkoff said. 'We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato," Mr Witkoff told CNN.
Daily Record
3 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Scotland's NHS in dire state as delays are matter of life or death
Record View says the SNP needs to sort out our NHS, particularly when it comes to stroke patients for whom time is of the essence. Scotland's NHS is in a dire state. One in six Scots are languishing on a waiting list, with many using private healthcare to get treatment. It can be nearly impossible to see a GP, with far too many people phoning up at 8am to find out all appointments for the day are gone. Many of our hospital buildings are crumbling and in dire need of repair. And now it has been revealed that stroke patients are waiting longer on average for treatment than they were seven years ago. The share of stroke patients receiving treatment within half an hour has also fallen in half of Scotland's health boards. This is very concerning. Removing blood quickly has a big impact on the chances of recovery from a stroke. The time it takes to do so can be the difference between an independent life, suffering a severe disability or death. It is particularly worrying that the situation is worse in rural areas – with some average waits at two-and-a-half hours. People should not need to live in our cities to receive the best medical treatment. The SNP needs to sort out our NHS, particularly when it comes to stroke patients for whom time is of the essence. It is an issue which is affecting the lives of ordinary Scots more and more each day. And the situation doesn't seem to be getting any better. If they don't make improvements before May next year, it may come to hurt the SNP when people are casting their votes. Group stages Keir Starmer and other European leaders will join Volodmy Zelensky in Washington DC tomorrow for a meeting with Donald Trump. It comes at a crunch time, as the US President recently met Vladmir Putin in Alaska – but didn't manage to agree a ceasefire deal. Starmer and other European leaders need to force Trump to realise that Ukraine has to be a central part of a peace deal with Russia. Agreeing to take territory away from Ukraine without Zelensky being at the negotiating table would be unacceptable. The PM has had some success in dealing with Trump and he has been strong in his support for Ukraine. His previous visit to the White House seemed to go well and he managed to negotiate a trade deal. We hope there is not a repeat of Zelensky's previous time across the pond, where Trump and JD Vance berated him on live TV.
Reuters
33 minutes ago
- Reuters
Rupee to receive a risk boost, but US-India trade discord overhang persists
MUMBAI, Aug 18 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee is poised to open higher on Monday, supported by a likely rally in local equities after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sweeping tax reforms to boost growth, though persistent U.S.–India trade tensions should cap the advance. The 1-month non-deliverable forward indicated the rupee will open in the 87.50-87.52 range versus the U.S. dollar, compared with 87.55 on Thursday. Indian financial markets were closed on Friday. Gift Nifty futures indicated that the Nifty 50 (.NSEI), opens new tab will open more than 1% higher after India announced sweeping tax reforms to lift the economy in the face of a trade conflict with Washington. The rupee will "see a bit of lift from equity, however it's hard to see it doing much with the U.S.–India trade cloud hanging overhead,' said a Mumbai-based FX trader. "The downside (on dollar/rupee) is capped, and any dip will likely be faded." The outcome of the weekend's Trump–Putin meeting did not evoke much of a reaction from Asian equities and currencies. U.S. President Donald Trump has said a full-fledged peace deal for Ukraine remained the ultimate aim rather than a mere ceasefire. After talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said he would delay new tariffs on countries like China that continue purchasing Russian oil. Absent from his remarks was any reference to India, which remains on track to face an additional 25% duty starting August 27. Adding to the pressure on the rupee, Washington has scrapped a planned August 25–29 visit by trade negotiators to New Delhi, shelving discussions on a potential trade deal and extinguishing hopes of relief from the fresh tariffs on Indian goods. KEY INDICATORS: ** One-month non-deliverable rupee forward at 87.62; onshore one-month forward premium at 11.5 paise ** Dollar index up at 97.88 ** Brent crude futures down 0.1% at $65.8 per barrel ** Ten-year U.S. note yield at 4.31% ** As per NSDL data, foreign investors sold a net $258.2mln worth of Indian shares on Aug. 13 ** NSDL data shows foreign investors bought a net $200.5mln worth of Indian bonds on Aug. 13
