Journalist asks if Putin will agree to a ceasefire during photo opportunity
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The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
In high-stakes summit, Trump, not Putin, budges
Donald Trump wanted to go bold -- a high-pomp, high-stakes summit with Vladimir Putin to test whether the Russian leader would compromise on the Ukraine war. In the end, it looks like it was Trump, not Putin, who budged. Putin, visibly delighted as he stepped foot in the West for the first time since ordering the 2022 invasion, made no apparent concession at the talks at an Alaska air base. In a brief joint media appearance with Trump, who unusually took no questions, Putin again spoke of addressing the "root causes" of the Ukraine war and warned Kyiv and Europeans against disrupting "emerging progress" with the United States, the top defender of Ukraine under Trump's predecessor Joe Biden. Trump, who bills himself as a master negotiator, acknowledged there was "no deal" but said there were "very few" areas of disagreement, although he was vague on what they were. But posting hours later on his Truth Social account, Trump said he wanted Russia and Ukraine to "go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war" and not a ceasefire. Trump's own administration had been pushing a ceasefire for months, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signing on after intense pressure from Trump. Putin had repeatedly rejected truce offers and kept up attacks on Ukraine, seeking to maximize battlefield advantage. - Putin again woos Trump - Trump had vowed to be firm with Putin after wide criticism of the US president's cowed appearance before him at a 2018 summit in Helsinki. But Putin again found ways to flatter and trigger Trump, who in his second term constantly speaks unprompted about his many grievances. Putin told Trump before the cameras that there would have been no war -- which Putin himself launched -- if Trump were president in 2022 rather than Biden, a frequent Trump talking point. Trump bemoaned the effect on ties with Putin of what he again called the "hoax" of the findings by US intelligence that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help him. In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity after the summit, Trump said that "one of the most interesting things" Putin told him was about... the US voting system. Trump said approvingly that Putin -- who has held power in Russia since 2000 and was declared the winner of elections last year with 88 percent of the vote -- told him of the risks of mail-in ballots and said of Trump's 2020 loss to Biden, "You won that election by so much." US election authorities and experts have found no evidence of wide-scale fraud from mail-in ballots in the 2020 election, which Trump, uniquely in US history, refused to concede. - 'Shameful' or wait and see? - Trump's Democratic rivals voiced outrage that the summit secured no breakthrough and said it only served to normalize Putin, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. "By quite literally rolling out the red carpet, Trump has legitimized Russia's aggression and whitewashed Putin's war crimes. It's shameful," said Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Experts said it was too early to write off the summit completely, as much is not known about what was discussed behind closed doors. Trump will meet Zelensky on Monday at the White House. Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, which backs US restraint, said that Trump's critics have been proven wrong in saying he would "give Ukraine to Putin or force Kyiv to accept surrender." "His focus has been and remains getting Putin to the negotiating table. Mr. Trump deserves credit rather than condemnation for his efforts so far," she said. But Kristine Berzina, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, said an initial read was that "Putin scored a victory by showing up, and Trump's limited words and tense demeanor left Putin to control the narrative." "For a man so attached to showmanship, Trump unusually allowed Putin to be the star of what should have been the Trump show," she said. sct/md
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Trump moves away from Ukraine war ceasefire demand after Putin summit
US President Donald Trump has suddenly shifted his campaign to halt the Ukraine war to securing a full peace agreement after a summit with Russia's President Vladimir Putin failed to secure a ceasefire. Three hours of talks between the White House and Kremlin leaders at an Alaska air base produced no breakthrough but Mr Trump and European leaders said they wanted a new summit that includes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Zelensky will now go to Washington on Monday while European leaders said they were ready to intensify sanctions against Russia after Mr Trump briefed them on the summit. Mr Trump remained upbeat, calling the summit 'a great and very successful day in Alaska!' in a Truth Social post. The US president added that European leaders had backed his plan for a new summit. 'It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up,' he added. Zelensky in Washington He confirmed Monday's meeting with Mr Zelensky and said he hoped a Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit would follow. 'Potentially, millions of people's lives will be saved,' Mr Trump commented. Before the summit, Mr Trump had warned of 'severe consequences' if Russia did not accept a ceasefire. When asked about this by Fox News after the talks, Mr Trump said that 'because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now'. Mr Putin has repeatedly said only a full peace deal could halt the war he ordered in February 2022, which has left tens of thousands dead and widespread destruction in Ukraine. Mr Putin again spoke of addressing the 'root causes' of the conflict at the summit and some analysts said Mr Trump may have conceded ground. 'Faced with what appears to be Putin's stonewalling, lectures on history, or other dodges, Mr Trump backed away again,' said Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland and now a fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank. Flying back to Washington, Mr Trump spoke first with Mr Zelensky, the White House said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders later joined the call, officials said. The Europeans, who had been wary of the Alaska meeting, held their own talks on Saturday and afterwards expressed support for a new summit. Their statement did not mention a ceasefire, just the need for more action to force Russia into 'a just and lasting peace'. 'As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy until there is a just and lasting peace,' they said. The war went on despite the summit. Ukraine announced Saturday that Russia launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile during the night. Russia said it had taken two more villages in Ukraine. Mr Trump and Mr Putin emerged from their talks to offer warm words at a 12-minute press briefing but took no questions. 'We're not there yet, but we've made progress. There's no deal until there's a deal,' Trump said. He called the meeting 'extremely productive' with 'many points' agreed, but did not offer specifics. 'Next time in Moscow' Mr Putin also spoke in general terms. 'We hope that the understanding we have reached will … pave the way for peace in Ukraine.' Mr Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to 'not create any obstacles' and not 'make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues'. As Mr Trump mused about a second meeting, Mr Putin smiled and said in English: 'Next time in Moscow'. Putin warns Western allies Mr Trump, whose tone with Mr Zelensky has changed since he berated the Ukrainian leader at the White House in February, told Fox that 'Now it's really up to President Zelensky to get it done'. Mr Zelensky, who has rejected Russian demands that Ukraine give up territory, was not invited to Friday's talks. But he said Saturday that he supported the American efforts. 'It is important that America's strength has an impact on the development of the situation,' he said. Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Mr Putin's hand in any negotiations. Although Ukraine announced as Mr Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages, Russia's army on Saturday claimed the capture of Kolodyazi in Ukraine's Donetsk region and Vorone in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region.
SBS Australia
5 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Trump to meet with Zelenskyy after no deal reached at Alaska summit
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . Ahead of the high stakes meeting with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump said he would know within two minutes of meeting the Russian leader whether it would be a success. It took almost three hours before the leaders emerged from the meeting behind closed doors. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin since 2019, with the Russian leader ostracised by Western leaders since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After their meeting, Mr Trump and Mr Putin emerged to speak before reporters in Anchorage, but they took no questions. "I believe that we had a very productive meeting. There were many, many points that we agreed on - most of them. I would say. A couple of big ones that we haven't quite got there. But we have made some head way. There is no deal until there is a deal. I will call up NATO in a little while. I will of course call up President Zelenskyy." Mr Trump later told Fox News that he rated the meeting a 10 out of 10 - even though he revealed no details of the points of agreement and disagreement. "There is not that much. There is one or two significant items (of disagreement). But I think they can be reached. Not it is really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations. They have to get involved a little bit. But it is up to President Zelenskyy. And if they like, I will be at the next meeting. They are going to set up a meeting between President Zelenskyy, President Putin and myself, I guess. Not that I want to be there, but I want to make sure that it gets done. We have a pretty good chance of getting it done." It is a change in the tone Mr Trump had a few weeks ago when he issued a August 8 deadline for Mr Putin to show a genuine commitment to a ceasefire - or face stronger sanctions. At the post-meeting press conference, Mr Putin was keen to cast the meeting as a success for him - in receiving the invitation, but also on the prospect of a Russian-US economic reset. "I expect that today's agreement will be the starting point - not only for the solution of the Ukrainian issue. But will also help us bring back business and pragmatic relations between Russia and the US." He says he has not shifted in his position on the full-scale invasion in Ukraine. "We're convinced that in order to make the settlement lasting long-term, we need to eliminate the primary roots, the primary causes of the conflict. And we have said it multiple times, to consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe - and in the world on a whole." And at the end of the press conference, Mr Putin was eager to secure another meeting with the US President. Donald Trump: "Thank you very much Vladimir." Vladimir Putin: "Next time in Moscow." Donald Trump: "Oh, that's an interesting one! I will get a little heat on that one but I could see it possibly happening. Thank you very much Vladimir. Thank you all! Thank you!" Vladimir Putin: Thank you so much." Matthew Sussex is a fellow at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre. He says there was a lot of theatre and optics involved in the high stakes visit - and Mr Putin got what he wanted. "Yes, it's certainly a win for Vladimir Putin. The optics of it were that, you know, he came to American territory, but American territory in Alaska, which of course previously was part of the Russian Federation and there was a lot of media talk in Russia and billboards going up saying, you know, Alaska is Russian and we will take that back. So he got a photo opportunity with Donald Trump. So it makes him look, look respected and valued and making the American president travel all the way to Anchorage to meet him. And at the same time, he basically dodges those sanctions that Trump had threatened." Mark Cancian is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. He says despite the convivial language between Mr Trump and Mr Putin, the Alaska summit was planned haphazardly from start to finish. "The press conference was startling - even bizarre - in the sense that the meeting was expected to last maybe six hours and broke up after about three. Then the press conference was called very abruptly. The journalists race into the room. The parties come on stage and speak their piece. Putin starts off and Trump responds, and then they trip off after a couple of minutes, they take no questions and Putin gets on his airplane, flies away. And I don't think anyone quite expected a result like that. On the other hand, the words spoken were very friendly. Both Putin and Trump were encouraging about the future, but vague. And this is clearly the first step on, you know, what could be a long journey." He says negotiations to end wars can take a long time to finalise, but there is a positive for Ukraine in that the worst outcome was avoided. "Another encouraging thing was Trump saying that the Europeans and Ukraine, President Zelenskyy, had to be part of this agreement, and that had not come through quite clearly again about a week ago. The concern is that the pressure will go on to Zelenskyy to give up territory, to make an end to the conflict and get it over with as Trump would say. The Ukrainians are very reluctant to give up territory." Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has been briefed on the Alaska meeting in a phone call with Mr Trump. The call also ended with an invitation for him to come to Washington DC on Monday (18 August local time). He says he has accepted the invitation and looks forward to discussing "all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war".
