Putin and Trump fail to reach Ukraine peace deal

Telegraph

18 hours ago

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin failed to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine after three hours of high-stakes talks in Alaska.
The US president described the discussion as 'extremely productive' but said a deal to end the long-running conflict had not ultimately been agreed.
'We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,' Mr Trump said in a press conference at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
'There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there.'
'There's no deal until there's a deal,' he added.
Putin, who travelled to the US for the first time in a decade, was allowed to open the press conference, saying the war in Ukraine was a 'tragedy for us and a terrible wound'.
The leaders departed the stage after just 12 minutes without taking any questions.
Putin, who spoke for twice as long as Mr Trump, also had the last word, suggesting the pair would meet 'next time in Moscow'.
It was an abrupt ending to an otherwise friendly meeting that began when Mr Trump greeted the Russian leader with a smile and an outstretched hand as he disembarked his private aircraft.
The leaders walked down respective red carpets and Mr Trump clapped as the Russian president approached, before they shared a warm embrace.
Standing side by side on the tarmac in front of the travelling press pool, Putin faced a barrage of questions about his war in Ukraine.
Under the roar of a US military flyover, the Russian leader shrugged and gestured to his ear, suggesting he couldn't hear the reporters who asked if he would stop killing Ukrainian civilians.
'I would like to hope that the agreement that we have reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine..,' Putin later said during the post-summit press conference.
He added: 'We expect that Kiev and European capitals will perceive that constructively and that they won't throw a ranch in the works.'
It came after the White House unexpectedly announced the joint press briefing would go ahead earlier than planned.
Hundreds of journalists crammed into the room, divided with Russian media on one side and western journalists on the other.
An expanded bi-lateral meeting, which had been planned to take place over lunch with the president's economic advisors, was scrapped.
During his six hour 45 minute flight to Alaska, the US president had warned that he would 'walk' if the meeting did not go to plan.
But after three hours of discussions he appeared on stage flanked by Putin, whom he referred to at one point as 'the boss'.
Near the end of the conference, Mr Trump said he would contact Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders to discuss the progress of the talks.
'I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate, and of course, call up president Zelensky and tell them about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them,' he said.
Mr Trump's talks with Putin were initially intended to be one-on-one, but the White House announced both leaders would be accompanied by two of their advisers while Mr Trump was mid-flight.
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy who had been credited with bringing Putin to America, flanked the president.
Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, said the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine had proved a 'failure' as Mr Trump failed to secure a ceasefire.
Mr Merezhko told The New York Times that Putin had appeared as an equal to the US leader.
'He won the informational war... He used Trump to show that he is not isolated,' he said.
Mr Trump also faced criticism from democrats and US media who accused the president of legitimising Putin and the war with the welcome he afforded him.
While Mr Trump failed to produce any details about a path to peace, The Telegraph on Friday revealed that Britain is poised to put 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine within a week of a ceasefire being declared.
Plans have been made for hundreds of British military trainers and engineers to enter the country if fighting pauses, to help rebuild Ukraine's armed forces.
Sir Keir Starmer has also signed off on the use of RAF fighter jets to help police the skies over Ukraine with allies to ensure Russia does not breach any truce.
It would mark a significant escalation in Britain's role in helping Kyiv see off the Russian threat towards Ukraine, bringing with it risks for those deployed.
European allies, who have been working on the plans for months under a partnership dubbed the 'coalition of the willing', pushed them ahead with renewed urgency this week in anticipation of the summit.