Trump and Putin all-smiles as they greet eachother at ceasefire summit
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a historic summit in Anchorage, Alaska, marking their first face-to-face meeting in seven years.
Trump stated his primary aim for the talks was to secure a rapid ceasefire in Ukraine, emphasising his desire for the conflict to end.
The meeting, held with delegations present, saw Trump appear more confident than in past encounters, with both leaders sitting before a 'Pursuing Peace' backdrop.
Trump indicated a potential second round of negotiations could involve European leaders and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, though no immediate questions were taken from the press.
European leaders, in a joint statement, welcomed Trump's peace efforts but underscored that any resolution for Ukraine must involve Ukraine itself and respect international borders.
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Reuters
13 minutes ago
- Reuters
Outline emerges of Putin's offer to end his war in Ukraine
LONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Russia would relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine and Kyiv would cede swathes of its eastern land which Moscow has been unable to capture, under peace proposals discussed by Russia's Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at their Alaska summit, sources briefed on Moscow's thinking said. The account emerged the day after Trump and Putin met at an airforce base in Alaska, the first encounter between a U.S. president and the Kremlin chief since before the start of the Ukraine conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to travel to Washington on Monday to discuss with Trump a possible settlement of the full-scale war, which Putin launched in February 2022. Although the summit failed to secure the ceasefire he said he had wanted, Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that he and Putin had discussed land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and had "largely agreed". "I think we're pretty close to a deal," he said, adding: "Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say 'no'." The two sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said their knowledge of Putin's proposals was mostly based on discussions between leaders in Europe, the U.S. and Ukraine, and noted it was not complete. Trump briefed Zelenskiy and European leaders on his summit discussions early on Saturday. It was not immediately clear if the proposals by Putin were an opening gambit to serve as a starting point for negotiations or more like a final offer that was not subject to discussion. At face value, at least some of the demands would present huge challenges for Ukraine's leadership to accept. Putin's offer ruled out a ceasefire until a comprehensive deal is reached, blocking a key demand of Zelenskiy, whose country is hit daily by Russian drones and ballistic missiles. Under the proposed Russian deal, Kyiv would fully withdraw from the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in return for a Russian pledge to freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the sources said. Ukraine has already rejected any retreat from Ukrainian land such as the Donetsk region, where its troops are dug in and which Kyiv says serves as a crucial defensive structure to prevent Russian attacks deeper into its territory. Russia would be prepared to return comparatively small tracts of Ukrainian land it has occupied in the northern Sumy and northeastern Kharkiv regions, the sources said. Russia holds pockets of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions that total around 440 square km, according to Ukraine's Deep State battlefield mapping project. Ukraine controls around 6,600 square km of Donbas, which comprises the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and is claimed by Russia. Although the Americans have not spelled this out, the sources said they knew Russia's leader was also seeking - at the very least - formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014. It was not clear if that meant recognition by the U.S. government or, for instance, all Western powers and Ukraine. Kyiv and its European allies reject formal recognition of Moscow's rule in the peninsula. They said Putin would also expect the lifting of at least some of the array of sanctions on Russia. However, they could not say if this applied to U.S. as well as European sanctions. Trump said on Friday he did not immediately need to consider retaliatory tariffs on countries such as China for buying Russian oil - which is subject to a range of Western sanctions - but might have to "in two or three weeks." Ukraine would also be barred from joining the NATO military alliance, though Putin seemed to be open to Ukraine receiving some kind of security guarantees, the sources said. However, they added that it was unclear what this meant in practice. European leaders said Trump had discussed security guarantees for Ukraine during their conversation on Saturday and also broached an idea for an "Article 5"-style guarantee outside the NATO military alliance. NATO regards any attack launched on one of its 32 members as an attack on all under its Article 5 clause. Joining the Atlantic alliance is a strategic objective for Kyiv that is enshrined in the country's constitution. Russia would also demand official status for the Russian language inside parts of, or across, Ukraine, as well as the right of the Russian Orthodox Church to operate freely, the sources said. Ukraine's security agency accuses the Moscow-linked church of abetting Russia's war on Ukraine by spreading pro-Russian propaganda and housing spies, something denied by the church which says it has cut canonical ties with Moscow. Ukraine has passed a law banning Russia-linked religious organisations, of which it considers the church to be one. However, it has not yet started enforcing the ban.
Telegraph
13 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Once again Vladimir Putin has left Donald Trump looking weak
SIR – The sight of Donald Trump applauding Vladimir Putin, the butcher of Ukraine, when the two met in Alaska was the most powerful symbol yet of Mr Trump's weakness ('Putin got exactly what he wanted from Trump', Analysis, August 16). He even purred at Putin's words: 'Next time in Moscow.' No deal, no ceasefire and no mention of sanctions: the Kremlin achieved a rout. Europe must now redouble its support for Volodymyr Zelensky. Adrian Charles Enfield, Middlesex SIR – For all Mr Trump's boasts, his summit with Putin produced no deal and no movement from a war-mongering Moscow. Russia left with a clear diplomatic win, embarrassing America. Mr Trump's idea of '10/10', as he described the meeting, is a curious one. Sebastian Monblat London SE14 SIR – No one can blame Donald Trump for trying, but he needs to face reality. Vladimir Putin is not interested in finishing a war he thinks he is winning. He regards Volodymyr Zelensky as the illegitimate leader of a country he doesn't recognise. He will only accept peace if it involves the capitulation of Ukraine as an independent country. David Kenny Tredunnock, Monmouthshire SIR – I am appalled that on VJ Day, while we honoured those who both died and survived, Mr Trump was insensitive enough to meet the aggressor Putin in his pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize. Nick Kester Wattisfield, Suffolk SIR – If Nato had deployed into Ukraine before Vladimir Putin's invasion, it would not be in the position it finds itself in now. The alliance has been shown up as weak, and seems to have forgotten that deterrence is a proven way to contain military aggression. Lt Col Jeremy Prescott (retd) Southsea, Hampshire
The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
Photos of ‘Free D.C.' protest against Trump's federal takeover of Washington police
A protest against Trump administration's effort to overhaul policing in the District of Columbia drew scores to Dupont Circle before a march to the White House.
