Pope Leo XIV prays for peace as US-Russia summit over Ukraine war gets underway
History's first American pope didn't mention the meeting Friday in Alaska between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin . But he has constantly called for dialogue and an end to the conflict, including in conversations with Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy .
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Atlantic
a minute ago
- Atlantic
What the U.S.-Russia Summit Reveals
Donald Trump traveled to Alaska yesterday to meet with Vladimir Putin. In the brief remarks that followed the summit, Trump acknowledged that he and the Russian president had not reached a deal to end the war in Ukraine. 'There's no deal until there's a deal,' Trump said. Panelists on Washington Week With The Atlantic joined to discuss the U.S.-Russia summit—and what the outcome might mean for Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Trump administration this week deployed National Guard troops to take over Washington, D.C.'s police department. The president has said that there is a crime crisis in the capital city, even as violent-crime rates in D.C. have hit a 30-year low. Joining the editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, to discuss this and more: David Ignatius, a foreign-affairs columnist at The Washington Post; Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times; Scott MacFarlane, a justice correspondent at CBS News; and Vivian Salama, a staff writer at The Atlantic. Watch the full episode here.
Forbes
a minute ago
- Forbes
Trump Will Host Zelensky In D.C. On Monday
President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, D.C., on Monday after Trump's latest meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Trump said he now believes the 'best way' to end Russia's war with Ukraine is to 'go directly to a peace agreement.' Trump said after meeting with Putin in Alaska the 'best way' to end Russia's war with Ukraine is 'to go directly to a peace agreement,' and not a 'mere ceasefire agreement.' AFP via Getty Images Zelensky, who wrote Saturday he held a 'long and substantive' conversation with Trump, said he would meet with Trump in Washington, D.C. to 'discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.' Trump said Saturday he spoke with Zelensky and other European leaders, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and said 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 … and not a mere ceasefire agreement.' Trump joined Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, later announcing a peace deal was not reached, though Trump noted he and Putin made 'headway' and 'great progress' in their discussions. Trump wrote on Truth Social that, 'if all works out' in his meeting with Zelensky, 'we will then schedule a meeting with Putin.' It's not immediately clear whether Trump's next meeting would include Zelensky, though Trump appeared to believe Putin would be open to the idea of holding a trilateral summit with Ukrainian officials, a European official told CNN. A statement released Saturday by several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, among others, argued the 'next step' toward peace talks must include Zelensky. Chief Critic 'Unfortunately, Trump has taken Putin's position, and this was Putin's demand,' Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, told Reuters in a statement criticizing Trump's calling for a peace deal instead of a ceasefire agreement. Serhiy Leschenko, advisor to Zelensky's chief of staff, told CNN that negotiating for a peace deal before a ceasefire could create a 'high risk of blackmail for Ukraine.' A meeting between Trump and Zelensky follows months of Trump's efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine's war with Russia. Before Trump's return to the White House in January, Zelensky claimed Ukraine's war would end 'faster' with Trump as president. Trump campaigned and argued he could end the war in 24 hours, though his efforts have gone unfinished, as Trump has criticized Putin's refusal to reach a deal. A feud escalated between Zelensky and Trump in the weeks leading up to Zelensky's last trip to Washington, D.C., in February, as Trump shifted negotiations away from Ukraine and accused Zelensky of being a 'dictator' who 'refuses to have elections.' While Trump appeared to walk back his criticism of Zelensky, their last meeting quickly became tense and often verged on a shouting match. Further Reading Forbes Trump-Zelenskyy Talks End Early After Trump Threatens Him In Tense Live Meeting: 'Make A Deal Or We're Out' By Ty Roush Forbes Trump Says 'No Deal' With Putin Following Meeting In Alaska (Live Updates) By Sara Dorn
CNN
a minute ago
- CNN
Putin gave his final words at Alaska summit in English, a language he speaks more of than he usually lets on
Russia Donald Trump War in UkraineFacebookTweetLink Follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's final words at the Alaska summit were delivered with a smile, spoken in an unusual burst of English. 'And next time in Moscow,' Putin said – no translation needed – in response to US President Donald Trump suggesting they would see each other again very soon. Putin has been known to give casual side comments and niceties in foreign languages. He also said 'thank you so much' in English at the end of his summit with Trump, which concluded without a deal to end the war in Ukraine. But typically, the Russian leader – a former intelligence officer with the Soviet Union's security service, the KGB – uses translators to avoid speaking in English during diplomatic conversations. Putin is known to be fluent in German. During his days as a KGB officer during the Cold War, Putin was posted to Dresden, which was then East Germany. Putin and former chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel were known to speak German to each other during their meetings. He also speaks good English, according to the Kremlin itself. In May, when the two leaders spoke on the phone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin was able to get an impression of what Trump was saying before his interpreter relayed a translation to him, according to Russian state media TASS. That suggests he was likely able to understand his US counterpart when the pair traveled together briefly in Trump's presidential limo after their arrival in Alaska on Friday. Back in 2017, the Kremlin said that Putin understands English 'almost completely' and even corrects his interpreters, according to Russia's Izvestia newspaper. When he is 'on the go,' Putin 'most often speaks English, but when negotiations are conducted and when an official meeting is taking place, of course, he communicates through interpreters,' Peskov said, the paper reported at the time. 'I myself have been translating at the highest level for a long time, so I know what kind of stress it is,' Peskov said, according to Izvestia. Using interpreters at high-level meetings also allows leaders room for maneuver. For example, ahead of the talks with Trump, Putin seemingly did not understand or hear the uncomfortable questions shouted in English by the press about the war, none of which he addressed, making confused expressions instead. Asked whether he would 'stop killing civilians,' Putin appeared to gesture that he couldn't hear the question. There are quite a few examples of the Russian leader showcasing his language skills outside of negotiation rooms. He gave an exclusive interview to CNN in 2008 about the conflict in Georgia, in which he spoke in part in English. In 2013, he delivered a fairly long on-camera statement in English to announce Russia's bid to host the 2020 World Expo in the central city of Yekaterinburg. 'It will be a priority national project,' he said in Russian-accented English in the two-and-a-half-minute clip. In perhaps the most famous display of his English-language proficiency, he once gave a rendition of 'Blueberry Hill' at a charity gala in St. Petersburg in 2010, although he stumbled over some of the words. Some Hollywood celebrities, including Kevin Costner, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, were in the audience to witness the rare performance. During a video conference earlier this year, he responded in fluent German to a German man who was seeking citizenship in Russia. After switching to German, Putin made small talk about his time living in what was East Germany, causing other officials in the meeting to chuckle. On Friday, Trump responded quickly to Putin's English-language invitation for another round of meetings in Moscow, saying: 'Ooh, that's an interesting one. I don't know, I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening. Thank you very much, Vladimir.'
