Trump-Putin Alaska summit: High stakes at historic meeting
For the US president, the summit represents an unprecedented opportunity to establish himself as a peacemaker and push Russia to a ceasefire.
For Putin, this is a chance to change tack despite his unwillingness to engage in direct negotiations with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukraine's president has not been invited to the summit at the US military Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, but Trump hopes he will be present for the second round of talks.
The question remains, will there be a second meeting after the negotiations in Alaska?
Follow our live updates as Euronews journalists around Europe bring you the latest developments in the blog below:
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LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
After the Trump-Putin summit, Europe must make a move
Everything unfolded just as the Europeans had expected. The summit on Friday, August 15, between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, ended without any concrete prospects for a ceasefire in Ukraine. However, it worked to the advantage of the Russian president, who found himself rehabilitated on the world stage thanks to the event. The aggressor of an independent country, Ukraine, which he claims as his own, and wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, Putin was treated on Friday by the United States with all the honors reserved for a respected leader of a major power. Greeted as he stepped off the plane by President Trump, invited to walk the red carpet with him to the American president's limousine and then invited inside, the Russian president clearly appreciated these gestures. To express his gratitude to Trump, he echoed two grievances dear to the Republican president: that the 2020 presidential election, won by Joe Biden, was fraudulent, and that the war in Ukraine would never have started if Trump had been president. As for the rest, while describing the meeting as very "productive" and on "the path to peace in Ukraine," Putin merely reiterated, during a brief joint appearance before the press, the "underlying causes" of his conflict with Ukraine. The talks lasted just over two and a half hours, whereas the Kremlin had planned for "six to seven hours" of discussions. The scheduled lunch did not take place, journalists were not allowed to ask questions and the exchanges apparently did not touch on commercial or economic matters, nor on arms control – contrary to Moscow's wishes. For his part, Trump showered "Vladimir" with praise, calling him "a strong guy (...) tough as hell." He spoke of a "very productive" meeting where there were "many points that we agreed on," except for one, "probably the most significant," which he did not specify. The American president, who had threatened Russia just a few days earlier with "very severe consequences" if it failed to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, stated on Fox News on Friday that the question of new sanctions was not under consideration for the time being, but that he might have to think about it in two or three weeks. In light of this lack of results, the ball is now in the Europeans' court. On Saturday morning, Trump briefed them, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on his discussions and the points of agreement he mentioned. Even before speaking to them, he offered this advice to Zelensky on Fox News after the summit: "Make a deal!" From the way Putin and Trump presented matters in Anchorage, it can be inferred that the proposed "deal" is not in Kyiv's favor. Echoing Trump, Putin said he hoped the Europeans "won't throw a wrench in the works and not make any attempts to use some backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the progress." Keen not to miss any chance to end the war, the Ukrainian president nonetheless responded positively to the idea of a three-way meeting with Putin and Trump, and decided to travel to Washington on Monday to discuss it. The scenario Europeans have feared – a settlement hashed out behind their backs by the Russian and American leaders – cannot be ruled out. However, unlike Trump, Putin acknowledged that they, together with Kyiv, have cards to play. The time has come to use them, and to do so with resolve.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
European leaders to support trilateral meeting following Alaska summit
European leaders have said they are "ready to work with US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support," in a statement issued by the European Commission on Saturday. "It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force," the statement read, which was released a few hours after the conclusion of a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The statement was signed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Council President António Costa. They said they "welcomed President Trump's efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia's war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace," following the US President's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The leaders insisted on "ironclad security guarantees" for Ukraine, with "no limitations" on Ukraine's armed forces. "Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and NATO." The statement also reiterated a pledge to continue to impose sanctions on Russia "as long as the killing in Ukraine continues". Zelenskyy calls for 'real peace' Zelenskyy echoed the European statement in a post on X, calling for "real peace" and "not just another pause between Russian invasions." He added that he told Trump "sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war." He also reiterated the importance of involving European leaders, who also were not present at the summit. Other European leaders responded more fiercely to the outcome of Friday's summit in Alaska. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espend Barth Eide told reporters in Oslo Putin's talking points were "code for the Russian justification for the illegal invasion of Ukraine." Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a statement that "Putin is still only interested in the greatest possible territorial gains and the restoration of the Soviet empire." EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said 'the harsh reality is that Russia has no intention of ending this war anytime soon,' noting that Moscow's forces launched new attacks on Ukraine even as the delegations met. 'Putin continues to drag out negotiations and hopes he gets away with it. He left Anchorage without making any commitments to end the killing,' she said.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Ukraine's Zelensky to meet Trump on Monday after Alaska summit fails to secure ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will head to Washington on Monday to discuss "ending the killing and the war" with US President Donald Trump, he announced Saturday, a few hours after a US-Russia summit in Alaska ended without an agreement to stop the fighting in Ukraine. Trump confirmed the White House meeting and said that 'if all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin'. In a reversal only few hours after meeting his Russian counterpart, Trump said an overall peace agreement, and not a ceasefire, was the best way to end the war. That statement echoed Putin's view that Russia is not interested in a temporary truce, and instead is seeking a long-term settlement that takes Moscow's interests into account. Trump and Ukraine's European allies had been calling for a ceasefire ahead of any negotiations. Zelensky, who was not invited to Alaska for the summit, said he held a 'long and substantive' conversation with Trump early Saturday. He thanked him for an invitation to meet in person in Washington on Monday and said they would 'discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war'. Zelensky to meet Trump after US-Russia summit: What to expect? 04:14 It will be Zelensky's first visit to the US since Trump berated him publicly for being 'disrespectful' during an extraordinary Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28. Red carpet welcome for Putin Trump rolled out the red carpet on Friday for Putin, who was in the US for the first time in a decade and since the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But he gave little concrete detail afterward of what was discussed. On Saturday, he posted on social media that it 'went very well'. Trump had warned ahead of the summit of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to end the war. Zelensky reiterated the importance of involving European leaders, who also were not at the summit. 'It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America,' he said. 'We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine's security.' He didn't elaborate, but Zelensky previously has said that European partners put on hold a proposal to establish a foreign troop presence in Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression because it lacked an American backstop. Zelensky said he spoke to Trump one-on-one and then in a call with other European leaders. In total, the conversations lasted over 90 minutes. 'No deal until there's a deal' Trump said in Alaska that 'there's no deal until there's a deal', after Putin claimed the two leaders had hammered out an 'understanding' on Ukraine and warned Europe not to 'torpedo the nascent progress'. During an interview with Fox News Channel before returning to Washington, Trump insisted the onus going forward might be on Zelensky 'to get it done', but said there would also be some involvement from European nations. In a statement after speaking to Trump, major European leaders said they were ready to work with Trump and Zelensky toward 'a trilateral summit with European support'. The statement by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the European Union's two top officials said that 'Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees' and welcomed US readiness to provide them. 'It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory,' they said. 'International borders must not be changed by force.' They did not mention a ceasefire, which they had hoped for ahead of the summit. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said 'the harsh reality is that Russia has no intention of ending this war anytime soon', noting that Moscow's forces launched new attacks on Ukraine even as the delegations met. 'Putin continues to drag out negotiations and hopes he gets away with it. He left Anchorage without making any commitments to end the killing,' she said. 'Mission accomplished' Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the summit confirmed that 'while the US and its allies are looking for ways to peace, Putin is still only interested in making the greatest possible territorial gains and restoring the Soviet empire'. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting along a 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line. Since spring, Russian troops have accelerated their gains, capturing the most territory since the opening stages of the war. 'Vladimir Putin came to the Alaska summit with the principal goal of stalling any pressure on Russia to end the war,' said Neil Melvin, director of international security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute. 'He will consider the summit outcome as mission accomplished.' Zelensky voiced support for Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting with the US and Russia. He said that 'key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this'. But Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said on Russian state television Saturday that a potential meeting of Trump, Putin and Zelensky has not been raised in US-Russia discussions. 'The topic has not been touched upon yet,' he said, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. End to Putin's isolation in the West Zelensky wrote on X that he told Trump that "sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war'. Russian officials and media struck a largely positive tone, with some describing Friday's meeting as a symbolic end to Putin's isolation in the West. Former president Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, praised the summit as a breakthrough in restoring high-level dialogue between Moscow and Washington, describing the talks as 'calm, without ultimatums and threats'. Russian attacks on Ukraine continued overnight, using one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones, 61 of which were shot down, Ukraine's air force said. Front-line areas of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Chernihiv were attacked. Russia's defence ministry said its air defences shot down 29 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Sea of Azov overnight.
