Watch: Long line of historic US-Russia summits
American and Soviet or Russian leaders have held such talks since the 1940's, reflecting the often complex political relationships between the nations.
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The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Ukraine will be forced to surrender eastern territory & forget about joining Nato under Trump and Putin's peace terms
STRICKEN Ukraine will be forced to surrender large swathes of its eastern territory and forget about ever joining Nato under peace terms haggled by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The war-torn country's desire to join the European Union is also in doubt after the two superpower presidents held controversial talks in Alaska on Friday. 8 Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Alaska to end the conflict in Ukraine 8 Ukraine will be forced to surrender large swathes of its eastern territory under peace terms haggled by the leaders Credit: AFP 8 Zelensky has called for an end to the conflict on social media Credit: Getty Ukraine would be outlawed from joining the Western defence alliance, but have its redrawn borders underwritten by its US and European allies in the terms suggested by the White House. Allies have offered 'ironclad' security assurances to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression if a peace deal can be forged. But it would stop short of Nato Article 5 status, which sees members of the alliance leap to the aid of any member that is attacked. Ukraine's desire to join Nato has been blamed as a root cause of President Putin's invasion. READ MORE ON UKRAINE PUT IT THERE Trump and Putin locked in face to face talks after US leader's show of force He has insisted 'Nyet' — Russian for 'No' — over the proposal. But the future security of Ukraine is the number one condition of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. British and other European troops could be committed to police the peace, with President Trump finally conceding the Americans would play a vital role in the future defence of Ukraine. Last night, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly stated: 'The good news is that America is ready to participate in such security guarantees and is not leaving it to the Europeans alone.' And PM Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Trump's 'leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing' should be commended. Calls for an immediate ceasefire were dropped by world leaders yesterday, after Mr Trump announced he was instead pursuing a more stable and lasting 'peace deal'. Trump-Putin latest- Don says 'no deal' on Ukraine war & holds call with Zelensky after saying it's now 'up to him' Plans haggled at Friday's face-to-face summit are being circulated by the Americans after the US President and the Kremlin tyrant met each other in Anchorage, Alaska, for more than three hours. The Sun has been told a surrender deal would see Ukraine forced to reject Nato membership and other 'multinational deals'. Negotiations would also begin about ceding control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Eastern Ukraine which are, in part, heavily occupied by Russian troops. There was confusion last night over whether the talks would focus on territory currently held by the Kremlin invaders, or whether the wider regions were on the table. Yesterday, EU leaders insisted: 'Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and Nato.' However, that does not rule out Mr Zelensky deciding to withdraw Ukraine's stated aim to join both alliances as part of the wider deal. He will fly to Washington DC on Monday to meet with President Trump at the White House — six months after their disastrous Oval Office bust up, which saw the leader of the free world savage Mr Zelensky live on TV. 8 Battered Ukraine will be outlawed from joining NATO Credit: Reuters Russia has long claimed Donetsk and Luhansk are more loyal to Moscow than Kyiv, while Mr Zelensky has publicly ruled out giving up the land. However, he is under massive pressure to concede and end the bloody three-and-a-half year conflict, which has seen more than a million deaths. European leaders were locked in talks with the White House this weekend, as the world scrambled to catch up with what Mr Trump had offered Mr Putin to end the war. Last night, UK government sources said the PM was playing a key role in selling the terms of the deal to wider Western allies in a series of calls following the talks between the Americans and Russians. I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more Sir Keir Starmer's statement President Trump yesterday insisted it is time for Mr Zelensky to choose whether to agree with the terms of the deal — as the pair prepared to meet tomorrow. The White House has also offered to play host to a trilateral summit between the Russians and Ukrainians if the deal is within reach. Speaking following Friday's talks, where he met with his Russian counterpart for the first time in six years, President Trump insisted it was 'a great and very successful day in Alaska!' He wrote on his Truth Social website: 'The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelensky of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of Nato. 8 PM Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Trump's 'leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing' should be commended Credit: Getty 8 France's Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Giorgia Meloni, said: 'We are clear Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity' Credit: Getty '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. President Zelensky will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. 'Potentially, millions of people's lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Last night, President Putin also welcomed progress made at the talks, after leaving the summit without taking questions from hundreds of assembled journalists. In a televised address released by the Kremlin, he said: 'The conversation was very frank, substantive, and, in my opinion, brings us closer to the necessary decisions.' He added: 'We have not had direct negotiations of this kind at this level for a long time. We had the opportunity to calmly and in detail reiterate our position.' We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and NATO European statement In a long statement, President Zelensky welcomed the offer of security guarantees outlined by Mr Trump, in a tentative sign he may be willing to sign up to the terms. He wrote: 'A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions. Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure. 'All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released, and the children abducted by Russia must be returned. 'Thousands of our people remain in captivity — they all must be brought home. Pressure on Russia must be maintained while the aggression and occupation continue.' He went on: 'In my conversation with President Trump, I said that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war. Sanctions are an effective tool. 'Security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term, with involvement of Europe and the US. 'All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine's participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine. I thank our partners who are helping.' Yesterday the PM was taking part in a round of behind the scenes diplomacy, speaking to the White House and European capitals. He heaped praise on Mr Trump, saying his 'efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine'. He went on: 'His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.' But the PM warned: 'While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelensky. 8 Negotiations would begin about ceding control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Eastern Ukraine, pictured a soldier loading artillery Credit: Getty The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him. I spoke to President Zelensky, President Trump and other European partners, and we all stand ready to support this next phase. 'I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. 'This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more. 'In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions, which have already had a punishing impact on the Russian economy and its people. Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.' In a joint statement, Sir Keir and European leaders including France's Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Giorgia Meloni, said: 'We are clear Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. 'No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and Nato. 8 Italian leader Giorgia Meloni made a joint statement with Macron Credit: The Mega Agency
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Putin has laid cunning trap that makes Zelensky's White House visit a minefield… Russian leader knows the peace he wants
Putin wants to bounce Zelensky into a take-it-or-leave-it deal... but what would peace be like? MARK ALMOND Putin has laid cunning trap that makes Zelensky's White House visit a minefield… Russian leader knows the peace he wants AT first sight, Friday's summit meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin came to no clear conclusion. But the Russian leader has cunningly laid a trap, hoping that Volodymyr Zelensky is the one to say 'No' to President Trump's peace plan. 6 Russian leader Vladimir Putin has cunningly laid a trap Credit: Reuters 6 He is hoping that Zelensky is the one to say 'No' to President Trump's peace plan Credit: AP Advertisement 6 Putin got what he wanted when Trump treated him as an equal partner Credit: AFP Since Alaska, Trump has shifted from demanding an immediate ceasefire to calling for immediate and full peace agreement. This is what Putin wants — to bounce Zelensky into a take-it-or-leave-it deal. But what would peace be like? To be sure, Putin knows what he means by peace — Ukraine surrenders to his key demands. Kyiv gives up a swathe of territory to Russia. It abandons any hope of integrating into Western institutions such as Nato or the EU. Advertisement And it disarms so it cannot repeat the tough fight it has put up since February 2022, in case Russia decides to re-invade. In the meantime, sanctions on Russia are lifted and the Kremlin gets back its $300billion assets frozen in the West. A fast-tracked peace deal means Ukraine agreeing to complicated things such as who gets what territory, to what kind of country it will be internally. Putin wants to keep the Crimea peninsula plus the four southern regions which his army occupies. Advertisement He might swap a slither of land for the tiny bit of Russia's Kursk region which Ukraine's army holds, but he will never give up Crimea. Crimea is a floating aircraft carrier and naval base which would give the Kremlin dominance of the Black Sea. Its surrounding waters hold huge oil and gas reserves which can only be exploited once the fighting stops. Trump-Putin latest- Don says 'no deal' on Ukraine war & holds call with Zelensky after saying it's now 'up to him' Seizing Crimea without a shot in 2014 was a huge boost to Putin's prestige at home. Similarly, the western part of the Donetsk region is a fortress which blocks any future Russian grab into the heart of Ukraine. Advertisement Putin is prepared, apparently, to make superficial concessions in other places to get the Ukrainians out of that key strategic area. Although it sounds like a swap, in reality Putin is prepared to give up his claim to places he doesn't fully control such as the cities of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — though not the nuclear power station there — in return for Zelensky handing over places in Donetsk which the Ukrainian army still holds. Annexing this key region would be an achievement he's been unable to achieve in years of fighting. Putin also wants to reverse many of the changes Ukrainians voted for in the past ten years. Most of all, he wants Zelensky out of office. As the hero of Ukraine's resistance, he is Putin's biggest bugbear. Advertisement 6 6 That makes Zelensky's visit to Washington tomorrow such a minefield for him. Zelensky needs to avoid the kind of Oval Office ambush he faced in February when he had a shouting match with US leaders. To be fair, Trump looks likely to offer Ukraine carrots to make any concessions to Russia easier to swallow. Already, Washington has got the Ukrainians to agree to an economic partnership worth up to $500billion to develop the country's mineral and rare earth resources. Advertisement Trump sold that deal by saying it would be worthwhile for Ukraine to share 50 per cent of the profits with America because Putin wouldn't reinvade if US companies' assets were in the line of fire. Well, that didn't stop him in 2022. Putin and Zelensky both know Trump is a man in a hurry Mark Almond But that selling point goes to the heart of what Ukraine sees as an acceptable peace settlement. Zelensky wants the US to guarantee any agreement with Russia will be kept. It has to be a cast-iron guarantee like Nato's promise to defend each member's territory if it is attacked. Ukrainians remember how Bill Clinton and John Major persuaded them to hand over the Soviet nuclear missiles on their territory to Russia in 1994 in return for a guarantee of their borders. We know what that piece of paper was worth. Advertisement Keir Starmer and his European partners say they are a 'coalition of the willing' ready to put troops on the ground to enforce any deal that Trump and Putin concoct. 6 But without US involvement that force would be a paper tiger. Think back to how pathetic the European peacekeepers were in the Balkans in the 1990s until the US cavalry came over the horizon to stop the wars in ex-Yugoslavia. Trump knows his voters are bitterly opposed to US boots on the ground in foreign danger zones. Advertisement Putin and Zelensky both know Trump is a man in a hurry. Got what he wanted They are at war but it is the President who wants a deal most urgently. Trump sees himself as a peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Prize. To be fair he has knocked heads together between smaller, weaker states like Armenia and Azerbaijan. But Putin's Russia sees itself as a global superpower. Putin got what he wanted on Friday when Trump treated him as an equal partner. Advertisement The devil will be in the details of any peace deal. Putin is a master of detail. Trump is a master of ceremonies, lavishing attention on the media image of signing deals. Zelensky has to tread very carefully. A weekend is a very short time to prepare a peace to end three brutal years of war. Meeting 'a big win for Vlad' By Michael Hamilton VLADIMIR Putin will feel emboldened after the summit in the US, a former top military intelligence officer is warning. Colonel Philip Ingram said he feared Kremlin's tyrant had come out on top after the Alaska talks. The security and terror analyst added: 'This is a big win for Putin. His body language afterwards showed he had achieved more than Trump. 'Donald Trump was treating this as a business transaction, and wanted a quick victory. 'But Putin is tickling the fish and playing a longer game.' He warned it would be alarming to Ukraine but stressed that, importantly, the US had not made any concessions.
Sunday World
an hour ago
- Sunday World
Jim McDowell: Let's pray Trump's Alaska summit doesn't become a cold war carve up
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters. Remember that quote when all the dust has settled — and, hopefully, not the nuclear ash — around the Trump/Putin head-to-head on Friday. However, those words were not uttered by a US delegate to the Alaska summit. In an uncanny twist, they were voiced 80 years ago at another US/Russia rumpus over land... with Britain as the tripartite participant. That took place in Crimea. Remember Crimea? That was the first part of Ukraine Putin annexed before trying to invade the rest of President Volodymyr Zelensky's brave but battered and embattled country. But it was in Crimea, in the Black Sea port of Yalta eight decades ago at the end of the Second World War, that a summit not dissimilar to that in Alaska took place. And what was at stake was not just the survival of one small sovereign state which for over three years has stood toe-to-toe with the might of the Red Army. But the future of Europe. And a Cold War carve-up which was to last for the next 34 years, until the fall of the USSR in 1991, the historical symbol of which was the fall of the Berlin Wall. At that Yalta conference were US President Franklin D Roosevelt, Russian Premier Joseph Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill — dubbed 'The Big Three' in the press at the time. And in another uncanny twist, another leader who thought he should be there, the Free French forces leader and then provisional President of France, Charles de Gaulle, took it as a slight that he was not invited. Just like President Zelensky on Friday. And there are more similarities. President Donald Trump greets Russia's President Vladimir Putin (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Trump, who with his vice-president puppet JD Vance bullied and berated Zelensky at the White House, didn't want him there: because he had already ill-disguised his dislike of the Ukrainian leader. De Gaulle believed Roosevelt harboured a long-standing personal antagonism towards him. And Stalin and the Russians also point-blank objected to de Gaulle being a full participant. Just as Putin did to Zelensky this time around. So a direct European input was denied in Yalta back then. Even though it was Europe, and Germany in particular, which was to be split East and West. Now the European Union and the UK, with PM Keir Starmer and his counterparts limited to phone diplomacy, are left sidelined again. Trump may have promised that he would take their opinions and concerns into consideration. But when was Trump ever concerned about anything, or anybody, other than himself? Ditto Putin. History dictates that Stalin tried to strong-arm the Yanks and Brits into getting what he wanted at Yalta. And he did. It remains to be seen, in retrospect, whether Putin, whose hero is said to be Stalin, managed to do the same in Anchorage: or will succeed at subsequent summits, if they transpire. Meantime, that quote at the top remains as relevant today as it did 80 years ago. The observation was made by James F Byrne, a senior US delegate at Yalta who was later to become the White House Secretary of State. Only this time, it is 'not a question of what Trump would let the Russians do, but what the US can get Putin to do'. It is too soon to make a call on that so soon after Friday. But perhaps it is not too soon to hope that both parties adhere to an old Russian proverb. It is: 'You have two ears, one mouth — listen twice as much as you speak'. As the dust settles on this summit, we can only hope that both so-called world leaders did just that: not just for the future of Ukraine, but for the future of the world.
