Trump says it's up to Zelensky 'to get it done'
US President Donald Trump, fond of calling himself a master deal-maker, rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin at an Alaska air base. For the first time, the Russian leader was allowed on Western soil since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
After an abrupt ending to three hours of talks with aides, Trump and the Russian president offered warm words but took no questions from reporters -- highly unusual for the media-savvy US president.
"We're not there yet, but we've made progress. There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump said.
He called the meeting "extremely productive" with "many points" agreed, although he did not offer specifics.
"There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant," Trump said without elaborating.
Putin also spoke in general terms of cooperation in a joint press appearance that lasted just 12 minutes.
"We hope that the understanding we have reached will... pave the way for peace in Ukraine," Putin said.
As Trump mused about a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English: "Next time in Moscow."
The former KGB agent quickly tried to flatter Trump, who has voiced admiration for the Russian leader in the past.
Putin told Trump he agreed with him that the Ukraine war, which Putin ordered, would not have happened if Trump were president instead of Joe Biden.
Trump for his part again complained of a "hoax" that Russia intervened to help him the 2016 election -- a finding backed by US intelligence.
Putin warns Western allies
The friendly reception was a stark contrast to Trump's berating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met him at the White House in February.
Trump earlier said he sought a three-way meeting with Zelensky but did not announce one at the summit.
Trump said he would now consult Zelensky as well as NATO leaders, who have voiced unease about the US leader's outreach to Putin.
"Now it's really up to President Zelensky to get it done," Trump said in a Fox News interview after the summit. He added: 'And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it's up to President Zelensky.'
Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to "not create any obstacles" and not "make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues."
Trump invited Putin just a week ago and ensured there was some carefully choreographed drama for their first in-person meeting since 2019.
The two leaders arrived in their respective presidential jets and descended on the tarmac of an air base, with Trump clapping as Putin appeared.
US military might was on display with a B-2 stealth bomber flying overhead, as a reporter shouted audibly to Putin, "Will you stop killing civilians?"
Putin, undaunted, grinned widely as Trump took the unusual step of escorting him into "The Beast," the secure US presidential limousine, before a meeting in a room before a screen that said -- in English only -- "Pursuing Peace."
Putin smiled and joked with Russian reporters on the visit, a landmark for a leader who is facing an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court related to the Ukraine war, which has killed tens of thousands of people.
Battlefield gains
Russia, in recent days, has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin's hand in any ceasefire negotiations, although Ukraine announced, as Putin was flying in, that it had retaken several villages.
Trump had insisted he would be firm with Putin, after coming under heated criticism for appearing cowed during a 2018 summit in Helsinki.
While he was traveling to Alaska, the White House announced that Trump had scrapped a plan to see Putin alone, and he instead held the talks alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his roving envoy Steve Witkoff.
Zelensky was not included and has refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia.
He said Friday that Moscow was still killing people and not showing that it wanted to end the war, hours before the start of the summit.
"There is no order, nor any signals from Moscow that it is preparing to end this war... they are also killing on the day of the negotiations," Zelensky said in a video address posted on social media.
(bms)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euractiv
3 hours ago
- Euractiv
US offers NATO-like security assurances to Ukraine
The US has proposed security guarantees for Ukraine similar to - but separate from - the collective defence agreement between NATO member countries, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and a diplomatic source said on Saturday. The suggestion was raised during a call US President Donald Trump held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on Saturday, the day after Trump's summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin. 'As one of the security guarantees for Ukraine, the American side proposed a non-NATO Article 5 type guarantee, supposedly agreed with Putin,' the diplomatic source told AFP on condition they not be identified in any way. NATO's collective security is based on its Article 5 principle: if one member is attacked, the entire alliance comes to its defence. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was on the call with Trump, confirmed the US president had raised the idea of a security guarantee 'inspired' by Article 5, which she has been pushing for several months. The starting point for the proposal was defining a collective security clause 'that would allow Ukraine to benefit from the support of all its partners, including the US, (which would be) ready to act in case it is attacked again', Meloni said in a statement. In March, Meloni told Italian senators that any such response would not necessarily involve going to war. She noted that, while NATO's Article 5 has the use of force as an option, 'it is not the only possible option'. 'No-one knows how this could work" Kyiv has long aspired to join NATO - but Russia has given that as one of its reasons for its war in Ukraine, and some Western circles have expressed resistance to the idea. Trump has repeatedly ruled out Ukraine joining the Western military alliance. Before his joint call with Zelensky and European leaders, Trump spoke just with the Ukrainian president about Friday's Alaska summit. 'The American side voiced this (joint security proposal) during a conversation with the president (Zelensky) and then repeated it during a joint conversation with the Europeans,' the diplomatic source said. Another source with knowledge of the matter confirmed the NATO-like guarantees had been discussed. But that source added: 'No-one knows how this could work and why Putin would agree to it if he is categorically against NATO and obviously against really effective guarantees of Ukraine's sovereignty.' Meloni's statement made no mention of whether the idea had been discussed with Putin. Zelensky is due in Washington on Monday for talks with Trump. The second source told AFP that Zelensky is to discuss what form a possible Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit would have, the role of Kyiv's European allies in peace talks, territories, and security guarantees. 'Coalition of the Willing' to meet on Sunday The leaders of Britain, France, and Germany will hold a video call on Sunday with Kyiv's allies, described as a 'coalition of the willing,' to discuss steps toward peace in Ukraine, the French presidency said. The meeting - jointly coordinated by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz - will take place a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travels to Washington, following a US-Russia summit, the Élysée said on Saturday. (bms, sm)
Euractiv
5 hours ago
- Euractiv
Europe declares it is ready to maintain pressure on Russia
European leaders have issued a statement declaring their readiness to maintain pressure on Russia through sanctions, following a summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. 'We will continue to strengthen sanctions and broader economic measures to exert pressure on Russia's war economy until a just and lasting peace is achieved,' the statement reads. The statement was signed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the prime ministers of Italy and the United Kingdom. The leaders emphasized their willingness to 'work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support.' They insisted that Moscow 'cannot have a veto' over Ukraine's potential membership in the European Union or NATO. On Saturday morning, US President Donald Trump ruled out an immediate ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine following his inconclusive summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that a direct peace agreement would ultimately be required to end the war. While both the White House and the Kremlin pointed to areas of agreement during their three-hour talks in Alaska, no breakthrough was achieved on securing a ceasefire in a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead and caused widespread devastation across Ukraine. 'A great and very successful day in Alaska!' Trump declared on his Truth Social platform, just hours after returning to Washington. 19th Russia sanctions package EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also weighed in on Saturday, telling journalists that Washington holds the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. 'But the harsh reality is that Russia has no intention of ending this war anytime soon,' she said. Putin left Anchorage without making any commitments to end the war, and she holds 'Russia's imperialist foreign policy' responsible. 'Europe will therefore continue to support Ukraine, including by working on a 19th Russia sanctions package.' French President Emmanuel Macron, posting on X, called for 'unbreakable' security guarantees in any future peace deal and warned against Russia's 'well-documented tendency to violate its own commitments.' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Trump's efforts, saying they had brought the world 'closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine.' 'While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,' Starmer said in a statement. Several EU government officials reacted to the meeting, criticising Putin's 'gaslighting' tactics - with the notable exception of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who hailed the summit. 'For years, we have watched the two biggest nuclear powers dismantle the framework of their cooperation and shoot unfriendly messages back and forth. That has now come to an end. Today the world is a safer place than it was yesterday,' said Orbán, a rare pro-Kremlin leader in Europe, on X. (sm)
Euractiv
7 hours ago
- Euractiv
Europe condemns ‘gaslighting' tactics during Trump-Putin meeting
The inconclusive summit between Trump and Putin has been met with dismay and astonishment by European politicians, with only the Hungarian president believing that the major powers of the US and Russia are on the right track. Most reactions came from Eastern European countries, which have supported a strong Western response to Putin. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky expressed support for Trump's efforts toward peace but warned against falling for Kremlin propaganda. 'The problem is Russian imperialism, not Ukraine's desire to live freely. ... If Putin were serious about peace talks, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today,' Lipavsky wrote on X. Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė criticized Putin's remarks urging Ukraine and the EU not to 'sabotage' the talks. 'More gaslighting and veiled threats from Putin. A war criminal with a history of poisoning his critics addresses the US President with, 'Very good to see you in good health and to see you alive,'' she said. Only the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed the summit. "For years, we have watched the two biggest nuclear powers dismantle the framework of their cooperation and shoot unfriendly messages back and forth. That has now come to an end. Today the world is a safer place than it was yesterday," Orban, a rare pro-Kremlin leader in Europe, said on X. 'Bitterly angry burlesque' Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Chair of the Committee on Security and Defence at the European Parliament, said in anwith the German media outletthat: 'What we were treated to in two and a half hours was a bitterly angry burlesque.' She accused Trump of having 'completely lost his moral compass' and said the only result of the summit was 'that Putin is back on the red carpet of the international world.' She called on Europe to act united and to 'continue supporting Ukraine with weapons so that the Ukrainian people are protected, support them economically, and make the Russian funds that are in Europe available to Ukraine immediately.' Similarly, former German ambassador to the United States Wolfgang Ischinger commented that Putin received his red carpet treatment with Trump, while Trump got nothing. 'As was to be feared: no ceasefire, no peace. No real progress – a clear 1-0 for Putin – no new sanctions. For the Ukrainians: nothing. For Europe: deeply disappointing,' he said on X. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide noted that Putin repeated familiar points, including highlighting the so-called "root causes" of the war - a phrase used to justify Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. He emphasised Norway's firm stance, stating that it is crucial to maintain and even intensify pressure on Russia to send a clear message that there will be consequences. Eide also warned that Putin aims to divide the unity between the EU and the US, stressing that Kyiv's voice must be heard. (This is a developing story)
