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The Age
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Trump and Putin claim ‘great progress' – but leave Alaska early with no deal
On Ukraine, Putin thanked Trump for striving to understand the situation, and claimed the war was about addressing 'fundamental threats to our security'. He said he agreed with Trump that 'the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well'. 'I have every reason to believe that moving down this path we can come – and the sooner the better – to the end of the conflict in Ukraine,' Putin said, according to the official translator. A planned one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin was replaced by a three-on-three meeting that also included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, as well as Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, a former Russian ambassador to the United States. That meeting lasted about 2½ hours, and a mooted working lunch featuring other cabinet ministers was scrapped. Putin's jet departed Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage after just over five hours on the ground. At the end of the press conference, Trump said he would speak to Putin again soon and probably see him again soon. Putin replied, in English: 'Next time in Moscow.' Trump responded: 'Oh, that's an interesting one. I don't know, I'll get a little heat on that one, but I can see it possibly happening.' The encounter marked the first time Putin has met a sitting US president since Joe Biden in 2021, before he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin which would make him liable for arrest in more than 120 countries. But on Friday (Saturday AEST) he was welcomed to American soil with a handshake from Trump, a photo opportunity and a short ride on the tarmac in the presidential car, the Beast. There was no immediate response from Zelensky, and the news conference occurred in the middle of the night, European time. But in an earlier video message, he criticised ongoing Russian strikes on Ukraine, even as Putin departed for Alaska. 'On the day of negotiations they are killing as well, and that speaks volumes,' Zelensky said. 'Everyone needs a just end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to bring the war to an end and we count on a strong position from America. Everything will depend on this – the Russians factor in American strength.' John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine who is now senior director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Centre, said he would withhold judgment until details of the meeting were reported and confirmed. Television network Newsmax reported Putin had dropped his objection to teaching the Ukrainian language in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, and that discussions would continue about how to implement a ceasefire. 'If you go simply by what we saw at the very, very brief, un-Trump-like press conference, it looked like he really didn't get anything from Putin to justify calling it a productive meeting,' Herbst said. Loading He said it looked as though Russia was set to escape further US sanctions, which would be a victory for Putin. Dora Chomiak, the chief executive of US-based Ukrainian charity Razom, said Putin remained the sole obstacle to peace. 'The idea that Putin believes there is a positive deal for him in the near future is deeply alarming,' she said in Anchorage.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
The good, bad and potentially ugly of the Trump-Putin Alaska rendezvous
So what might happen? The good Trump likes to take the meeting. That's his attitude in business as in politics: get face-to-face with the big fish and see where things go. He even did so with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in his first term. He is incredulous when people criticise him for cultivating a relationship with Putin. Of course, he talks to the Russian leader, he says. What can you achieve if no one's talking? Even so, the US president, not known for understatement, has played down expectations for the encounter. He calls it a 'feel-out meeting', which will set the scene for a second summit with Zelensky in attendance. But first, he wants to gauge where Putin's at. Loading 'That suggests to me that they're recognising, maybe, they've bitten off more than they want to chew,' said John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine under George W. Bush, now senior director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Centre. He believes the summit is a misstep – not ipso facto, but because of the rhetoric in the lead-up. But it 'need not be a disaster', Herbst said. 'To me, the summit at best will show Trump going no further than he [already] is in accommodating Putin.' The bad There is a question, however, over who gains what out of this event. Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed it was Putin's idea to meet now, though Trump has long been open to the idea. Meeting at the US Elmendorf Air Force Base – a convenient halfway point between Moscow and Washington – has been seen by some as a Putin concession to Trump. But Herbst said the location 'also does something which Putin likes, which is: it demonstrates that he is not a war criminal in the United States'. As does the image of the Russian leader shaking hands with an American president for the first time since 2021. Nothing that comes of the meeting can bind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; he can simply say no to the suggested 'land swapping' Trump has foreshadowed. But that risks Trump washing his hands of the matter, saying 'I tried' and withdrawing US military support. Herbst said it was a step backwards after Trump spent the past two months increasing pressure on Putin over a ceasefire and agreeing to further arms for Ukraine. 'In 24 hours, Trump went from ramping up pressure on Russia to agreeing on a summit to agreeing – against his own preference – that the summit would be a bilateral, as opposed to a summit that includes Zelensky,' he said. 'All the talk around the summit and its possible results focuses on concessions that Ukraine would be required to make. There is no reference to what Russia must do, what concessions Russia must accept to have a ceasefire.' The ugly Trump has been known to echo Russian talking points on Ukraine. In February, he criticised Zelensky for not holding elections (martial law was declared after Putin's invasion), and wrongly claimed the Ukrainian leader had a 4 per cent approval rating. He has a tendency to value what he has most recently heard. There is every chance he will be endeared to some of Putin's propaganda, especially on claims about rightful territory. 'If Trump leaves there and starts to pressure Zelensky on land, that's going to be a problem,' says Herbst. 'If we hear more that Zelensky started the war, then you know that he's swallowed the line from Putin and is heading fully in that unhappy direction. I think that's possible, but not likely.' Others are more cynical. Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama, said it was unusual and dangerous to go into a high-level meeting with no idea of the outcome. 'Summits without results hurt American national interests,' he said on X. 'If Trump gets nothing out of Alaska, he will look weak. That's never in America's national interests.'
The Age
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
The good, bad and potentially ugly of the Trump-Putin Alaska rendezvous
So what might happen? The good Trump likes to take the meeting. That's his attitude in business as in politics: get face-to-face with the big fish and see where things go. He even did so with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in his first term. He is incredulous when people criticise him for cultivating a relationship with Putin. Of course, he talks to the Russian leader, he says. What can you achieve if no one's talking? Even so, the US president, not known for understatement, has played down expectations for the encounter. He calls it a 'feel-out meeting', which will set the scene for a second summit with Zelensky in attendance. But first, he wants to gauge where Putin's at. Loading 'That suggests to me that they're recognising, maybe, they've bitten off more than they want to chew,' said John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine under George W. Bush, now senior director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Centre. He believes the summit is a misstep – not ipso facto, but because of the rhetoric in the lead-up. But it 'need not be a disaster', Herbst said. 'To me, the summit at best will show Trump going no further than he [already] is in accommodating Putin.' The bad There is a question, however, over who gains what out of this event. Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed it was Putin's idea to meet now, though Trump has long been open to the idea. Meeting at the US Elmendorf Air Force Base – a convenient halfway point between Moscow and Washington – has been seen by some as a Putin concession to Trump. But Herbst said the location 'also does something which Putin likes, which is: it demonstrates that he is not a war criminal in the United States'. As does the image of the Russian leader shaking hands with an American president for the first time since 2021. Nothing that comes of the meeting can bind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; he can simply say no to the suggested 'land swapping' Trump has foreshadowed. But that risks Trump washing his hands of the matter, saying 'I tried' and withdrawing US military support. Herbst said it was a step backwards after Trump spent the past two months increasing pressure on Putin over a ceasefire and agreeing to further arms for Ukraine. 'In 24 hours, Trump went from ramping up pressure on Russia to agreeing on a summit to agreeing – against his own preference – that the summit would be a bilateral, as opposed to a summit that includes Zelensky,' he said. 'All the talk around the summit and its possible results focuses on concessions that Ukraine would be required to make. There is no reference to what Russia must do, what concessions Russia must accept to have a ceasefire.' The ugly Trump has been known to echo Russian talking points on Ukraine. In February, he criticised Zelensky for not holding elections (martial law was declared after Putin's invasion), and wrongly claimed the Ukrainian leader had a 4 per cent approval rating. He has a tendency to value what he has most recently heard. There is every chance he will be endeared to some of Putin's propaganda, especially on claims about rightful territory. 'If Trump leaves there and starts to pressure Zelensky on land, that's going to be a problem,' says Herbst. 'If we hear more that Zelensky started the war, then you know that he's swallowed the line from Putin and is heading fully in that unhappy direction. I think that's possible, but not likely.' Others are more cynical. Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama, said it was unusual and dangerous to go into a high-level meeting with no idea of the outcome. 'Summits without results hurt American national interests,' he said on X. 'If Trump gets nothing out of Alaska, he will look weak. That's never in America's national interests.'
