3-Hour Summit, 12-Minute Press Conference: US-Russia Talks End with 'No Deal' on Ukraine Ceasefire

The much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was seen as a potential turning point for ending the war in Ukraine, concluded without a clear agreement on a ceasefire. Major U.S. media outlets described the outcome as a "No Deal." The New York Times (NYT) pointed out, "Not only did Trump fail to reach an agreement on ending the war, which was his top priority, but no consensus was reached on any issue." The Washington Post (WP) remarked, "The summit served to bolster Putin’s position."

TASS Yonhap News Agency

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On August 15 (local time), after a roughly three-hour summit with President Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, President Trump held a 12-minute joint press conference. He described the meeting as "very productive," adding, "We have agreed on many issues, but there are still a few major matters remaining. Therefore, until a complete agreement is reached, there is no agreement."

He stated that he plans to share the progress made during the summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with NATO allies.

President Trump emphasized, "There is very little left before we reach an agreement. Some of these issues are not significant, but one is the most important of all. We have not reached that point yet, but the likelihood of doing so is very high." The "most important one" he referred to is interpreted as an agreement on a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.

President Putin described the meeting as beneficial and said it was conducted "in a constructive atmosphere," but did not disclose any specific agreements. He also warned Europe and Ukraine not to undermine the progress achieved at the summit. He mentioned that the Ukraine war was one of several topics discussed, along with U.S.-Russia trade and business cooperation, and the potential for collaboration in Arctic and space exploration.

Near the end of the press conference, President Putin stressed the importance of "opening a new chapter" for all countries, then proposed in English, "The next meeting should be in Moscow." President Trump called it "an interesting proposal" and did not reject the idea.

Initially, the two leaders were scheduled to hold a 3-on-3 meeting with key aides, followed by an expanded session with economic ministers from both sides. However, the expanded meeting was skipped, and the joint press conference was held immediately. During the press conference, both leaders delivered only prepared statements and did not take questions from the press. This was unusual compared to President Trump's usual practice of fielding various questions during meetings with foreign leaders. After the summit concluded, both leaders left Alaska on their respective planes in less than an hour.

U.S. media characterized the summit as effectively a "No Deal." Although both sides mentioned "progress," no concrete details were disclosed.

The WP commented, "Trump and Putin wrapped up an important meeting on Friday aimed at ending the most devastating war in Europe since World War II, but this historic encounter ultimately strengthened the Russian leader’s position while failing to deliver the Ukraine peace Trump had sought." The NYT also noted, "Trump and Putin did not declare agreement on any issue, and, most notably, failed to reach consensus on Trump’s top priority: ending the Ukraine war."

Political media outlet Politico analyzed, "Trump welcomed Putin with a red carpet, posed for several friendly photo ops, and displayed a surprisingly cautious demeanor during the press conference," adding, "This effectively acknowledged that he failed to secure major concessions from Russia." Politico continued, "Putin appears to have bought more time to avoid additional economic sanctions, and he left Alaska having received a surprisingly warm reception."

Meanwhile, this face-to-face meeting between President Trump and President Putin was their first in six years since the G20 summit held in Osaka in June 2019. It was also President Putin’s first visit to the West since his invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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