Trump and Putin Did Not Reach Any Agreement

The meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska and the joint press conference were earlier expected to result in concrete progress on a number of points over which the involved parties are in dispute, ideally even a ceasefire.

Russia has occupied one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and continues to assert that Kyiv must accept the “reality on the ground,” while Ukraine and European allies reject any territorial concessions.

Putin stated in Anchorage that all “fundamental causes of the conflict” must be removed and that a “fair distribution of security in Europe and the world as a whole” must be achieved. One of the main reasons the Russian president has previously cited for the ‘special military operation’ is the eastward expansion of NATO. Trump had previously announced that his goal for the meeting in Alaska was to achieve a ceasefire.

Neither he nor Putin mentioned any of these points, but they did say that there had been “progress,” expressing optimism that it would continue thanks to their relationship, which the American president described as “always fantastic.”

“It is clear that sooner or later it is necessary to correct the situation, to move from confrontation to dialogue,” said the Russian president.

“President Trump and I have built business-oriented and trustful contacts, and we believe that if we continue on this path, we can achieve an end to the war in Ukraine as soon as possible,” Putin continued.

Trump, at a brief press conference where there were no questions from journalists, stated that he would have more opportunities to discuss business cooperation with the Russian president “when this is over.”

The Republican believes that an agreement will be reached that will stop thousands of deaths per week, emphasizing that “Putin wants this as much as he does.”

The American president said that he “agreed with Putin on many points,” but that there are still several major issues that need further discussion.

He announced that he would now call all relevant parties, including NATO and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after which new meetings would follow.

“Next time in Moscow,” Putin quipped to him in English.

The Russian president, in his address regarding the U.S. and Russia, spoke of them as “neighboring countries” whose cooperation has enormous potential.

“It is very important for our states to turn the page and return to cooperation.”