US President Donald Trump described his meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday as “productive”, adding that they “really made some great progress” on ending the war in Ukraine.
The comments followed a nearly three-hour-long summit that involved Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say, a couple of big ones that we haven't quite got there, but we've made some headway,” Mr Trump told reporters. “I've always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin, with Vladimir.”
He added that he would be making calls to Nato leaders as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the meeting.
Mr Putin said that although it might sound strange given the circumstances, Russia considers Ukraine to be a “brotherly nation” and that he agreed with Mr Trump that to build a lasting peace, “the security of Ukraine should be prioritised”.
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US President Donald Trump, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the end of a joint press conference after participating in a US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15. AFP -
US President Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. Reuters -
Mr Trump and Mr Putin pose on a podium on the tarmac after they arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. AFP -
Mr Trump steps off of Air Force One on arrival at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. AFP -
Mr Putin arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Reuters -
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrive in Anchorage. AP -
Russian President Vladimir Putin is accompanied by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, following a meeting with US President Donald Trump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. EPA -
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speak before a joint news conference following their meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. EPA -
Discussions between President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin concluded after more than two-and-a-half hours at their summit in Alaska, marking their longest in-person meeting and offering a sign that by the US leader's own judgement the talks have gone well. Bloomberg -
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump after talks in Anchorage, Alaska. Bloomberg -
Russian President Vladimir Putin places flowers at the graves of Soviet soldiers at Fort Richardson National Cemetery in Anchorage, Alaska. Reuters -
US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he leaves Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. AFP -
Russian President Vladimir Putin boards a plane upon departure in Anchorage, Alaska. Reuters
He said that the agreement reached with the US will “pave the path to peace with Ukraine”, and warned European leaders against torpedoing the “nascent progress” of negotiations.
It was unclear exactly what agreements had been reached, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick accompanied Mr Trump and several Russian business representatives were part of Mr Putin's delegation.
As the press conference came to a close, Mr Trump said he would be speaking to and seeing Mr Putin soon. The Russian President responded in English: “Next time in Moscow.”
Mr Trump replied: “Oh, that's an interesting one. I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening.”
Mr Trump met Mr Putin at the airport in Anchorage. They shook hands while smiling at each other on the red carpet and posed for a photo on a small stage with “Alaska 2025" across it. The two leaders then entered the US President's limousine and drove away.
The leaders, who have got on well, met at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a location that played a vital role in Washington's efforts to monitor Russia during the Cold War. The meeting, which Mr Trump described as “high stakes”, comes after months of failed US diplomacy to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Mr Trump offered no further details of their discussions in an interview with Fox News after the meeting, but raised the possibility of another summit that included Mr Zelenskyy and suggested that the next move towards peace would have to come from Ukraine.
“Now, it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done, and I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it's up to President Zelenskyy … and if they'd like, I'll be at that next meeting,” he said.
“They're going to set up a meeting now between President Zelenskyy and President Putin and myself, I guess. You know, I didn't ask about it … but I want to make sure it gets done and we have a pretty good chance of getting it done.”
Mr Trump also signalled that he would not immediately act on his threat to pressure Russia by imposing more penalties on its trading partners, including China.
“Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now,” he said. “I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now.”
While on the campaign trail, Mr Trump promised that he would end the war within the first 24 hours of his second term. Eight months later, the war continues.
Since January 20, when Mr Trump returned to the Oval Office, Russian attacks against Ukraine have more than doubled, according to a recent report from the BBC. As Washington changed tactics, slowing support for Ukraine and softening its rhetoric towards Russia, Mr Putin has attempted to intensify military efforts against Ukraine.
Russia still occupies large areas of eastern Ukraine, and that land is likely to be at the centre of any potential peace deal. Mr Zelenskyy has been determined that Ukraine will not cede any territory, but Mr Trump, who has had a contentious relationship with Mr Zelenskyy, has said that both countries may need to accept land swaps to achieve peace.
In February, the US President sent Mr Rubio, Mike Waltz, who was then the national security adviser, and Mr Witkoff to hold talks with a Russian delegation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That laid the groundwork for the meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin in Alaska, but it took longer than many expected for the two leaders to get together.
Despite Washington's overtures, Mr Putin has made very few real concessions on the battlefield, much to Mr Trump's chagrin. The President gave Mr Putin 50 days to end the war, a deadline that has since come and gone, threatening secondary sanctions on Moscow's major trading partners.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump once again dispatched Mr Witkoff to Moscow in an effort to rein-in Russia's intensifying attacks. Mr Witkoff, who has a sprawling diplomatic portfolio, has met Mr Putin five times in Russia since January.
Beside Mr Witkoff and Mr Rubio, who also serves as National Security Adviser, US officials in attendance at the summit in Alaska included Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, and several others.
Mr Putin was accompanied by his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov – who wore a USSR sweatshirt as he arrived in Alaska – Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. It was the first meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin since 2018, when they met in Helsinki, Finland.
