ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 16, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended their high-stakes summit in Alaska on Friday without a breakthrough on Ukraine, offering warm words and vague assurances but no agreement on halting the deadliest European war since World War II.
The two leaders met for three hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, joined by aides including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Trump scrapped a one-on-one with Putin — a move designed to avoid echoes of his widely criticized Helsinki summit in 2018 — and instead kept senior officials in the room.
Symbolism and Staging
Putin’s arrival was choreographed for maximum drama: a red-carpet welcome, handshakes and arm pats with Trump, and an escort into The Beast, the armored U.S. presidential limousine. U.S. military power was on display with a flyover by a B-2 stealth bomber and fighter jets, while a giant screen behind the leaders bore the slogan “Pursuing Peace.”
At their brief joint press appearance — just 12 minutes with no questions — Trump called the meeting “extremely productive” and said “many points” had been agreed, though he offered no specifics. “We’re not there yet, but we’ve made progress. There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he said.
Putin, smiling and switching briefly into English, said: “We hope that the understanding we have reached will pave the way for peace in Ukraine.” He then quipped, “Next time in Moscow,” to which Trump replied that further talks were likely.
No Ceasefire, No Consequences
Before the summit, Trump had warned of “economically severe” consequences if Russia resisted a truce. But afterward, in a Fox News interview, he struck a softer tone: “Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now.”
Putin flattered Trump directly, agreeing with his long-standing claim that Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if Trump had been president instead of Joe Biden. Trump, in turn, repeated that allegations of Russian interference in his 2016 election victory were a “hoax.”
Ukraine and NATO on Edge
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, pointedly excluded from the talks, said peace required concrete steps from Russia. “It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” he wrote on Telegram.
Zelensky has ruled out ceding territory, despite Trump’s hints that “territorial swaps” might be left for Kyiv to decide. NATO allies also voiced unease that Washington could sideline Ukraine in pursuit of a quick freeze in the conflict.
“Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” Trump said after the talks, pledging consultations with Kyiv and alliance leaders.
Battlefield Pressure
The summit came as Russia pressed new offensives, while Ukraine announced the recapture of several villages. Analysts said the battlefield balance bolstered Putin’s hand even as his war-strained economy left him vulnerable to sanctions.
A Win for Putin, Questions for Trump
Despite the lack of substance, the meeting marked a symbolic victory for the Russian leader, under an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes. Simply appearing alongside the U.S. president underscored his return to the global stage after years of Western attempts at isolation.
Trump, who has cast himself as a peacemaker deserving of the Nobel Prize, insisted a follow-up trilateral meeting with Zelensky would be “more important” than Anchorage. Yet for now, the killing in Ukraine continues.
As Putin departed Alaska, he warned Ukraine and European allies not to “disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues” — a reminder that for all the friendly smiles, the war remains far from over.
