U.S. President Donald Trump called his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin “extremely productive” but offered no details on any agreement toward a potential ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.
"There's no deal until there's a deal," President Trump told reporters after his approximately 3-hour meeting with Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
President Trump and Putin gave brief remarks after the meeting, but took no questions.
While Putin acknowledged the human toll of the war in Ukraine, he also said, "We need to eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict."
The comment suggested he may not be prepared to immediately agree to a cease-fire with Ukraine under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership.
“I expect that today’s agreements will become a reference point not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also mark the beginning of the restoration of businesslike, pragmatic relations between Russia and the U.S.,” Putin said.
Putin said Russia wants to end its war in Ukraine, but said “All of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored."
"I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine," Putin said. He did not offer details on what he meant by that "understanding."
Trump said he planned to speak with Zelenskyy and European allies following the meeting, saying there were points of agreement but several issues remained unresolved.
President Trump has often claimed the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if he had been president at the time. During his remarks, Putin echoed that view, saying, "I can confirm that."
"I think that, overall, me and President Trump have built a very good, businesslike and trustworthy contact," Putin said. "And [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."
During the conference, Putin suggested to President Trump that the next meeting should be in Moscow.
“I could see it possibly happening," President Trump said.
In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News following the summit, President Trump called on Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to "make a deal:"
"Now it is really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations have to get involved a little bit," President Trump said, adding that further meetings may be a trilateral event between President Zelenskyy, President Putin and himself.
"You’ve got to make a deal," President Trump said during the Fox News interview. "Yeah Russia is a very big power and they are great soldiers but they also have the best equipment."
The abrupt end to the summit contrasted sharply with its ceremonial start. Shortly after arriving in Alaska, the two world leaders shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. A moment that drew attention online came when a B-2 stealth bomber flew overhead in an apparent show of U.S. military strength. Despite the display, the leaders rode together in the same vehicle to the meeting site, where they were joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, along with two of Putin's closest allies.
