The True Post(Web News)After a crucial meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump said that “great progress” had been made at the summit, but no final agreement was reached regarding the Ukraine war.
According to the American broadcaster CNN, Trump and Putin held a joint press conference after their meeting in Alaska. President Trump said that there is no deal until there is a deal. The talks between the two leaders lasted about three hours.
Russian President Putin said that an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine is possible only when its root causes are eliminated. He said that the situation in Ukraine is a fundamental threat to Russia’s security and that for a lasting solution to the conflict, it is necessary to resolve all its twin problems.
According to British media, the US president arrived in Alaska on a special plane, Air Force One, while the Russian president was also in the same province. At the Elmendorf-Richardson base, the two presidents shook hands and stopped briefly for photos, then left in the same car.
A US official told CNN that all options will be considered at the summit, and if Trump feels the Russian president is not serious about making a deal, he could walk away from the meeting.
Change to one-on-one meeting
President Trump and Putin were initially scheduled to meet one-on-one, but the White House announced that advisers to both leaders will now join the meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will also participate in the talks, according to press secretary Caroline Lute.
The two delegations will meet over lunch after the summit. President Trump said during the trip that he was not doing this for his own health, but rather to save many lives. He made it clear that if Putin did not agree to end the war, there would be severe economic and other consequences for Russia.
Trump said that there would be discussions on possible territory swaps, but the final decision would be up to Ukraine, and he was not here to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. He added that Putin was also bringing business people along, but that no business activity would begin until the war ended.
Participating authorities
According to the Kremlin, President Trump and Putin’s meeting began with a private meeting with interpreters. The U.S. delegation includes 16 senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, Commerce Secretary Howard Latnick, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Press Secretary Caroline Lutt and Special Envoy Steve Wittkoff. The Russian side of the negotiations includes Foreign Policy Adviser Yuri Ushakov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Senior Adviser on Economic Affairs Kirill Dmitriev.
Ukraine’s absence and protests
No Ukrainian officials are attending the meeting, although Kyiv and its European allies have demanded that Ukraine be represented in the talks. The US president has indicated that he is considering a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the future.
Pro-Ukrainian protests continued during the meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. The Ukrainian president has repeatedly made it clear that no decision regarding the country’s future should be made without his involvement.
