President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin left the world guessing on Friday after a historic summit that yielded no details about what was discussed, what was agreed to and what remaining sticking points remain to ending the war with Ukraine.
The two leaders holed up behind closed doors for around three hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. What they talked about, however, remains largely a mystery as the two leaders, standing side-by-side at a joint news conference, revealed very little of what “progress” they said was made. They took no questions from the press.
Here are five takeaways from the summit.
No deal on ceasefire but ‘progress’ made
Trump at the press conference would only tease the fact that the two leaders had a “productive meeting” and said they agreed on some things, but not others – without offering any details of what was discussed.
“I believe we had a very productive meeting. 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 gotten there, but we’ve made some headway. So there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said, adding that he would be calling European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following the summit.
“It’s ultimately up to them,” Trump said.
Putin, for his part, stressed that his nation needs to eliminate what he called the “primary roots” of the conflict, without elaborating on what those were. He acknowledged that some “agreement” was made but also did not offer any details.
“I would like to hope that the agreement that we’ve reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine,” Putin said. “We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will perceive that constructively, and that they won’t throw a wrench in the works. They will not make any attempts to use some backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the nascent progress.”
There was no mention of several high-stakes components on the table, including the U.S. staving off any further sanctions on Russia, a nuclear arms deal and security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.
Trump had also teased the notion of having a second meeting that included Zelensky if the Alaska summit proved successful. So far, no further plans to meet have been revealed by any leader.
Trump gives Putin red-carpet treatment
Trump rolled out the red carpet — literally — for Putin’s arrival in the U.S.
Air Force One arrived at the base first, with Putin’s presidential plane arriving about a half hour later. Both leaders emerged at the same time, walking down a red carpet and greeting each other warmly.
Trump applauded while the Russian president walked to meet him, shaking hands and giving friendly arm taps while the two exchanged pleasantries before posing for photos. Putin later said at the press conference that he greeted Trump by saying “good afternoon, dear neighbor.”
In a remarkable move, Putin stepped into Trump’s armored presidential limousine, known as the beast, and rode with Trump to the site of the summit at the base. Putin was seen laughing with Trump in the back seat as the motorcade drove away from the tarmac.
The rapport between the two as they greeted one another stood in stark contrast to the sometimes harsh words Trump has had for his Russian counterpart as he struggles to reach a ceasefire deal to end the war with Ukraine.
The meeting gave Putin an equal playing field with Trump.
Putin later spoke first at his joint appearance with Trump, giving him the opportunity to set the tone and deliver a lengthy speech about Russian history and the importance of maintaining relations with the United States.
Much remains a mystery
Despite the talk of progress on both sides, neither Trump nor Putin offered any indication of how Russia and Ukraine had moved closer to a peace deal.
And the press conference ended before reporters could try to fill in the blanks: Will Trump move ahead with sanctions to pressure Putin? Are there any plans for a second meeting involving Zelensky, as Trump had hoped for? Did they discuss territorial concessions or other contours of a peace deal?
Maria Popova, an associate professor of political science at McGill University, said the ambiguity left two possibilities.
“The first one is Trump actually realizes that this is a no-go, that there’s no progress,” in which case he may return to the drawing board with Zelensky and European leaders.
The more pessimistic possibility for Ukraine is that Trump tries to force Zelensky to accept whatever terms Putin outlined.
“And when Zelensky and Europe don’t want to take the deal, he will blame them for obstructing peace, and he’ll get angry, and he’ll say that Zelensky is irrational and about to lose his country.”
Speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity after the summit, Trump suggested Zelensky would need to make concessions to finalize a deal.
“I mean, a lot of points were agreed on, but there’s not that much as, one or two pretty significant items, but I think they can be reached,” he said. “Now it’s really up to President Zelensky 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 Zelensky.”
Carefully choreographed around ‘peace’
Friday’s meeting was carefully choreographed to bolster Trump’s image as a peacemaker. Both the backdrop of the meeting and the press conference were emblazoned with the words “Pursuing Peace.”
The White House this week touted Nobel Peace Prize endorsements from various world leaders, including the heads of state from Israel, Cambodia, Pakistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan — all of whom were involved in conflicts that Trump helped end.
However, Trump has been unable to halt the war in Ukraine or two of the world’s other major wars: Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, where mass starvation is taking hold, or the brutal civil war in Sudan.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday said she’d nominate Trump for the Nobel Prize if he managed to broker peace in Ukraine without giving Russia Ukrainian territory.
Trump insisted the meeting went well despite having nothing to show for it.
Kristina Hook, an assistant professor of conflict management at Kennesaw State University, said Trump’s approach to Putin doesn’t appear to be working.
“Trump’s talk of ‘progress’ seems aimed at generating momentum, but the fundamental obstacle remains: Putin refuses to recognize Ukraine’s sovereignty or its people’s democratic right to choose their future. Until that changes, diplomacy is largely theater,” she said.
“Until the U.S. exerts real leverage to push Putin off his maximalist aims and toward respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Russia will choose to grind the war on.”
Trump to call Zelensky, world leaders
Trump said he planned to call Zelensky and NATO allies following the meeting, adding that he also expected to speak again to Putin soon.
Robert Murrett, deputy director of Syracuse University’s Institute for Security Policy and Law, said he was “very encouraged” by Trump’s commitment to keep allies in the loop. And he said the outcome would not come as a surprise in Europe.
“They had no anticipation for a dramatic step forward, a cease fire, any kind of thing, you know, halfway to a peace agreement,” he said. “I think this is kind of the outcome that most of them expected.”
There was no immediate reaction from Zelensky or European leaders on Friday night following the summit.
Trump and Putin briefly discussed the location of their next meeting at the end of their joint press conference.
“Next time in Moscow,” Putin said in English, chuckling.
“Oh, that’s an interesting one,” Trump said. “I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I, uh, I could see it possibly happening.”
Brett Samuels contributed from Anchorage, Alaska
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