Trump-Putin Alaska talks end without agreement

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a face-to-face meeting in Alaska. Trump described the hours-long meeting as “positive.” However, no peace deal or ceasefire announcement came at the end of this much-anticipated discussion.

At the post-meeting press conference, Putin spoke first. He said the two sides reached agreement on several issues but did not specify which ones. According to him, to find a long-term solution, the root causes of the Ukraine war must be addressed. He also hinted at the possibility of normalizing relations with the United States.

Putin said, “Today’s meeting is not only the beginning of resolving the Ukraine crisis but also a chance to restore realistic and businesslike relations between Russia and the US.” He also claimed that if Trump had been president instead of Biden earlier, Russia’s attack on Ukraine might not have happened.

After Putin’s remarks, Trump said that although progress was made on many issues, they failed to agree on some major points. “We agreed on many things. But on some important issues, disagreements remain. That’s why no formal agreement was signed,” Trump said.

He added that he would soon inform NATO and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the progress of the talks.

At the end of the press conference, Putin invited Trump to visit Moscow. Hinting at the possibility, Trump said, “I think we may have a meeting in Moscow.”

However, neither Trump nor Putin took any questions from journalists at the press conference.