ANCHORAGE, USA — A much-anticipated summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended Friday, August 15, 2025, without a ceasefire or concrete plan to halt the war in Ukraine, though both leaders insisted the talks were “productive.”
The two men met for nearly three hours at an Air Force base in Alaska, emerging briefly before reporters to deliver carefully worded statements. Neither took questions.
“We’ve made some headway,” Trump said, standing before a backdrop emblazoned with the phrase Pursuing Peace.
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Despite Trump’s campaign promise to end the Ukraine war “within 24 hours,” Friday’s discussions produced no immediate steps toward a truce in the deadliest European conflict in eight decades.
Simply meeting face-to-face with a U.S. president marked a diplomatic win for Putin, who has been largely ostracised by Western leaders since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In a Fox News interview after the summit, Trump hinted at talks involving “land swaps and security guarantees” for Ukraine and claimed the two sides were “pretty close to a deal.”
He stressed, however, that Kyiv’s approval was essential: “Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they’ll say no.”
Putin, for his part, reiterated that “root causes” of the conflict must be addressed, signalling continued resistance to a ceasefire on Western terms.
He urged Ukraine and its allies not to “disrupt the emerging progress.”
Trump disclosed he would delay imposing tariffs on China for its purchases of Russian oil, citing “progress with Putin.”
India, another major buyer of Russian crude, remains subject to steep U.S. import tariffs.
The president also suggested a potential three-way meeting involving himself, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though no details were offered.
Zelenskyy, excluded from the Alaska summit, has rejected ceding any Ukrainian territory and continues to demand U.S.-backed security guarantees.
Ahead of the meeting, he urged Washington not to let Russia “freeze the conflict” under its terms.
As the leaders talked, Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged heavy drone strikes across several regions.
Russia claimed to have intercepted 29 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine’s Air Force reported destroying 61 of 85 drones launched by Moscow.
The summit opened with pomp as Trump greeted Putin on a red carpet, underscoring the symbolic weight of the encounter.
The Russian leader, wanted by the International Criminal Court over the deportation of Ukrainian children, smiled as he departed, telling Trump in English, “Next time in Moscow.”
Trump quipped he might “get a little heat” for such a visit but left the door open: “We’ll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon.”
