U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday wrapped up a high-stakes summit in Alaska aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, but the meeting ended without a formal agreement.
Speaking after more than two and a half hours of talks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Trump described the discussions as “extremely productive,” saying “many points” had been agreed upon. However, he cautioned, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Putin, for his part, spoke of an “agreement” during the joint press conference, though neither leader offered specifics.
Notably absent from the Alaska summit was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose role Trump later emphasized.
“It’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity after the summit. “One or two pretty significant items are still left, but I think they can be reached. And I would also say the European nations have to get involved a little bit, but it’s up to President Zelenskyy.”
Trump confirmed he would brief NATO leaders and call Zelenskyy directly, adding that he still plans to hold a trilateral meeting with Putin and the Ukrainian president in the coming weeks.
Pressed on his advice to Zelenskyy, Trump was blunt: “Make the deal. Gotta make the deal, yeah. Look, Russia is a very big power, and they’re not.”
Neither Trump nor Putin took questions from the hundreds of reporters at the press conference, instead quickly shaking hands before leaving the stage.
The U.S. president also indicated that any decisions on sanctions or consequences for Russia would be delayed, saying, “Because of what happened today, I don’t have to think about it for two or three weeks.”
