Anchorage (Alaska): U.S. President Donald Trump described his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska as “extremely productive” and full of “great progress”. The two leaders met along with top aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff for Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov for Putin.
In a break from tradition, Russian President Putin opened the joint news conference while Trump looked on. Putin acknowledged that US-Russia relations have suffered in recent years.
“It is known that there have been no summits between Russia and the United States for four years, and that is a long time. This time was very hard for bilateral relations. And let us be frank, they have fallen to the lowest point since the Cold War. I think that is not benefiting our countries and the world as a whole,” Putin said, adding, “A personal meeting between the heads of state has been long overdue.”
Trump described the talks as having “made some headway” and “great progress” in a “fantastic” meeting with Putin. “We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,” he said.
He added, “We did not get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there. There is no deal until there is a deal.”
Trump said he planned to call NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials to brief them on the discussions.
Putin emphasised that Ukraine’s security must be ensured. “I agree with President Trump that the security of Ukraine must be secured, and of course, we are ready to work on that,” he said.
He added, “I would like to hope that the agreement that we have reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.”
The Russian president also highlighted that lasting peace requires addressing the root causes of the conflict. “The situation in Ukraine has to do with the fundamental threats to our security,” he said.
“We are convinced that in order to make the settlement lasting and long term, we need to eliminate all the primary roots, primary causes of that conflict… and reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world on the whole,” he said.
On the summit’s tone, Putin said the negotiations were “respectful, constructive and mutually respectful”, while thanking Trump for the invitation to Alaska.
He suggested the next meeting could take place in Moscow, a proposal Trump described as “an interesting one… but I could see it possibly happening”.
Putin urged Ukrainian and European leaders not to interfere with the progress made. “We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will perceive all this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles, will not make attempts to disrupt the emerging progress through provocations and behind-the-scenes intrigues,” he said.
Following the summit, former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton weighed in, saying, “Trump did not lose, but Putin clearly won… Putin has gone a long way to reestablishing the relationship, which I always believed was his key goal. Trump achieved very little.”
Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko highlighted that no ceasefire or de-escalation was agreed upon, adding, “It seems that Putin has gained more time.”
Trump’s Alaska summit with Putin marked a high-profile effort to advance diplomacy, with the U.S. president emphasising progress and constructive engagement, while key details of any agreements remain closely held.