In the lead-up to his much-touted Friday acme with Russian President Vladimir Putin, United States President Donald Trump expressed assurance successful his quality to marque factual advancement towards securing a ceasefire successful Ukraine astatine the meeting.
Putin received the reddish carpet attraction arsenic helium was met with a lengthy handshake by Trump arsenic helium deplaned astatine the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson subject installation successful the Alaskan metropolis of Anchorage.
The lukewarm greeting acceptable a congenial code for what were ever going to beryllium pugnacious negotiations. But determination was a much subdued ambiance a fewer hours aboriginal arsenic Trump and Putin departed connected their respective planes – with no wide breakthrough connected the warfare successful Ukraine.
Here are immoderate cardinal takeaways from their meeting:
‘No woody until there’s a deal’
While the gathering was anticipated to instrumentality astir 7 hours, it wrapped up successful little than three. Trump and Putin addressed a gathering of journalists aft the talks with comparatively little pre-prepared statements. Neither person took immoderate questions.
Putin said his state is committed to ending the war, but the conflict’s “primary causes” indispensable beryllium eliminated for an statement to beryllium long-lasting.
Putin besides warned Ukraine and the European Union against throwing a “wrench successful the works” and cautioned against attempts to usage “backroom dealings to behaviour provocations to torpedo the nascent progress”.
A comparatively subdued Trump praised the “extremely productive meeting”, successful which helium said “many points were agreed to”. He said determination is simply a “very bully accidental of getting there” – referring to a ceasefire – but conceded that determination stay sticking points with Moscow, including astatine slightest 1 “significant” one.
He cautioned that it’s “ultimately up to them” – referring to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “There’s nary woody until there’s a deal,” helium said.
And determination was nary by the clip Trump and Putin near Alaska.
A PR coup for Putin
The Russian person has go an progressively maligned and isolated fig successful the West since waging warfare connected Ukraine successful February 2022.
But connected Friday, that ended, with a reddish carpet welcome, a flypast by US combatant jets and lukewarm applause from Trump.
Putin himself seemed pleased, grinning retired the model arsenic helium drove disconnected the tarmac with Trump successful the statesmanlike Cadillac limousine known arsenic “The Beast”.
“For 3 years they [Western media] person been talking astir Russia’s isolation, and contiguous they saw the reddish carpet that greeted the Russian president successful the United States,” Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gloated aft the summit, connected Telegram.
Talking business
Before the meeting, it was wide anticipated that Putin would effort to dilute bid talks with speech of bilateral commercialized and cooperation.
Trump had asserted that determination would beryllium nary treatment of concern with Putin until the brace had made substantive advancement connected bringing astir a ceasefire successful Ukraine.
This plan, however, seems to person been derailed somewhat, with the Russian president saying successful his post-meeting connection that the brace discussed their collaboration successful the areas of tech and space.
“It’s wide that US and Russian concern and concern practice has tremendous potential. Russia and the US tin connection each different truthful much. In trade, digital, high-tech and successful abstraction exploration, [and] we spot that Arctic practice is besides precise possible,” helium told reporters.
Russia has antecedently tried to transportation its immense reserves of uncommon world minerals – captious for respective cutting borderline sectors – to the US to broker a breakthrough.
Next up: Another gathering – and unit connected Ukraine
As Trump thanked Putin for his time, helium said helium hoped they would conscionable again soon. Putin rapidly responded by saying, successful English with a laugh, “Next time, successful Moscow”.
“I’ll get a small vigor connected that one, but I could spot it perchance happening,” helium said successful response.
Trump has antecedently asserted that helium hopes to big a trilateral gathering connected ending the warfare successful Ukraine precise soon, this clip attended by Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, too. In Alaska, the US person said helium would present telephone NATO officials and Zelenskyy to sermon the meeting.
In an interrogation with Fox News’ Sean Hannity aft the meeting, Trump was asked however helium rated the acme connected a standard of 10. He described the conscionable arsenic a “10 retired of 10”.
“We got on great,” helium said.
Then, helium emphasised the value of the Ukrainian person agreeing to a deal.
“Now, it’s truly up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would besides accidental the European nations, they person to get progressive a small bit. But it’s up to President Zelenskyy,” helium said, adding that he’ll be the adjacent gathering “if they’d like”.
“Make a deal,” helium said, successful a connection seemingly for Zelenskyy.