Trump-Putin direct talks over Ukraine conclude as summit stretches on

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met face-to-face for astir 3 hours implicit Moscow's warfare successful Ukraine connected Friday, the Kremlin said, arsenic the 2 satellite leaders sought an extremity to the deadliest struggle successful Europe successful 80 years.

There was nary contiguous connection connected whether the talks had produced immoderate advancement toward a ceasefire successful the war, a extremity that Trump had acceptable astatine the outset. The brace were acceptable to jointly talk to reporters shortly.

Trump and Putin, on with apical foreign-policy aides, conferred successful a country astatine an Air Force basal successful Anchorage, Alaska successful their archetypal gathering since 2019. A bluish backdrop down them had the words "Pursuing Peace" printed connected it.

Trump's publically stated purpose for the talks was to unafraid a halt to the warring and a committedness by Putin to conscionable swiftly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to negociate an extremity to the war, which began erstwhile Russia invaded its neighbour successful February 2022.

Earlier successful the week, Trump said helium would cognize if Putin was superior astir bid wrong minutes of seeing him. He besides threatened to locomotion retired of the talks if they were unproductive.

Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the summit, and his European allies fear Trump might merchantability retired Ukraine by fundamentally freezing the struggle with Russia and recognizing - if lone informally - Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine.

Trump sought to assuage specified concerns arsenic helium boarded Air Force One, saying helium would let Ukraine decide on immoderate imaginable territorial swaps. "I'm not present to negociate for Ukraine, I'm present to get them astatine a table," helium said.

Asked what would marque the gathering a success, helium told reporters: "I privation to spot a ceasefire rapidly ... I'm not going to beryllium blessed if it's not contiguous ... I privation the sidesplitting to stop."

Once connected the crushed successful Alaska, Trump greeted Putin on a reddish carpet connected the base's tarmac. The 2 shook hands warmly and touched each different connected the limb earlier riding in Trump's limo to the acme tract nearby.

The initial talks also included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's peculiar envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff, Russian foreign argumentation adjutant Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Trump hopes a truce successful the 3-1/2-year-old war that Putin started volition bring bid to the portion arsenic good arsenic bolster his credentials arsenic a planetary peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.

For Putin, the acme is already a large triumph that helium tin represent arsenic grounds that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia person unravelled and that Moscow is retaking its rightful spot astatine the apical array of planetary diplomacy.

Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, accused of the warfare transgression of deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia denies allegations of warfare crimes and the Kremlin has dismissed the ICC warrant arsenic null and void. Russia and the United States are not members of the court.

Both Moscow and Kyiv deny targeting civilians successful the war. But thousands of civilians person died successful the conflict, the immense bulk of them Ukrainian.

A blimpish estimation of dormant and injured successful the warfare successful Ukraine - from some sides combined - totals 1.2 cardinal people, Trump's envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said successful May.

Trump, who erstwhile said helium would extremity Russia's warfare successful Ukraine wrong 24 hours, conceded connected Thursday it had proven a tougher task than helium had expected. He said if Friday's talks went well, rapidly arranging a second, three-way acme with Zelenskiy would beryllium much important than his brushwood with Putin.

Zelenskiy said Friday's acme should unfastened the mode for a "just peace" and three-way talks that included him, but added that Russia was continuing to wage war. A Russian ballistic rocket earlier struck Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic and wounding another.

"It's clip to extremity the war, and the indispensable steps indispensable beryllium taken by Russia. We are counting connected America," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Zelenskiy has ruled retired formally handing Moscow immoderate territory and is besides seeking a information warrant backed by the United States.

'Smart guy'

Trump said earlier the acme that determination is communal respect betwixt him and Putin.

"He is simply a astute guy, been doing it for a agelong time, but truthful person I ... We get along," Trump said of Putin. He besides welcomed Putin's determination to bring businesspeople to Alaska.

"But they're not doing concern until we get the warfare settled," helium said, repeating a menace of "economically severe" consequences for Russia if the acme goes badly.

The United States has had interior discussions connected utilizing Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels to enactment the improvement of state and LNG projects successful Alaska arsenic 1 of the imaginable deals to purpose for, 3 sources acquainted with the substance told Reuters.

One root acquainted with Kremlin reasoning said determination were signs Moscow could beryllium acceptable to onslaught a compromise connected Ukraine, fixed that Putin understood Russia's economical vulnerability and costs of continuing the war.

Reuters has antecedently reported that Putin mightiness beryllium consenting to frost the struggle on the beforehand lines, provided determination was a legally binding pledge not to enlarge NATO eastwards and to assistance immoderate Western sanctions. NATO has said Ukraine's aboriginal is successful the alliance.

Russia, whose warfare system is showing strain, is susceptible to further U.S. sanctions - and Trump has threatened tariffs connected buyers of Russian crude, chiefly China and India.

"For Putin, economical problems are secondary to goals, but helium understands our vulnerability and costs," the Russian root said.

Putin this week held retired the imaginable of thing other helium knows Trump wants - a caller atomic arms power accord to regenerate the past surviving one, which is owed to expire successful February.

Russia has said it is unfastened to a afloat ceasefire but that however it would beryllium monitored needs to beryllium agreed. One compromise could beryllium a truce successful the aerial war.