US-Russian Presidents' Talks Yield No Breakthrough on Ukraine

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

A highly anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin produced no agreement to resolve or pause Moscow's war in Ukraine, although both leaders described the talks as productive before heading home.

During a brief appearance before the media following Friday's nearly three-hour meeting in Alaska, the two leaders said they had made progress on unspecified issues. However, they offered no details and took no questions.

"We've made some headway," President Trump said, standing in front of a backdrop that read, "Pursuing Peace."

"There's no deal until there's a deal," he added.

The talks did not initially appear to have delivered meaningful steps towards a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years.

Following the summit, President Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that he would hold off on imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil after making progress with President Putin. He did not mention India, another major buyer of Russian crude, which has been hit with a total 50% tariff on U.S. imports that includes a 25% penalty for imports from Russia.

"Because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now," President Trump said of Chinese tariffs. "I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that right now."

In the Fox News interview, President Trump also suggested a meeting would now be arranged between President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which he might also attend.

President Trump indicated that he had discussed potential land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine with President Putin, telling Hannity: "I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on."

"I think we're pretty close to a deal," he said, adding: "Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say no."
When asked by Hannity what he would advise Zelenskiy, President Trump said, "Gotta make a deal."

"Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not," President Trump added. The war has killed or injured well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts.

President Zelenskiy has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is also seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States. President Trump said he would call President Zelenskiy and NATO leaders to update them on the Alaska talks.

As the two leaders were meeting, the war raged on, with most eastern Ukrainian regions under air raid alerts. Governors of Russia's Rostov and Bryansk regions reported that some of their territories were under Ukrainian drone attack.

Russia's air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight across various Russian regions, including 10 downed over the Rostov region, RIA reported on Saturday, citing the Russian defence ministry.

Ukraine's Air Force said frontline territories in the Sumy, Donetsk, Chernihiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions were targeted in overnight strikes by Russia. Ukrainian air defence units destroyed 61 of the 85 drones launched, it said.

The meeting also included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio; President Trump's special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff; Russian foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov; and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Trump ended his remarks on Friday by telling President Putin, "I'd like to thank you very much, and we'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon."

"Next time in Moscow," a smiling Putin responded in English. President Trump said he might "get a little heat on that one" but that he could "possibly see it happening."

Source: Reuters



PUKMEDIA