Trump And Putin Meet In Alaska As Talks Yield No Ceasefire
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- Leaders met at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage on August 15; no ceasefire was reached.
- Trump pivoted from an immediate ceasefire push to pursuing a wider peace agreement.
- Reuters reports Putin sought control of all of Donetsk; a source says Zelenskyy rejected the demand.
- Trump said Ukraine has “gotta make a deal,” signaling pressure on Kyiv to negotiate.
- Trump envoy says Putin agreed in principle that the US and Europe could offer NATO style security guarantees to Ukraine, though details are unclear.
- Zelenskyy and European leaders are expected at the White House next for further talks.
Talks in Alaska between President Trump and Vladimir Putin ended without a ceasefire, despite heavy advance billing and a red carpet welcome at the Anchorage base. Trump, who had warned of consequences if Moscow refused a halt in fighting, left signaling a shift toward negotiating a durable peace framework rather than pressing for an immediate stop to hostilities. AP and Reuters accounts framed the outcome as no breakthrough, with Trump praising the relationship even as he acknowledged the lack of an agreement.
Post summit reporting detailed sharp gaps. Reuters said Putin’s position included control over the entire Donetsk region, a demand a source said Zelenskyy rejected; Trump’s own remarks that Ukraine has “gotta make a deal” underscored pressure on Kyiv ahead of a planned White House session with European backing. Markets and allies treated the stalemate as a holding pattern while both sides test whether talks can move past maximalist opening bids.
One new element came from Trump’s envoy, who claimed Putin signaled openness to NATO style security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a larger deal, a notable if unverified shift that would still leave core territorial questions unresolved. European leaders welcomed continued engagement but warned that any settlement must include credible security assurances and avoid rewarding aggression. Early analysis in US and European press cast the optics as a lift for Putin while leaving Washington’s leverage tied to what Zelenskyy will accept and whether follow on talks deliver verifiable concessions.
