The high-profile meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, has been hailed as a key step towards peace in the war in Ukraine. However, without a ceasefire and with an invitation to Moscow, the meeting between the two leaders, which lasted almost three hours, raised more questions than answers, writes the BBC, which drew five key conclusions from the Alaska Summit.
By The Economist
When President Vladimir Putin returned to the world stage on Friday, the sky over Alaska was overcast. At the runway at Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base, U.S. President Donald Trump was waiting for him, a red carpet rolled out along the runway. As Putin approached, Trump applauded. The two leaders shook hands warmly and smiled. It was a remarkable moment for Putin — a leader shunned by most Western countries since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. His international travel since then has been largely limited to countries that support the Russian Federation, such as North Korea and Belarus.
The fact that the Alaska summit took place was a victory for Putin. But this kind of reception exceeded even the Kremlin’s wildest dreams. Within six months, Putin had gone from persona non grata in the West to a welcome guest on American soil as a partner and friend. To make matters worse, in a seemingly unscripted moment, Putin decided to accept a ride to the air base in Trump’s armored limousine rather than his own presidential car with Moscow license plates. As the vehicle drove away, cameras zoomed in on Putin, who was sitting in the back seat and smiling.
PUTIN FACE QUESTIONS HE’S NEVER ASKED
In his 25 years as Russia’s president, Putin has achieved complete control over the media. Inside Russia, he rarely, if ever, confronts critical journalists. Yet just minutes after he landed in Alaska, a reporter shouted at him: “Will you stop killing civilians?” Although he was annoyed by the question, he didn’t show it, instead seeming to shrug his shoulders and look away. During the brief and somewhat chaotic photo op, several more questions were asked, including one in Russian asking whether Putin would be willing to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky for a trilateral summit. Again, there was no apparent reaction from the Russian president other than an enigmatic smile.
THE TALKS ENDED EARLIER THAN EXPECTED
The world media gathered in the room with Putin and Trump were expecting a press conference: instead, the two leaders made statements and did not answer reporters’ questions. Surprisingly, Putin spoke first. He praised the “constructive atmosphere of mutual respect” during the “neighborly” talks, then went on to summarize Alaska’s history as a former Russian territory. While Putin spoke, Trump remained silent. It was several minutes before the Russian president mentioned what he called “the situation in Ukraine,” which was the main reason for the summit. When he did, he declared that, although a vague “agreement” had been reached, the “root causes” of the conflict must be eliminated before peace can be achieved.
This phrase must have caused a stir in Kiev and beyond. Since the start of the war, it has become synonymous with a series of intractable and maximalist demands that Putin has cited as obstacles to a ceasefire. They include recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Ukrainian Regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, as well as Ukraine’s agreement to demilitarization, neutrality, no foreign military involvement and new elections. In essence, this amounts to capitulation – unacceptable to Kiev but, apparently, even after three and a half years of bloody conflict, still of great importance to Moscow. It made it clear that there was no deal.
All THAT IS BROKEN
Given the context and occasion of the summit, when it was Trump’s turn to speak, he never mentioned Ukraine or the possibility of a ceasefire. The closest he came to mentioning the conflict was when he said that “five, six, seven thousand people are dying every week” and noted that “Putin wants to see the bloodshed end.” Otherwise, Trump, who talked a lot, seemed to have less to say than Putin. His statement was notably brief, but especially vague. “We agreed on many, many points,” Trump said, adding that “a very productive meeting” had made “great progress.”
However, he provided no details and no concrete steps seemed to have been taken towards resolving the Ukrainian conflict. No major agreements or a trilateral meeting with President Zelensky were announced. And, fortunately for Moscow, there was no mention of the “serious consequences” that Trump has threatened if a ceasefire is not reached. “We’re not there yet,” Trump admitted. Then, optimistically but vaguely, he added: “But we have a very good chance of getting there.”
PUTIN IN ENGLISH: NEXT TIME IN MOSCOW
While the summit may not have led to tangible progress toward peace in Ukraine, it did cement the rapprochement between Russia and the U.S. Images of the two presidents shaking hands and smiling endlessly went viral on social media, as did images of American soldiers kneeling as they rolled out a red carpet in front of Putin’s plane. Before concluding his statement, Putin referred to one of the U.S. president’s frequent themes – that the conflict in Ukraine would never have started if Trump had been in power.
Despite Trump’s claim of “great progress,” nothing substantial was revealed at the Alaska summit — though, the two leaders left the door open for another meeting, this time on Russian soil. “Maybe I’ll meet you again very soon,” Trump said. Concluding a joint statement in which he made no promises, concessions or compromises, Putin may have felt relaxed enough to speak in English — a rare occurrence. Laughing, he looked at Trump and said, “Next time in Moscow.” “Oh, that’s interesting,” Trump said. “I’m going to get some criticism for that, but I can imagine something like that happening.”