U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday pressed Ukraine to agree to a settlement with Russia after his first face-to-face summit with Vladimir Putin ended without a ceasefire. The meeting, held at a U.S. Air Force base in Alaska, lasted nearly three hours but produced no concrete agreement.
Standing beside Putin, Trump said the two leaders had made “some headway” on unspecified issues. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he told reporters, refusing questions. The backdrop behind him read: “Pursuing Peace.”
Putin said progress had been made on ensuring Ukraine’s security but repeated Moscow’s demand to address the “root causes” of the war and Russia’s “legitimate concerns.” He urged Kyiv and European capitals not to block what he called emerging progress.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had spoken with Trump after the talks and was ready for “constructive cooperation.” He announced he would travel to Washington on Monday.
Trump later told Fox News he and Putin discussed potential land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine. “I think those are points we negotiated, and those are points we largely agreed on,” he said. “Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they’ll say no. But I think we’re pretty close to a deal.” Asked what advice he would give Zelenskiy, Trump responded: “Gotta make a deal. Russia is a very big power, and they’re not.”
The comments stoked fears in Kyiv and Europe that Trump could pressure Ukraine into an unfavorable settlement. Ahead of the summit, speculation about possible land concessions had alarmed allies. Those fears did not materialize, but analysts said Putin gained simply by standing alongside the U.S. president after years of isolation.
“Putin is a determined opponent, and yes, he basically won this round because he got something for nothing,” Cold War historian Sergey Radchenko wrote on X. “Still, Trump did not sell out Ukraine.”
Trump said a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy would be arranged soon, possibly with his participation. But Putin made no mention of such plans. Russian state media later reported that the idea of a three-way summit had not been discussed.
As the talks ended, fighting continued. Ukraine’s air force said it destroyed 61 out of 85 Russian drones and one ballistic missile overnight. Russia said its air defenses intercepted 29 Ukrainian drones. Ukraine’s General Staff reported 139 clashes on the front lines in the past 24 hours.
European officials reacted cautiously. Norway’s foreign minister said NATO must keep pressure on Moscow to make it “pay the price” of its invasion. The Czech defense minister said the Alaska summit showed Putin was still focused on weakening Western unity and spreading propaganda rather than peace.
Trump also signaled he would delay imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil, citing progress with Putin. He had earlier threatened new sanctions on Moscow but has so far avoided major steps, even after Putin ignored a Trump-imposed ceasefire deadline earlier this month.
The Alaska meeting opened with ceremony. Putin was greeted on a red carpet by Trump as U.S. military jets flew overhead. The Russian leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of deporting Ukrainian children – allegations Moscow denies.
Trump closed the summit with warm words. “I’d like to thank you very much, and we’ll see you again very soon,” he told Putin. “Next time in Moscow,” Putin replied in English, smiling. Trump said he might “get a little heat on that one” but did not rule it out.
