U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their high-profile summit in Alaska's Anchorage on Friday (Aug. 15), making progress without achieving a formal agreement.
The historic encounter at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson represented the first U.S. visit by a Russian leader in almost ten years and marked their first in-person presidential meeting since 2021.
Originally planned as a private discussion, the talks expanded to include three representatives from each side. The U.S. delegation featured Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff alongside Trump, while Russia's team included Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and senior aide Yuri Ushakov supporting Putin.
During their subsequent joint media appearance, Trump acknowledged agreement on "many points" and reported "great progress," while confirming no official pact had been signed.
Putin affirmed Russia's commitment to Ukrainian security, suggesting their mutual understanding might facilitate peaceful resolution.
The leaders appeared together briefly before journalists, emphasizing advancement in discussions without providing specific commitments.
"Everything that's happening is a tragedy for us and a terrible wound," Putin stated, emphasizing Russia's genuine desire for resolution while cautioning against interference from Ukraine and European nations that might "throw a wrench in the works."
The Russian president characterized the summit as potentially initiating progress on both the Ukraine situation and broader "business-like," "pragmatic" U.S.-Russia relations.
He identified multiple cooperation opportunities, including commerce, advanced technologies, space program,s and Arctic development.
Trump confirmed plans to promptly contact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and various European counterparts.
The briefing concluded without journalist inquiries, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov justifying that both leaders had provided "exhaustive statements," making further questions redundant.
"This is the very conversation that allows us to confidently move forward together along the path of finding settlement options," Peskov remarked.
In a post-summit Fox News interview, Trump emphasized Zelensky's responsibility in ceasefire negotiations while revealing their discussions had touched on territorial adjustments and security assurances.
The U.S. president disclosed plans for an upcoming trilateral meeting involving himself, Putin, and Zelensky.
Following approximately three hours of discussions, both leaders departed Alaska, with Putin first paying respects at Fort Richardson National Cemetery by placing flowers at Soviet soldiers' gravesites.
Russian economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev noted the U.S. had extended a positive reception in Alaska despite existing tensions, expressing confidence in continued bilateral relationship development.
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