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Summary of the summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska
Find out the most important findings from the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska. What were discussed and why does the result remain unclear?
Summary of the summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska
Donald Trump received his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a summit in Anchorage, Alaska, which took place on Friday. The motto of the summit - “Pursuing Peace” (looking for peace) - was clearly visible on the wall. But the results of the meeting remained unclear when it came to an abrupt end. After almost three hours of conversation, the two heads of the state stepped in front of the press and announced progress, but without specifying what success they had achieved.
No agreement, but progress?
An obviousness became clear: there was no agreement. The announced ceasefire that Trump wanted to bring about during the summit was far from reality. "There were many points that we agreed - I would say most," said Trump's speech. "A few big points where we are not quite there yet, but we have made some progress."
"There is no deal until there is a deal," said Trump. He and Putin left the stage without answering questions from journalists. The end of the summit was therefore unclear and left a shell after taste.
A summit full of challenges
Already at the beginning of the meeting it became clear how challenging Trump's task would be. While the presidents greeted themselves on the roller field of the Elmendorf Air Force Base, warning reports from Ukraine received an incoming Russian drones and planes - a signal for Putin's intent to continue the war while Trump publicly honored him in the USA.
No specific indications of meetings with Selenskyj
Trump said nothing about the possibility of a trilateral summit with Putin and the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj, whom he had previously described as his main goal. However, he announced that he would make calls with "the different people I think" - including Selenskyj - to inform them about the talks. The only meeting mentioned was a potential consequences with Putin. "We will talk to each other again soon and will probably see each other again soon," said Trump, whereupon Putin replied in English: "Next time in Moscow" - a proposal that excluded Selenskyj from the talks.
Putin returns from isolation
When he arrived in the USA, Putin's grin, when he looked out the window of Trump's limousine, pushed everything out: after years of isolation by the West, he was back in the most powerful country in the world. It was ten years ago that Putin was the last time in America, and there were another year between his visits to large presidential cakes. After his invasion of Ukraine 2022, the Russian leader was outlawed by many heads of state and was undesirable in most western nations. Alaska was a coveted place for the summit because the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court.
But Putin's isolation ended when his flight ended up in Anchorage. The reception on the red carpet, flying over fighter planes and the applause from Trump himself sent a clear message: Putin had returned to the diplomatic circles. Her smiling greeting ritual was celebrated on Russian state television as a "historical handshake".
Change in the format of talks
A surprise arose when Trump ended up: he would no longer only speak to Putin alone and with only their translators, but would get two consultants on the talks. This change in the protocol came at short notice and the background was not announced. In Trump's earlier conversations with Putin, there was often little transparency about the content of the discussions, since only one translator was present.
With the increase in two employees-Foreign Minister Marco Rubio and the US specialist Steve Witkoff-more clarity could arise in the coming days, especially if Russia presents a different perspective on events. Nevertheless, there is a moment that only Trump and Putin can reproduce: their short journey in the presidential sedan from the roller field to the room where the meeting took place. Nobody else was in your car, except agents of the Secret Service - no consultants and no translators. Regardless of this, the contents of your short conversation only remain known to you.