Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed on Friday to cooperate to ensure the security of Ukraine during the first bilateral summit between the two countries in four years, held in Alaska, although they did not reach an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
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The meeting began before noon (before 4 pm on the East Coast) at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska, and according to NBC News’ special correspondents, it was shorter than expected.
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In addition, correspondents accustomed to covering press conferences by the President of the United States were struck by Trump’s brief speech - much shorter than that of the Russian president - and the fact that he did not take questions after the press conference.
What did Trump and Putin say at the Alaska Summit?
In the press conference following the meeting, Putin stated that in order to end the war it is necessary to “eliminate all primary causes of the conflict,” in a statement that seemed to blame Ukraine for a military conflict that began with the Russian invasion.
“The situation in Ukraine is linked to fundamental threats to our security,” insisted the Russian president, adding that, although he is interested in ending the conflict, “we are convinced that, for the agreement to be lasting and long-term, we need to eliminate all the roots and main causes of that conflict.”
Putin emphasized the importance of considering all legitimate concerns of Russia and restoring a “fair balance of security” in Europe and the world in general. "And I agree with President Trump, as he said today, that naturally the security of Ukraine must also be guaranteed," he continued.
“Naturally, we are prepared to work on that. I would like to hope that the agreement we have reached together brings us closer to that goal and paves the way for peace in Ukraine,” Putin added, implying in his statement that there was an agreement.
The Russian president also sent a message to Kiev and European leaders: “We hope that Kiev and European capitals perceive all of this in a constructive manner and do not create obstacles, nor try to disrupt the emerging progress through provocations or backstage intrigues.”
Trump, on the other hand, had a different tone than Putin and in his vision suggested that there is no agreement for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, despite it being one of his goals for this summit.
The President of the United States highlighted that he has always maintained a “fantastic relationship” with Putin, although he acknowledged that it was limited by the investigations into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. “We were interfered with by the deception of ‘Russia, Russia, Russia.’ That made it more difficult, but he understood it,” he said, and described the day as “many difficult but good encounters”.
In any case, even though an immediate ceasefire was not achieved, Donald Trump stated that in the nearly three-hour meeting, “great progress” was made, although the US president said that after talking with Putin, he needed to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies.
“Many points were agreed upon,” added Trump, and said that “very few” remained to be defined.
Victory for Putin?
Although more details of the meeting are still missing, the specialized press in the United States pointed out that this summit was a triumph for Vladimir Putin.
They pointed out that the Russian president was even received with a red carpet by Donald Trump, so far he has avoided the sanctions threatened by the President of the United States and Russia can continue to gain Ukrainian territory through the ongoing war that will not stop for now.