Trump, Putin report progress at summit but no immediate Ukraine ceasefire

New York- US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that they had made progress during three hours of talks in Alaska on ending the war in Ukraine, but stopped short of announcing an immediate ceasefire.

“It’s not a done deal at all,” Trump told Fox News after the summit. “And Ukraine has to agree. President Zelensky has to agree.”

Trump said the meeting was “very good” and that “a lot of points were negotiated on behalf of Ukraine,” though he emphasized that the ultimate decision now rests with President Volodymyr Zelensky. He hinted at a possible three-way meeting between himself, Putin, and Zelensky.

Although Trump had earlier vowed to walk away if no ceasefire was reached, he did not do so — raising hopes of a potential breakthrough. Nor did he announce the “severe consequences” he had threatened if Putin resisted peace.

Putin struck an optimistic note: “I would like to hope that the agreement we’ve reached will help us move closer to peace in Ukraine. I believe we can reach the end of the conflict sooner rather than later.”

Trump said both sides agreed on many issues, though “a couple of big ones” remain unresolved. He declined to reveal details, saying only that progress had been made.

The main sticking points are believed to be whether Ukraine should cede some territory to Russia and what kind of international security guarantees Ukraine should receive. Britain has already said it and its allies are prepared to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of such guarantees, though not under NATO command.

Putin appeared open to the idea, saying: “Naturally, the security of Ukraine should be true. We are prepared to overcome that.”

The Alaska summit, originally planned in three phases, was shortened. A private Trump-Putin discussion and a larger meeting with senior officials took place, but the third phase — a working lunch with trade and investment experts — was cancelled.

At the press conference, Putin highlighted trade and economic cooperation as key areas for future talks. “The US and Russia can offer each other so much in trade, digital technologies, and even space exploration,” he said, adding that bilateral trade had grown by 20 per cent under Trump.

The meeting began with a carefully staged welcome as Air Force One and Putin’s plane landed almost simultaneously. The two leaders shook hands on the red carpet as US fighter jets and a B-2 bomber flew overhead.

With inputs from IANS