U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their highly anticipated summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15 without reaching a deal to end the war in Ukraine, Trump told reporters at a joint press conference.
The nearly three-hour meeting, described as a “three-on-three” format with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff joining Trump against Putin’s delegation, fell short of the peace agreement the U.S. president had publicly sought ahead of the talks.
Remaining Obstacles
“We had an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant,” Trump said, without specifying the unresolved issues. “We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.”
Putin, who spoke first at the press conference, reiterated the Kremlin’s maximalist demands, including a ban on Ukraine joining NATO and Kyiv’s withdrawal from four partially occupied regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
“We are convinced that for a settlement in Ukraine to be stable and long-lasting, all root causes of the crisis, of which we have spoken many times, must be eliminated,” Putin said.
Zelensky Excluded From Talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to the discussions. Trump said he would call Zelensky and NATO allies after the meeting. Zelensky has repeatedly rejected recognizing Russian occupation of Ukrainian territory and has called for a ceasefire as the first step toward negotiations, a position supported by Kyiv’s European allies.
The summit came as Ukraine conducted several major military operations this week, including strikes on the Russian ports of Novorossiysk and Ust-Luga, and a clearance operation in the frontline city of Pokrovsk that eliminated Russian sabotage groups.
Despite the lack of an agreement, Trump characterized the talks positively. “So there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he said, suggesting further negotiations would follow. The failure to reach an accord leaves the diplomatic track uncertain as the war enters its fifth year, with Russia intensifying aerial attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
Sources: Kyiv Independent; Reuters; AP
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