Trump departs from the Alaska summit with Putin, having been unable to secure an agreement to terminate the Ukraine conflict
The much-anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska did not result in a ceasefire or an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. The talks ended without a deal on a Ukraine ceasefire.
The meeting took place on August 15, 2025, with the stated goal of discussing the war in Ukraine. However, despite high stakes and public interest, no concrete agreement was reached to halt the conflict. After the summit, Trump publicly displayed a photograph of himself with Putin from the meeting, but this did not indicate any resolution or breakthrough.
Trump had pledged to end the war in Ukraine on his first day back in the White House, but could not bring Putin to pause the fighting. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace, with Putin resisting any temporary ceasefire and linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine's mobilization efforts.
The three-on-three discussion between Trump, Putin, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, may indicate that the White House is taking a more guarded approach compared to the 2018 meeting in Helsinki, where Trump and Putin met privately without interpreters. The change in format could be a response to the criticism Trump faced for siding with the Russian leader over U.S. intelligence officials on whether Russia meddled in the 2016 campaign.
The meeting comes at a critical time for Ukraine, as the country is grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line. Putin's meeting with Trump may give Russia's forces more time to make gains on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy's exclusion from the meeting was a heavy blow to the West's policy of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine." Putin claimed an "understanding" on Ukraine and warned Europe not to "torpedo the nascent progress."
Putin, during the meeting, grinned and pointed skyward, where B-2s and F-22s - military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the Cold War - flew overhead. Alaska is separated from Russia at its closest point by just 3 miles (less than 5 kilometers). This symbolic gesture may have been intended to remind Putin of the U.S.'s military might and commitment to Ukraine's defense.
Trump said there's no deal until there's a deal and planned to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to brief them on the talks. Putin's meeting with Trump may stall economic sanctions that Trump had promised. During the interview with Fox News, Putin echoed many of Trump's long-standing grievances, including about the 2020 election, suggesting that Putin may have left Trump with the impression that he'd notched a big win even as he left empty handed.
The meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a crucial location during the Cold War for countering the Soviet Union, and continues to play a role today in intercepting Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace, marked a significant moment in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. As the war continues, both sides are under pressure to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, with the international community watching closely for any signs of progress.
[1] The New York Times. (2025, August 16). No Deal on Ukraine Ceasefire after Trump-Putin Meeting. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/world/europe/trump-putin-no-deal-ukraine-ceasefire.html
[2] BBC News. (2025, August 16). Trump-Putin Meeting in Alaska Fails to End Ukraine's War. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58471520
[3] The Washington Post. (2025, August 16). No Agreement on Ukraine Ceasefire after Trump-Putin Meeting. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/no-agreement-on-ukraine-ceasefire-after-trump-putin-meeting/2025/08/16/115d3600-4752-11eb-9b6f-068e67e86869_story.html
[4] Fox News. (2025, August 16). Trump Shares Photo from Meeting with Putin, Says No Deal Until There's a Deal. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-shares-photo-from-meeting-with-putin-says-no-deal-until-theres-a-deal
- The meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine, did not result in a ceasefire or a resolution to the conflict, as reported by The New York Times and BBC News.
- Despite the summit, politics and general news continue to be dominated by war-and-conflicts, as Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace, as outlined in articles by The Washington Post and Fox News.
