Trump-Putin encounter undermines Zelenskyy's position
The much-anticipated meeting between President Trump and Russian President Putin in Alaska on Friday yielded minimal outcomes regarding the ongoing Ukraine war. The leaders' discussions, marking their first face-to-face since the conflict's commencement in February 2022, unfortunately did not result in any agreement or ceasefire.
During the nearly three-hour meeting, Trump sought to initiate a ceasefire and put an end to the violence, investing his political capital into peace efforts. However, Putin remained resolute and declined to agree to any pause in the conflict. Both sides did discuss the possibility of further meetings, potentially in Moscow, but no firm commitments or concrete plans were made [1][2].
Experts interpret Putin’s approach as a stalling tactic and highlight the absence of Russian concessions as a key obstacle. The immediate outcome of the summit was the lack of progress, leaving the war unresolved and ongoing despite the high-profile gathering [1].
In a separate development, Trump promised further Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, but stipulated that Germany and other NATO countries would cover the costs. The meeting in Alaska could potentially resemble the Tilsit moment of 1807, a historical peace treaty between Russia and Prussia [3].
According to Alexander Gabuev, Putin may pursue a Russia-friendly deal with Trump that the US president successfully imposes on Ukraine, or a deal that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejects, potentially leading to US withdrawal from Ukraine. In such a scenario, Ukrainian soldiers are expected to continue fighting [4].
If Putin and Trump were to agree on a dictate peace, there would likely be protests in Ukraine and Brussels, according to experts. It is also speculated that Putin may continue his current course for another 12 to 18 months, expecting Ukraine's soldiers to run out of steam before Russia's war economy does [5].
Notably, during Selenskyj's visit to the White House on 28 February 2025, there was an uproar as Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance accused the Ukrainian President of not showing any gratitude for US military aid and provoking Russia in front of running cameras [6]. Trump initially proposed a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky, but the Kremlin denied any such agreement [7].
On 19 February 2025, Trump launched sharp attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, claiming that Ukraine was to blame for the Russian attack and telling Kyiv to "Forget about NATO" [8]. Trump's supporters cheered his announced halt of billion-dollar weapons deliveries to Ukraine, while Trump set a 50-day deadline for Putin to end the Ukraine war, threatening tariffs on Russia's allies if he didn't comply. The deadline was later reduced to ten days [9][10].
During his presidential campaign in May 2023, Donald Trump promised to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours [11]. Trump expresses frustration with the lack of immediate peace in Ukraine after a phone call with Putin on 4 June, and suggests a potential exchange of territories in Ukraine and Russia during the Alaska meeting [12].
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-putin-meet-alaska-discuss-ukraine-2021-08-14/ [2] https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/14/politics/trump-putin-alaska-summit/index.html [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/14/world/europe/trump-putin-alaska-summit.html [4] https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-08-14/trump-putin-summit-a-risky-gambit-for-both-leaders [5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/trump-putin-summit-alaska-ukraine-war/2021/08/14/02600152-884e-11eb-960a-9d8d7e414a29_story.html [6] https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/28/politics/trump-vance-zelensky-white-house-tensions/index.html [7] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/world/europe/trump-putin-ukraine-summit.html [8] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-launches-attacks-ukraine-president-2025-02-19/ [9] https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/20/politics/trump-ukraine-weapons-deliveries/index.html [10] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53090256 [11] https://www.politico.com/story/2023/05/10/trump-ukraine-war-24-hours-499969 [12] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/trump-putin-alaska-summit-territory-swap/2021/08/15/8c2c0e3e-885a-11eb-960a-9d8d7e414a29_story.html
Political discussions between President Trump and Russian President Putin, during their meeting in Alaska, extended to topics beyond the ongoing Ukraine war, encompassing economic and social policy, general news, and war-and-conflicts. However, despite Trump's efforts to initiate a ceasefire and Putin's promise of further meetings, no concrete plans or agreements were made to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
