Trump's intent is unmistakable: He aims to present himself as a president of peace - "Trump's intention is explicitly stated: he aims to portray himself as a president of peace"
Trump and Putin Hold Bilateral Meeting in Alaska, Discuss Future of Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a bilateral summit in the U.S. state of Alaska on Friday. The meeting, which took place at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, was expected to focus on the future of Ukraine.
The summit began at 11:30 a.m. local time (9:30 p.m. CEST) and was followed by a joint press conference. Trump stated that he would be able to determine within the first few minutes if the meeting would be successful or not. However, he later expressed a 25% chance that the meeting may not be successful.
During the meeting, Trump suggested the possibility of an "exchange of territories" between Russia and Ukraine as a solution to the conflict. However, he did not specify any concrete or detailed peace proposals for Ukraine. The meeting ended without a ceasefire agreement or a formal deal to end fighting in Ukraine.
Both leaders described the meeting as constructive, but no specific peace plan details were made public. Trump mentioned that many points regarding Ukraine had been agreed to, with a few left to resolve. He also planned to call European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to continue discussions.
Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the meeting, firmly rejects the idea of ceding Ukrainian territories to Russia. He is expected to be informed by Trump about the meeting with Putin by phone after the meeting.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for serious peace efforts ahead of the summit. He emphasized that Ukraine needs strong security guarantees and a ceasefire should be agreed upon. Merz also noted that efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine after three and a half years of war have so far been unsuccessful.
Kremlin representative Yuri Ushakov suggested that direct talks between Trump and Putin, with only interpreters present, should take place first. Subsequently, the delegations of both countries should hold negotiations.
Experts have noted that with Ukraine's absence from the talks, any progress was limited. They believe that ending the war would require complex negotiations involving land, money, security, and enforcement over time, not just territorial swaps. The talks reflected an ongoing dialogue rather than finalized peace proposals.
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