MOSCOW, Aug 18 (Alliance News): U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held face-to-face talks at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska on Friday, with discussions focused on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine and a last-minute nuclear deal offer from Moscow.
The summit marked their first in-person meeting since Trump’s return to the White House and came amid deep concerns in Kyiv and across Europe that Washington could strike a deal leaving Ukraine sidelined.
Trump, who had previously claimed he could end the war in 24 hours, admitted on Thursday that the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict was proving far more complicated.
He suggested that if Friday’s talks with Putin went well, a subsequent three-way summit involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would be “even more important.”
Ukraine fears compromise but Trump insists Kyiv will be included
European allies and Ukraine were reassured after a Wednesday conference call, where Trump reportedly affirmed that Kyiv must be part of any negotiations involving land concessions. Zelenskiy also said Trump expressed support for post-war security guarantees, although Trump has not publicly confirmed that.
The assurances eased earlier fears of a Trump-Putin deal that could force Ukraine into territorial concessions.
Putin dangles nuclear arms deal
With Russia’s war economy showing strain under Western sanctions, Putin has signaled he wants Trump’s help to ease restrictions. On Thursday, he floated the idea of a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving treaty, set to expire in February 2026.
Trump, eyeing the Nobel Peace Prize, has said he believes Putin is willing to strike a deal on Ukraine, though he has alternated between optimism and caution. Putin, meanwhile, praised Washington’s “sincere efforts” to end the war.
Conditions and risks
Analysts warn Putin may seek a deal that creates the appearance of compromise while maintaining the ability to escalate in Ukraine. Possible options include a phased truce in the air war.
Zelenskiy, however, has dismissed Putin’s overtures as bluffs designed to buy time and avoid tougher U.S. sanctions. He has repeatedly ruled out handing Moscow any territory.
Putin, whose forces occupy nearly one-fifth of Ukraine, has set firm war aims: full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia; removal of Kyiv’s NATO ambitions; and limits on Ukraine’s armed forces. Ukraine has rejected these demands as tantamount to surrender.
As the Alaska summit concluded, uncertainty remained over whether any real breakthrough was possible—or whether both leaders were positioning themselves to claim diplomatic victories without resolving the war.
