• U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin held a summit in Alaska focused on the Ukraine conflict.
• Despite a warm reception and optimistic statements, no agreement on a ceasefire was reached.
• Trump indicated that Ukraine must decide on any territorial negotiations in future talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met face-to-face in Alaska on Friday for a high-stakes summit aimed at addressing the ongoing war in Ukraine, which many consider the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. The meeting started with a warm greeting on a red carpet, but concluded without a concrete agreement to halt the fighting. After nearly three hours of discussions, both Trump and Putin characterized the talks as productive, although they did not detail any specific outcomes that would lead to a ceasefire, according to Reuters.

During their brief statements following the summit, Trump emphasized, "There’s no deal until there’s a deal," while Putin highlighted the need to address the "root causes" of the ongoing conflict. Both leaders noted that some points had been agreed upon, although the specifics were left unaddressed, with Trump confirming that discussions would continue, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was notably absent from the discussions, which raised concerns from him and European leaders about the future negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Trump stated that any discussions around territorial swaps must ultimately be decided by Ukraine, further complicating the political dynamics, as highlighted by AA.

Putin, for his part, expressed an expectation that Ukraine and its allies in Europe would constructively respond to the results of the talks without disrupting the progress made. He continued to reiterate traditional Russian positions on addressing what it considers fundamental security threats, according to Reuters.