U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday urged Ukraine to negotiate a settlement to end the war with Russia, following a high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that concluded without a ceasefire agreement.
The two leaders met for nearly three hours in Alaska, their first face-to-face encounter since Trump took office. At a brief appearance before the press, both men described the talks as constructive but offered no concrete outcomes. Neither leader took questions, with Trump – typically outspoken – ignoring reporters’ calls as he stood beside a banner that read “Pursuing Peace.”
“We’ve made some headway,” Trump said. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who spoke with Trump by phone after the summit, welcomed what he called a readiness for “constructive cooperation.” He announced plans to travel to Washington on Monday for further discussions.
Putin, meanwhile, reiterated Moscow’s longstanding position, stressing that the crisis could not be resolved without addressing what he called the “root causes” of the conflict and Russia’s “legitimate concerns.” Still, he said he agreed with Trump that Ukraine’s security must be “ensured.”
The summit highlights both the urgency and complexity of efforts to end the war, now in its third year, with Washington pushing for diplomatic solutions while Moscow maintains its hardened stance.
