Well, folks, it looks like the art of the deal hit a bit of an icy wall in Alaska as President Donald Trump walked away empty-handed — at least for the time being — from a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Associated Press reports.
On Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Trump aimed to end Russia’s war in Ukraine but couldn’t seal any immediate agreement despite lofty promises and a surprisingly cozy reception for Putin.
This summit, held on U.S. soil, was meant to showcase Trump’s deal-making prowess, yet it left the conflict — now grinding into its fourth year — yet unresolved.
Historic meeting on Alaskan soil
The setting itself was loaded with irony, with Alaska just three miles from Russia at its closest point, a Cold War frontier where Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson once stood as a bulwark against Soviet threats. B-2s and F-22s, designed to counter Russia, roared overhead as Trump and Putin shared a warm handshake and even rode together in the presidential limo. Talk about a surreal photo op.
Originally planned as a one-on-one, the meeting expanded to a three-on-three format, including heavyweights like U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. This shift hinted at a more cautious White House stance compared to past encounters like Helsinki in 2018. Still, no amount of extra voices could yet bridge the gap.
Trump, who once vowed to end this war on day one of his return to power, has found himself seven months later with no progress to show. He mixed talk of economic sanctions with a red-carpet welcome for Putin, a leader ostracized by the West since invading Ukraine in February 2022. Turns out, charm and threats don’t always mix into a winning cocktail.
Putin gains spotlight, not concessions
For Putin, this summit was not without its benefits, as he basked in international recognition despite Western efforts to isolate him over the war and his domestic crackdowns.
His forces are gaining ground on a 600-mile front line, and Trump couldn’t persuade him to pause the fight quite yet.
“Turn the page and go back to cooperation,” Putin mused, painting a rosy picture of renewed ties. Nice sentiment, but with Ukraine still under bombardment and no ceasefire in sight, it’s hard to see this as anything but posturing. Cooperation doesn’t usually come with tanks rolling.
Ukraine still in the cold
Perhaps the most glaring issue was the exclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, despite the West’s long-standing mantra of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Trump, who previously criticized Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and scaled back some U.S. military aid to Kyiv, seems to some to be playing a different game. It’s a risky move that has raised eyebrows among European allies.
Ukraine, clinging on against a larger Russian army, faces heavy losses and resource drains while fighting a war that’s devastated both sides since 2022. Zelenskyy’s absence from the table only fuels concerns that Trump’s approach might sideline Kyiv’s voice in its own survival.
Putin’s demands for peace — a halt to Western arms for Ukraine and a freeze on Kyiv’s mobilization — have been non-starters for Ukraine and its backers. With such a wide chasm between Moscow and Kyiv, further talks, critics suggest, might just buy time for Russian advances on the battlefield.
Future talks, same standoff?
Trump hinted at more discussions in the immediate future, saying, “We’ll speak to you very soon.” But with Putin floating a next meeting in Moscow and Trump musing it could “possibly happen,” the optics lean, at least to some, more toward delay than resolution.
Putin, ever the optimist for his own narrative, claimed that Trump “sincerely cares” about U.S. prosperity while understanding Russia’s interests. That’s a generous take, but sincerity doesn’t stop bombardments or redraw battle lines. Flattery won’t end this war.
So here we are, after a summit dripping with symbolism — from Cold War jets to a base that once countered Soviet ambitions — with no concrete steps to peace as of this moment. Trump’s warm welcome for Putin, akin to receptions for close allies, might signal a desire to reset relations, but some wonder at what cost to Ukraine? Sometimes, the road to a deal starts with recognizing who is missing from the ride.
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Author: Mae Slater
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