Trump after Putin meeting: “We didn’t get there”

Update, 7:25 p.m.:

At a joint news conference in Alaska, President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin said they had a productive face-to-face meeting but have yet to reach a final deal for ending the war in Ukraine.

“We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there,” Trump told reporters. After he and Putin met for nearly three hours behind closed doors, they each gave brief remarks in which they expressed mutual admiration and respect. Putin said he believed that if Trump had been president in 2022, the war in Ukraine never would have happened. They both said they agreed on important steps toward peace without giving specifics. Then they left the stage without taking questions from reporters.

Trump said that after the news conference, he planned to call NATO leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss some of the points of agreement between the U.S. and Russian leaders.

Update, 3:15 p.m.:

President Donald Trump welcomed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to Alaska for talks seeking an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

President Trump’s Air Force One arrived at the U.S. military’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage about 2:30 p.m. He disembarked around 3 p.m. and greeted Putin. The two walked on the tarmac together to a platform for a photo op and left by motorcade. 

In recent weeks, Trump has tried to threaten Russia with economic pressure if it does not agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine. Putin recently praised Trump’s efforts ahead of the summit. Ukraine has been strengthening its relationships with its European neighbors.

President Donald Trump waves while boarding Air Force One Associated Press / Photo by Luis M. Alvarez

Original Story, 12:10 p.m. Friday: 

Stakes are high, Trump says while flying to meet Putin

President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One Friday morning for Alaska to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the White House. High stakes, he wrote on social media Friday morning before the meeting. Putin’s a smart guy, Trump told media members on board Air Force One. We get along and there's mutual respect, so something good will come from this meeting, he continued.

Putin planned to bring an entourage of businesspeople to the meeting, which Trump cited as a good sign. They want to negotiate and do business, but we won’t be doing any business until this war is settled, Trump said. The president reiterated that he would not be negotiating for Ukraine, and that the meeting’s main purpose was to get Putin to the discussion table. Territorial swaps will be discussed, but ultimately Ukraine will make that decision, Trump said. It's possible that the United States could provide security guarantees to Ukraine, alongside other European countries, Trump said. The president also repeated that Russia may face severe economic consequences if Putin shows no interest in ending the war.

How are Americans reacting? Hundreds of pro-Ukrainian protesters gathered in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday ahead of Putin's arrival, waving American and Ukrainian flags. Demonstrators held signs with pro-Kyiv slogans like “No compromise,” “Support Ukraine,” and “Ceding Ukraine to Putin is like Ceding Czechoslovakia to Hitler.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expected a briefing on Russia’s intentions related to the Alaska Summit. This meeting should open a real path to peace and serious trilateral discussion between leaders, Zelenskyy said in a Friday morning statement. It’s time to end the war, and Ukraine is counting on America, he added.

Dig deeper: Read Travis K. Kircher’s report yesterday for more about the meeting preparations.