Trump and Putin met in Alaska. What did they agree on (spoiler: for nothing)

The US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Alaska.

Following the meeting, they spoke at a joint press conference, which was broadcast by the Associated Press.

Putin began his speech with a historical lecture, stating that current relations between the United States and Russia have "slumped to their lowest point since the Cold War" and a meeting between the two people is "long overdue".

Speaking about the war in Ukraine, he noted that they are related to "fundamental threats to our national security".

"Our country is sincerely interested in putting an end to this. But at the same time, we are convinced that in order for the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated, all of Russiaʼs legitimate concerns must be met, and a fair balance must be restored in the security spheres in Europe and the world as a whole," he said.

The Kremlin leader agreed that Ukraineʼs security must be ensured and added that Russia is "ready to work on this". However, he did not provide any details.

Trump, in turn, stated that he and Putin agreed "on most topics", but they never reached agreement on key issues.

"Several issues have not been resolved, including the most important one, but we have a great chance to do so in the near future," he said.

The US leader noted that he would call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of NATO allies and report on the results of todayʼs summit.

Trump ended his speech by thanking Putin, and the Russian leader suggested holding the next meeting in Moscow. Trump did not rule it out. Neither Putin nor Trump mentioned a possible trilateral meeting with Zelensky.

Putin and Trump did not answer journalistsʼ questions.

What preceded

Trump has previously said there is a “good chance” he will meet with Putin and Zelensky — saying the meeting could happen soon after his summit with the Kremlin leader. However, if he doesn’t get the answers he needs by August 15, the three-way meeting will not happen.

CBS reported, citing sources, that the US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin could meet at the end of next week. The US is already working on a place for the leaders to meet. The Kremlin leader himself, commenting on the possibility of meeting with Zelensky, said that there are currently no suitable conditions for this.

• The Wall Street Journal reported that on August 6, Putin presented the Trump administration with a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine. In the first phase, Ukraine would withdraw its troops from the Donetsk region and freeze the front line. In the second phase, Putin and Trump would agree on a final peace plan, which would then be discussed with Zelensky.
• On August 9, European partners and Ukraine responded to Putinʼs plan with a counterproposal. It states that before any other steps, the parties must achieve a ceasefire.
• "Ukrainians will not give away their land," was how President Zelensky reacted to the announcement of the meeting between Trump and Putin. He emphasized that the Ukrainian Constitution has a clear answer about territories.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.