Trump–Putin Alaska Summit Ends Without Ukraine Ceasefire Deal

.No ceasefire deal reached in Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin failed to reach a ceasefire agreement on Ukraine during their meeting in Alaska and have since departed.

On Friday, after nearly three hours of lengthy discussions, the two leaders issued a joint statement to the media and then left without taking questions.

A setback to Trump’s “deal-maker” reputation

In his initial remarks after the meeting in Anchorage, Donald Trump said: “Until there’s a deal, there’s no deal.”

This was an indirect way of admitting that even after hours of talks, no agreement had been reached — no ceasefire, and nothing concrete came out.

Trump stated that he and Vladimir Putin had made “some major progress,” but he did not provide details, leaving the world to draw its own conclusions.

He later added: “We couldn’t reach an outcome,” and then, in front of hundreds of journalists, walked out of the room without taking questions.

Trump had traveled all that way only to offer vague statements. However, for European allies and Ukrainian officials, it may be reassuring that he did not make any unilateral concessions or deals that could harm future negotiations.

For a man who calls himself a “peacemaker” and a “deal-maker,” it seems he left Alaska without peace and without a deal.

There are also few signs that a future summit including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will take place — even though Putin jokingly suggested that the next meeting could be held in Moscow.

Although Trump had less at stake compared to Russia or Ukraine, the lack of progress will still damage his domestic and global credibility, especially since he previously said there was only a 25 percent chance of failure.

Adding to his embarrassment, during the “incomplete press conference,” Putin began with a long speech while Trump stood silently listening — a departure from the usual White House tradition where the U.S. president dominates the conversation and foreign leaders listen quietly.

Although Alaska is U.S. territory, Putin appeared more confident there — as his aides reminded that it was once “Russian America” before being sold to the United States in the 19th century. This detail, along with coverage describing the summit as a failure, may sting Trump in the coming days.

Now the big question is whether Trump will actually impose the new sanctions on Russia that he has repeatedly threatened.

Before leaving, he partly addressed this in an interview with Fox News, saying he would take such a step “maybe in two or three weeks.” But since he had earlier warned of “serious consequences” if Russia did not move toward a ceasefire, such a vague response is likely to raise more questions than it answers.

Putin’s moment on the global stage

A “press conference” ceases to be one when no questions are allowed.

The atmosphere in the hall clearly showed surprise when both Putin and Trump left the stage immediately after making their statements, without taking any questions.

The Russian delegation also left without responding to journalists, signaling that major differences remain between Putin and Trump over the Ukraine war.

Trump had been pressing for a Russian ceasefire, but Putin refused to make such a concession.

Earlier in the day, the atmosphere was entirely different. Trump welcomed Putin like an honored guest and made special arrangements for him.

For the Russian president, sharing the stage with the leader of the world’s most powerful nation gave him another opportunity to shine in the glare of global politics.

But the question remains: how will Trump respond to this? So far, he has not been able to persuade Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Previously, he issued ultimatums, deadlines, and threats of additional sanctions if Moscow ignored calls for a ceasefire. Yet so far, he has not acted on those threats.

Will he follow through this time?

Relief for Ukraine — but fear for the future

What happened in Anchorage may seem underwhelming to many, but for Ukraine, it was a relief that no “deal” was struck that could have cost them their territory.

The Ukrainian people also know that all of their important agreements with Russia in the past have ultimately been broken. Even if a deal had been reached in Anchorage, many would have doubted its durability, fearing it might collapse like earlier ones.

Still, there was cause for concern. During the joint appearance before the media, Putin once again mentioned the “fundamental causes” of the conflict and said that only addressing those could bring lasting peace.

In Kremlin language, this means he remains committed to the original goal of his “special military operation” — eliminating Ukraine as an independent state. Over three and a half years of Western pressure have failed to change his resolve, and now the Alaska summit has joined the list of unsuccessful attempts.

The uncertainty after the meeting is troubling: what comes next? Will Russia’s attacks continue unabated?

In recent months, Western countries have issued several deadlines, but they have quietly passed without results. Threats were made but never enforced. Ukrainians view this as an invitation for Putin to continue his aggression — and the lack of progress in Anchorage will likely be seen in the same light.