Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that he and U.S. President Donald Trump had reached an ‘understanding’ on the conflict in Ukraine, cautioning Europe not to undermine what he described as fragile progress.
The two leaders met in Alaska for about two and a half hours, holding high-stakes discussions centered on the war in Ukraine. While both sides characterised the talks as ‘constructive,’ neither offered specifics about the terms or possible concessions, leaving the future of negotiations uncertain.
Putin: Talks Could Mark A Turning Point
Putin expressed optimism that the agreements reached would lay the groundwork for resolving the conflict and potentially reset strained U.S.-Russia relations.
“I expect that today’s agreements will become a reference point, not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also launch the restoration of business-like, pragmatic relations between Russia and the United States,” Putin said.
The Kremlin leader also urged European nations not to ‘torpedo’ the progress achieved in Anchorage, underscoring how fragile the talks remain.
Trump: Progress Made, But No Deal Yet
Standing alongside Putin at a joint press conference, Trump called the meeting ‘extremely productive’ but stressed that no final deal had been reached.
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” the U.S. president told reporters, signaling that while common ground was found, key disagreements remain unresolved.
Trump noted that he and Putin had aligned on “many, many points,” but acknowledged that a few sticking issues remain. “Most of them, we agreed on,” he said. “I would say a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite gotten there, but we’ve made some headway.”
One ‘Significant’ Disagreement Still Unresolved
According to Trump, most of the differences between Washington and Moscow were relatively minor. But he admitted that one unresolved issue stood out as “probably the most significant.”
“Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there,” he said, hinting at cautious optimism without elaborating further.
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