Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin lavished praise on each other but offered no details of their nearly three-hour meeting in Alaska on Friday, with the US president saying “great progress” but no deal had been made on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal. I will call up Nato … I’ll of course call up [Ukraine’s] President Zelenskyy and tell him about today’s meeting,” he said.
Putin, speaking through an interpreter, described Trump’s efforts on Ukraine as “precious” and suggested the two leaders had hammered out “an understanding”. He urged Europe to “not throw a wrench in the works” and “not use backroom dealings” to torpedo it.
As the press conference ended, Putin suggested their next meeting might take place in Moscow and dozens of reporters shouted questions in vain. The US president, who can typically never resist a free-wheeling press conference, left the stage without answering any of them.
Here are the key US politics stories at a glance:
No deal after brief Trump-Putin talks on Ukraine in Alaska
Donald Trump left more questions than answers on Friday as he claimed “great progress” in his high-stakes summit with Vladimir Putin, but said that no deal had been reached to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“I believe we had a very productive meeting,” the US president said at a joint press conference in Anchorage, Alaska. “There were many, many points that we agreed on.”
Read the full story
Washington DC and White House agree to scale back Trump ‘takeover’ of city police
White House officials and attorneys for Washington DC have agreed to scale back the Trump administration’s takeover of the city’s police department.
Under an agreement announced early Friday evening, the US capital city’s metropolitan police department will remain under the control of its chief, Pamela Smith, instead of Terry Cole, the top administrator for the Drug and Enforcement Administration, according to reports.
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Trump says Xi told him China will not invade Taiwan while he is in office
The US president, Donald Trump, has said that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office.
“He told me, ‘I will never do it as long as you’re president’. President Xi told me that and I said, ‘Well, I appreciate that’, but he also said, ‘But I am very patient and China is very patient’,” Trump said.
Read the full story
Obama praises Texas Democrats as state legislature ends special session
Texas lawmakers adjourned their first special session without passing new congressional maps on Friday – though Greg Abbott, the state’s governor, has said he will immediately call another session – and Democratic lawmakers signaled they are likely to return to the state.
Former president Barack Obama spoke to the Texas Democrats via video, praising them for fighting against the redistricting plan. He told them they should return to Texas “feeling invigorated” and with the knowledge that they helped lead what will be a long fight. Former attorney general Eric Holder also joined the call.
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Republicans accepted more than $105m from big oil
The Republican lawmakers who voted for Donald Trump’s anti-environment tax and spending bill have accepted more than $105m in political donations from the fossil fuel industry, a new analysis has found, raising concerns about their relationship with big oil.
Read the full story
Scrutiny on officials for raising river water level for Vance’s birthday
The US Secret Service and US military engineers are facing scrutiny after Adam Schiff, the California senator, demanded they answer questions about the Trump administration’s recent decision to change the water level of a lake in Ohio to facilitate a family boating trip for the vice-president, JD Vance, on his birthday.
Read the full story
What else happened today:
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A federal appeals court set the stage for the Trump administration to resume firings at the top US consumer watchdog, ruling in a split decision that a lower court lacked jurisdiction in temporarily blocking the mass layoffs.
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Shares in Intel have jumped 7.4% after it was reported that the Trump administration is considering taking a stake in the struggling US chipmaker.
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A failed political candidate in New Mexico has been sentenced to 80 years in federal prison for his convictions in a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 14 August 2025.
