U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY ON X:

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“We support President Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this.

“On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.

“It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America. We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.”

“We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome President Trump’s statement that the U.S. is prepared to give security guarantees. The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and NATO.

“It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force…

“We are determined to do more to keep Ukraine strong in order to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace…We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy.

“Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”

UK PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER

“President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.

“I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more.

“In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions…

“Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.”

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON ON X:

“It will also be essential to learn all the lessons of the past 30 years, and in particular Russia’s well-established propensity to fail to keep its own commitments.

“We will continue to work closely with President Trump and President Zelenskiy to ensure that our interests are preserved in a spirit of unity and responsibility.

“France continues to stand resolutely by Ukraine’s side.”

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI:

“A glimmer of hope has finally opened to discuss peace in Ukraine..Italy is doing its part, along with its Western allies.”

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN ON X:

“The EU is working closely with President Zelenskiy and the United States to reach a just and lasting peace. Strong security guarantees that protect Ukrainian and European vital security interests are essential.”

EU CHIEF DIPLOMAT KAJA KALLAS:

“The U.S. holds the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. The EU will work with Ukraine and the U.S. so that Russia’s aggression does not succeed and that any peace is sustainable. Moscow won’t end the war until it realises it can’t continue. So Europe will continue to back Ukraine, including by working on a 19th Russia sanctions package.

INDIA FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON RANDHIR JAISWAL

“India welcomes the Summit meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable.

“India appreciates the progress made in the Summit. The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine.

NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ESPEN BARTH EIDE, speaking to reporters in Oslo:

“Our view is clear: it is important we must continue to put pressure on Russia, and even increase it, to give the clear signal to Russia that it must pay the price.

“We must listen to Ukraine’s wishes and needs. We know that President Putin wants to split Europe and the United States. With all our allies, we must do everything we can to avoid that.”

CZECH PRIME MINISTER PETR FIALA:

“The results of the Alaska summit confirm that while the U.S. and its allies are seeking paths to peace, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is still only interested in the greatest possible territorial gains and the restoration of the Soviet empire.”

HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN ON FACEBOOK:

“For years we have watched the two biggest nuclear powers dismantle the framework of their cooperation and shoot unfriendly messages back and forth. That has now come to an end. Today the world is a safer place than it was yesterday.”

POLISH PRESIDENT’S FOREIGN POLICY AIDE MARCIN PRZYDACZ, speaking to reporters:

“The fact that these talks have begun, that there is a discussion, is something we in Poland consider to be of some value.

“The war can really only end in two ways: either by capitulation of one side, in this situation, the most important thing for us would be the defeat of the Russian Federation. But the other solution is also negotiations, and such negotiations were underway yesterday and will likely continue in the near future.”

SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER ROBERT FICO, in recorded statement on Facebook:

“The presidents launched a vital process in Alaska.

“The coming days will show whether the big players in the Union will support this process… or whether the unsuccessful European strategy of trying to weaken Russia through this conflict with all kinds of literally incredible financial, political or military assistance to Kyiv will continue.”

SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER MARIA MALMER STENERGARD:

“The Swedish Government will now engage in close dialogue with Ukraine and with European and transatlantic partners on the way forward.

“It is clear that there must be increased pressure on Russia to bring an end to the war and lay the foundations for a just and lasting peace based on international law. Sweden’s military, political and civil support to Ukraine remains unwavering.”

Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

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FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

US President Donald Trump said Ukraine should agree a deal to end the war with Russia, after holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that yielded no agreement on a ceasefire.

At a brief appearance before the media after nearly three hours of talks in Alaska yesterday (15 August), Trump and Putin said they had made progress on unspecified issues. But they offered no details and took no questions, with the normally loquacious Trump ignoring shouted questions from reporters.

“We’ve made some headway,” Trump said, standing in front of a backdrop that read, “Pursuing Peace.”

“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today (16 August) that Ukraine was ready for constructive cooperation after a conversation with Trump following the summit. He said he would travel to Washington on Monday.

Putin however signaled no movement in Russia’s long-held position on Ukraine, saying it was necessary to eliminate the “root causes” of the crisis and address Moscow’s “legitimate concerns”.

He said he agreed with Trump that Ukraine’s security must be “ensured”.

“We are ready to work on this. I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine,” Putin said.

“We expect that Kyiv and the European capitals will perceive all of this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles. That they will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigue.”

Neither leader specified any concrete move towards a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, a goal that Trump had set ahead of Friday’s summit.

The war – the deadliest in Europe for 80 years – has killed or injured well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts.

Trump signaled that he discussed potential land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine with Putin, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on.”

“I think we’re pretty close to a deal,” he said, adding: “Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they’ll say no.”

PUTIN ‘WON THIS ROUND’

When asked by Hannity what he would advise Zelenskiy, Trump said: “Gotta make a deal.”

“Look, Russia is a very big power, and they’re not. They’re great soldiers,” Trump added.

Trump’s talk of land swaps before the summit had prompted fears in Kyiv and Europe that he and Putin might reach an agreement between themselves and try to impose it on Ukraine, forcing Kyiv to accept deeply unfavorable terms.

Those fears apparently did not materialize. But simply sitting down face-to-face with the US president represented a victory for Putin, who had been ostracized by Western leaders since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and just a week earlier had been facing a threat of new sanctions from Trump.

“Putin is a determined opponent, and, yes, he basically won this round because he got something for nothing. Still, Trump did not sell out Ukraine,” Cold War historian Sergey Radchenko posted on X.

Trump told Fox News that a meeting would now be set up between Putin and Ukraine’s Zelenskiy, which he might also attend. He gave no further details on who was organizing the meeting or when it might be.

Putin made no mention of meeting Zelenskiy when speaking to reporters earlier. Russian state news agency TASS quoted Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov as saying the possibility of a three-way summit including Zelenskiy had not been discussed.

After Trump landed in Washington today, the White House said the president was on the phone with NATO leaders following a lengthy call with Zelenskiy.

“We must continue to put pressure on Russia, and even increase it, to give the clear signal to Russia that it must pay the price (for its invasion of Ukraine),” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told reporters in Oslo.

In another reaction from a NATO country, Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said: “The Trump-Putin talks in Alaska did not bring significant progress toward ending the war in Ukraine, but they confirmed that Putin is not seeking peace, but rather an opportunity to weaken Western unity and spread his propaganda.”

‘NEXT TIME IN MOSCOW’

Both Russia and Ukraine carried out overnight air attacks, a daily occurrence in the war that Russia launched in February 2022 with its full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Russia launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile targeting Ukraine’s territory, Ukraine’s Air Force said today. It said its air defense units destroyed 61 of them.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said 139 clashes had taken place on the front line over the past day. Russia said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Trump told Fox that he would hold off on imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil after making progress with Putin. He did not mention India, another major buyer of Russian crude, which has been slapped with a total 50% tariff on US imports that includes a 25% penalty for the imports from Russia.

“Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now,” Trump said of Chinese tariffs. “I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now.”

Trump has threatened sanctions on Moscow as well but has thus far not followed through, even after Putin ignored a Trump-imposed ceasefire deadline earlier this month.

The anticlimactic end to the closely watched summit was in stark contrast to the pomp and circumstance with which it began. When Putin arrived at an Air Force base in Alaska, a red carpet awaited him, where Trump greeted the Russian president warmly as US military aircraft flew overhead.

Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, accused of the war crime of deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia denies the allegations, and the Kremlin has dismissed the ICC warrant as null and void. Russia and the United States are not members of the court.

Trump ended his remarks on Friday by telling Putin, “I’d like to thank you very much, and we’ll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon.”

“Next time in Moscow,” a smiling Putin responded in English. Trump said he might “get a little heat on that one” but that he could “possibly see it happening.”

Zelenskiy said ahead of Friday’s summit that the meeting should open the way for a “just peace” and three-way talks that included him, but added that Russia was continuing to wage war

“It’s time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

Published on 08/16/2025 at 03:15 am EDT – Modified on 08/16/2025 at 06:58 am EDT

(Reuters) -Following are reactions from world leaders on Saturday to the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which did not resolve Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY ON X:

“We support President Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this.

“On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.

“It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America. We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.”

JOINT STATEMENT BY EUROPEAN LEADERS:

“We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome President Trump’s statement that the U.S. is prepared to give security guarantees. The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to EU and NATO.

“It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force…

“We are determined to do more to keep Ukraine strong in order to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace…We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy.

“Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”

UK PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER

“President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.

“I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more.

“In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions…

“Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.”

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON ON X:

“It will also be essential to learn all the lessons of the past 30 years, and in particular Russia’s well-established propensity to fail to keep its own commitments.

“We will continue to work closely with President Trump and President Zelenskiy to ensure that our interests are preserved in a spirit of unity and responsibility.

“France continues to stand resolutely by Ukraine’s side.”

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI:

“A glimmer of hope has finally opened to discuss peace in Ukraine..Italy is doing its part, along with its Western allies.”

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN ON X:

“The EU is working closely with President Zelenskiy and the United States to reach a just and lasting peace. Strong security guarantees that protect Ukrainian and European vital security interests are essential.”

EU CHIEF DIPLOMAT KAJA KALLAS:

“The U.S. holds the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. The EU will work with Ukraine and the U.S. so that Russia’s aggression does not succeed and that any peace is sustainable. Moscow won’t end the war until it realises it can’t continue. So Europe will continue to back Ukraine, including by working on a 19th Russia sanctions package.

INDIA FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON RANDHIR JAISWAL

“India welcomes the Summit meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable.

“India appreciates the progress made in the Summit. The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine.

NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ESPEN BARTH EIDE, speaking to reporters in Oslo:

“Our view is clear: it is important we must continue to put pressure on Russia, and even increase it, to give the clear signal to Russia that it must pay the price.

“We must listen to Ukraine’s wishes and needs. We know that President Putin wants to split Europe and the United States. With all our allies, we must do everything we can to avoid that.”

CZECH PRIME MINISTER PETR FIALA:

“The results of the Alaska summit confirm that while the U.S. and its allies are seeking paths to peace, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is still only interested in the greatest possible territorial gains and the restoration of the Soviet empire.”

HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN ON FACEBOOK:

“For years we have watched the two biggest nuclear powers dismantle the framework of their cooperation and shoot unfriendly messages back and forth. That has now come to an end. Today the world is a safer place than it was yesterday.”

POLISH PRESIDENT’S FOREIGN POLICY AIDE MARCIN PRZYDACZ, speaking to reporters:

“The fact that these talks have begun, that there is a discussion, is something we in Poland consider to be of some value.

“The war can really only end in two ways: either by capitulation of one side, in this situation, the most important thing for us would be the defeat of the Russian Federation. But the other solution is also negotiations, and such negotiations were underway yesterday and will likely continue in the near future.”

SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER ROBERT FICO, in recorded statement on Facebook:

“The presidents launched a vital process in Alaska.

“The coming days will show whether the big players in the Union will support this process… or whether the unsuccessful European strategy of trying to weaken Russia through this conflict with all kinds of literally incredible financial, political or military assistance to Kyiv will continue.”

SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER MARIA MALMER STENERGARD:

“The Swedish Government will now engage in close dialogue with Ukraine and with European and transatlantic partners on the way forward.

“It is clear that there must be increased pressure on Russia to bring an end to the war and lay the foundations for a just and lasting peace based on international law. Sweden’s military, political and civil support to Ukraine remains unwavering.”

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

13:58 (IST) 16 Aug 2025

Trump-Putin Summit Live Updates: Russian politicians hail Alaska summit as victory for Moscow

In the early hours of Saturday morning following a summit in Alaska between the leaders of Russia and the United States, senior politicians in Moscow were quick to trumpet the meeting as a win for Russia and its narrative of the war in Ukraine. “The meeting in Alaska confirmed Russia’s desire for peace, long-term and fair,” said Andrei Klishas, a senior lawmaker from President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.

He portrayed the summit as a coup for Russia and a loss for Ukraine and its European allies, who have been pushing for an unconditional ceasefire. “The tasks of the SMO will be accomplished either by military or diplomatic means,” Klishas wrote, using the acronym for Special Military Operation, the Kremlin’s term for the war. “A new architecture for European and international security is on the agenda, and everyone must accept it.”

The highly-anticipated summit on Friday in Anchorage yielded no agreement to resolve or pause the conflict, now in its fourth year, although both Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump described the talks as productive. The two men met for nearly three hours before giving a brief media appearance and boarding separate planes home.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president known for his hawkish views, said the summit proved that it was possible to hold talks without conditions – as Moscow has insisted – while the fighting in Ukraine rages on. Russia’s flagship Channel One morning state news bulletin on Saturday stressed the pageantry around the summit, its global profile, and the warm welcome extended to Putin, who had been ostracized by Western leaders since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“The Red carpet, handshakes and footage and photographs that are in all global publications and TV channels,” it said, saying it was the first time that Trump had met a visiting leader off their plane at the airport. Its correspondent in Alaska said the two leaders had obviously agreed about a lot of things, but did not say what those things were. “The very fact of the meeting in Alaska, its tone, and its outcome represent a significant and joint success for both presidents, each of whom made a tremendous personal contribution to achieving the best possible result at this time,” Konstantin Kosachyov, a chair of the foreign affairs committee of Russia’s upper house of parliament, wrote on Telegram.

(Reuters)

Trump touts peace deal after leaving Alaska without ceasefire pact

1 hour ago Share Save Jake Lapham BBC News in Anchorage George Wright BBC News Share Save

Watch: How the Trump-Putin summit unfolded in 82 seconds

Donald Trump has said he, along with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, have determined that a peace agreement was preferable to a ceasefire in the conflict between the two warring nations. Writing on Truth Social after departing a high-stakes meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska without reaching any deal, the US president said that ceasefires “often times do not hold up”. Trump had earlier told the world’s media that “great progress” was made during the meeting but “we didn’t get there” when it came to making a deal. On his flight back to Washington, he held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who later said he would travel to Washington DC on Monday.

Trump said it had been “a great and very successful day in Alaska” after arriving back in Washington. He added that the meeting with Putin had gone “very well”, as had phone calls with Zelensky, European leaders and Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte. “It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” he wrote. “If all works out” with Zelensky on Monday “we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin”, Trump added. “A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions,” Zelensky said following the call. The potential breakthrough came after a highly stage-managed summit that appeared to yield no tangible results. The leaders’ arrival at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage was carefully choreographed. Putin, who is facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, stepped off his jet and onto a red carpet to be warmly greeted by Trump. Over the roar of a B2 bomber overhead, the two leaders posed for photos before climbing in Trump’s presidential vehicle, known as The Beast. But despite the pageantry and public shows of geniality – as well as the Kremlin’s earlier estimate that the meeting could last six or seven hours – Trump and Putin emerged less than three hours later with just a joint statement to the press.

Handshakes and a shared limo: Our correspondents unpack Trump and Putin’s greeting

Putin said that, in order to make a “settlement lasting and long-term, we need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict” in Ukraine. The phrase indicated that Putin has not budged from his longstanding position that Ukraine should withdraw from four regions partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – and give up its efforts to join the Nato military alliance. Zelensky has ruled out retreating from the four embattled region, warning that would leave the door open for an emboldened Russia to mount another offensive in the future. Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, after annexing the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Putin also urged Ukrainians and Europeans to “not throw a wrench” into the peace process. Trump remained silent as his guest spent about eight minutes addressing the media. After being given the floor, the US president said he had a “fantastic relationship with President Putin. Vladimir,” switching to the Russian leader’s first name. Even though “many points were agreed to”, he said, “a few” remain, adding that “one is the most significant” – without specifying what that key sticking point was. Neither took questions. The two also did not attend the planned bilateral “working lunch” that was set to follow the talks.

Reuters Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs Alaska