US President Donald Trump met with his Russian counterpart in Alaska on Friday — concluding nearly three hours of discussion without a breakthrough. The POTUS also appeared to have a change of heart during the meeting after vehemently insisting that he would eke out a ceasefire within a matter of hours. Trump has since echoed the Kremlin position favouring direct peace negotiations without a ceasefire and urging Ukraine to cede land to ensure peace.
There was no concrete agreement announced after the talks — with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling CBS on Sunday that the US might not be able to produce a scenario guaranteeing peace. Meanwhile, Trump teased ‘big progress on Russia’ without divulging additional details on Sunday evening.
“I’m not saying we’re on the verge of a peace deal, but I am saying that we saw movement, enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with Zelenskyy and the Europeans,” Rubio told CBS.
Trump sings Putin tune
Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders after the meeting with Putin — extending an invite for talks in Washington on Monday. European leaders however made it clear that they were not in agreement with Trump — releasing a statement that omited menion of a direct peace agreement. Britain, France, Germany and others also threatened to increase economic penalties against Russia on Saturday — “as long as the killing in Ukraine continues.”
“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 oftentimes does not hold up,” Trump had claimed via Truth Social.
He also told Zelensky that Putin had offered to freeze most front lines if Ukraine handed over its Doetsk region to Russia. Source-based reports suggest that US and Russian leaders had also discussed proposals for Moscow to relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine in exchange for Kyiv ceding a swathe of fortified land in the east.
NATO-style security protections for Ukraine
Special US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to allow allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee — similar to the collective defense mandate followed by NATO members — as part of an eventual deal to end the over three-year-long war. Putin had discussed Ukraine and other concerns with President Donald Trump for nearly three hours on Friday.
“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” told CNN.
Witkoff said it was the first time he had heard Putin agree to that.
Who will attend Trump-Zelensky meeting in Washington?
Multiple European leaders have confirmed plans to accompany Zelensky to meet Donald Trump in Washington. The growing list includes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, and France’s Emmanuel Macron. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed earlier on Sunday that she would travel to Washington following a request from the Ukrainian leader. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb — whose access to Trump included rounds of golf in Florida earlier this year — will also be joining the group.
European allies are keen to avoid a repeat of the disastrous meeting between US leaders and Zelensky in February. The interaction had made headlines for all the wrong reasons — with Trump and Vice President JD Vance giving the Ukrainian leader a strong public dressing-down.