US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have concluded their summit in Alaska without announcing any agreement, including on Trump's stated top priority — ending the war in Ukraine.
At a joint appearance after their nearly three-hour meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Friday, Trump said, "There were many, many points that we agreed on. I would say a couple of big ones that we haven't quite got there, but we've made some headway," standing in front of a backdrop that read, "Pursuing Peace."
"There's no deal until there's a deal," he added.
He did not specify the remaining points or confirm they directly concerned Ukraine.
Putin signalled no change in Russia's position, describing the conflict as rooted in "fundamental threats to our security" and insisting a lasting settlement required addressing "the primary causes of the conflict" — language used by Moscow to refer to demands that Ukraine cede territory, disarm, renounce NATO membership, and change its government.
"We expect that Kiev and European capitals will perceive that constructively and will not throw a wrench in the works," Putin said.
'Next time in Moscow'
He also echoed Trump's claim that the war would not have started if Trump had been president in 2022, saying, "I’m quite sure that it would indeed be so."
Trump said he would call NATO leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and others to brief them on the talks.
Before leaving without taking questions from reporters, Trump told Putin, "Probably see you again very soon."
Putin replied in English, "Next time in Moscow."
Trump responded, "Ooh, that's an interesting one… I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening."
The summit began with a notably warm welcome for Putin, who is under US sanctions and wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Ukraine.
Trump greeted him on the tarmac with a handshake, smiles, and a walk down a red carpet, as US warplanes, including a B-2 bomber, flew overhead.
The two leaders then rode together in the US presidential limousine without an interpreter — an unusual move for the heads of two adversarial powers.
Moving forward
The Kremlin spokesman, meanwhile, said that the talks between Putin and Trump allowed the countries to continue seeking ways for settlement, the Interfax news agency reported early on Saturday.
"The conversation was indeed very positive, and the two presidents spoke about this. This is the very conversation that allows us to confidently move forward together along the path of searching for settlement options," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
As the two leaders were talking, the war raged on, with most eastern Ukrainian regions under air raid alerts. Governors of Russia's Rostov and Bryansk regions reported that some of their territories were under Ukrainian drone attacks.
Zelenskyy has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is also seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States.
There was no immediate reaction from Kiev to the summit. Ukraine's opposition lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on the Telegram messaging app, "It seems Putin has bought himself more time. No ceasefire or de-escalation has been agreed upon."
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in a statement that he welcomed Trump's efforts but doubted Putin's interest in a deal.
"If Putin were serious about negotiating peace, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today," he said.
Both Moscow and Kiev deny targeting civilians in the war grinding for more than three years. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority Ukrainian, and the war has killed or wounded well over a million people from both sides.
