No deal in Alaska: Trump, Putin talk peace, with no resolution

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on August 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, for a summit focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine. The session lasted over two and a half hours but ended without a formal agreement on a ceasefire or peace plan.

Following the closed-door talks, both leaders held a brief press conference without taking questions. Trump delivered a sluggish speech, emphasizing that Ukraine bears responsibility for initiating peace talks, while avoiding concrete commitments.

Putin, meanwhile, half-jokingly suggested that their next meeting could take place in Moscow. Trump responded, “People aren’t going to like that,” but did not rule out the possibility, signaling a willingness to continue discussions on Russian soil.

The summit’s location in Alaska, a state with historical ties to Russia, underscored the complex geopolitical dynamics of U.S.-Russia relations. Trump and Putin expressed a desire for peace, but diverging priorities left substantive disagreements unresolved.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited and thus not present in Alaska, is scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington next week, raising concerns about being excluded from the discussions.

Observers noted that while the summit offered an opportunity for dialogue, the carefully staged statements, absence of press questions and noncommittal language highlighted the challenges of bridging the U.S. and Russian positions on Ukraine. Analysts say the Moscow remark signals a potential continuation of talks but may provoke criticism at home in the United States, reflecting the political sensitivity of such engagements.