U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin said they made “great progress” toward peace in Ukraine after nearly three hours of private talks in Alaska on Friday, but there was no word on a ceasefire despite Trump pledging to press for one.
The two leaders gave brief remarks to reporters after their meeting but took no questions. Trump said he would be calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO leaders to discuss what was agreed to at the meeting, but gave no specifics.
“There were many, many points that we agreed on — most of them, I would say — and a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite got there, but we’ve made some headway,” Trump said.
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal. … We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.”
Putin, speaking in Russian, said the talks were held in “a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere” and claimed he wanted to see peace in Ukraine, but only if the “primary causes of that conflict” are addressed.
He also warned Kyiv and its European allies to not “throw a wrench in the works” that “torpedo the nascent progress.”
“I expect that today’s agreements will be the starting point, not only for the solution of the Ukrainian issue, but also will help us bring back business-like and pragmatic relations between Russia and the U.S.,” Putin said.
Putin calls Ukraine war ‘a tragedy’ but demands remain
Trump said Thursday’s he’s hopeful the meeting with Putin will “set the table” for a future meeting between the two leaders and Zelenskyy, who has said he will only meet with Putin if the Russian leader displays a serious will to end the war.
Trump was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for what was originally expected to be a one-on-one sit-down with Putin.
A planned bilateral lunch scheduled for after the private talks was scuttled after the meeting went long.
As he flew to Alaska, Trump said he was hoping to achieve a ceasefire in the war “rapidly” and lay the groundwork for a long-term peace deal.
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“I don’t know if it’s going to happen today, but I’m not going to be happy if it doesn’t happen today,” he said. “I’m just saying I want the killing to stop.”
Trump appeared cordial towards Putin following the meeting, thanking him and claiming the Russian leader wants to see an end to the killing in Ukraine, as the two leaders delivered remarks with the words “Pursuing Peace” displayed behind them.
He even appeared open to Putin’s proposal for a future summit in Moscow, saying he “could see it possibly happening.”
The two leaders shook hands on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and posed for photographers, but did not take questions before leaving for their meeting.
President Donald Trump greets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson).
JDN
President Donald Trump greets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson).
JDN
President Donald Trump meets with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson).
As the two groups sat down together, Trump and Putin did not directly answer repeated shouted questions from reporters about the prospect for a ceasefire.
At one point, Putin cupped his hands around his mouth and appeared to say something, although his voice could not be heard. Reporters were then quickly ushered out of the room.
Putin was expected to hold firm to his long-term goals in Ukraine, including cementing territorial gains and eventually pulling the former Soviet republic back under Russia’s control.
Ukraine and its European and Canadian allies — as well as Ukrainian diasporas in Canada and around the world — have been pushing to ensure Trump doesn’t make a deal with Putin without Kyiv’s involvement.
Zelenskyy had repeatedly said ceding territory occupied by Russia is an unacceptable concession for Ukraine, whose borders are enshrined in its constitution. Changing them would require a referendum among the Ukrainian people.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Putin said he wants to ensure the “fundamental threats to our security” he said were behind his invasion of Ukraine are addressed, putting Europe and the world on what he called “a just balance of security.”
“We’ve always considered the Ukrainian nation a brotherly nation — how strange it may sound in these conditions,” he said.
“We have the same roots, and everything that’s happening is a tragedy for us and a terrible wound. And therefore, the country is sincerely interested in putting an end to it.”
Russian forces this week have breached the Ukrainian front lines in the eastern Donetsk region, one of four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed in 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday on Telegram that Russian attacks continued overnight as the Alaska summit drew near.
The war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported this month that the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine in July was the highest on record since May 2022.
“HIGH STAKES!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social before boarding Air Force One.
Trump had been souring on Putin before meeting
Trump vowed throughout his re-election campaign last year that he would solve the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of taking office. Yet he acknowledged Thursday that the war was “the most complicated” among other global conflicts his administration has sought to end.
The U.S. president has promised additional sanctions on Russia and other “severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t demonstrate a willingness to make peace. Previous deadlines for a ceasefire deal set by Trump have come and gone without any action from the U.S.
A sanctions package endorsed by Republicans and Democrats has stalled in the U.S. Senate until Trump explicitly endorses it, something he has yet to do.
“I think President Trump has finally figured out that Putin is not his friend, that Putin indeed is the obstacle,” Bill Taylor, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told Global News in an interview.
For Putin, the invitation to Alaska effectively ended the years-long western strategy of isolating the Russian leader that was spearheaded by former U.S. president Joe Biden.
Ivo Daalder, president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a former U.S. NATO representative, said it’s also “significant” that Putin is arriving on American soil as he faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine — specifically the forced removal of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
The U.S. is not a signatory to the ICC, but Daalder noted that while Trump “may not care” about the charges against Putin, “the world certainly does.”
“This is bringing an isolated Putin no only just out of isolation, but into the mainstream, into the American mainstream,” he said. “And that is a significant concession.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney took part in talks Wednesday with European leaders and spoke directly with Zelenskyy on Monday. He said Canada’s partners are “united on shared principles,” particularly that Ukrainians must decide on their own future.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand spoke with her Ukrainian counterpart Thursday and said borders can’t be changed by violence.
“We will continue to support Ukraine through diplomatic measures, military assistance and economic aid to hold Russia accountable for its illegal war,” she wrote on social media, adding that Canada’s support is “unwavering.”
—With files from Global’s Reggie Cecchini, the Canadian Press and the Associated Press