US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Friday at a summit in Alaska on the Ukraine crisis. The meeting started with a handshake, a smile, and a ride in the presidential limousine.
The Friday meeting was initiated to resolve or pause Moscow’s war in Ukraine, and both leaders productively discussed the matter. Before launching a joint news conference, the two leaders said that they had made progress on unspecified issues.
The two leaders held a joint press conference following three hours of discussion, but did not take any questions from the news reporters. The US President Donald Trump had made it clear that “there is no deal until there is a deal”. This statement indicates the absence of any proper resolution in the discussion. The Russian President Putin described the meeting as “thorough and useful”.
Both Presidents ended the press conference without sharing details of the talks regarding Ukraine’s future.
President Trump said he and Putin did not reach a deal to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine following the meeting on Friday. While Putin said that they have come to an “understanding”, both leaders offered scant details on what was discussed while heaping praise on each other.
Mr. Putin warned Europe not to “torpedo the nascent progress”, while Mr. Trump said he planned to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders soon.
After the summit, during a Fox News interview, Donald Trump claimed that Russia had lost an oil client in India, referencing India’s past oil purchase from Russia of around 40%. Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he would turn back on imposing tariffs on China for purchasing Russian oil after making progress with Putin.
Mr. Trump has targeted India, which is another primary buyer of Russian crude, with an additional 25% tariff on US imports.
Trump said of the China tariff, “Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now”. He further added that he might think about that in two weeks or three weeks, or something, but they do not have to think about that right now.
Trump also threatened sanctions on Moscow, but has not followed through, even after Putin rejected the Trump-imposed ceasefire deadline earlier this month.
Trump also suggested a meeting would be set up between Putin and Zelensky, which he might also attend, spoke during the Fox News interview. However, he did not reveal who might be organizing the meeting or when it might happen.
