Did a Very Frank Talk with Trump Push the Kremlin Closer to a Decision on the Ukraine War?

Moscow, Aug 17 (NationPress) Russia's President Vladimir Putin stated that the “very frank and substantive” discussions with US President Donald Trump during the Alaska summit regarding the Ukraine conflict have brought the Kremlin closer to a pivotal decision.

While addressing his Cabinet and officials at the Kremlin on Saturday, he remarked, “The conversation was very frank and substantive, which, in my view, moves us closer towards making necessary decisions.”

An incomplete transcript from the meeting released by the Kremlin did not specify if he detailed the required decisions.

Putin expressed that he shares President Trump's urgency to conclude the Ukraine war swiftly and resolve all outstanding issues.

“We definitely respect the US administration's position which desires to halt the hostilities as soon as possible,” he noted.

“So do we, and we would like to progress towards resolving all issues through peaceful means,” he continued.

This aligns with Trump’s recent stance of seeking a peace agreement to conclude the war rather than an immediate ceasefire.

While traveling to Alaska on Friday, President Trump indicated his wish for a ceasefire “rapidly” and expressed his “unhappiness” if it did not occur that same day.

After updating Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders about the summit, he shared on Truth Social, “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 often times do not hold up.”

During their first meeting after four years, Putin noted that the discussions extended beyond Ukraine, though it was the primary focus.

“We discussed our interactions in virtually all their aspects with a focus, of course, on achieving a fair resolution of the Ukraine crisis,” he added.

Putin's previous meeting with a US President was with Joe Biden in 2021, though he met with Trump on at least six occasions during his initial term.

“We did not have direct talks at this level for a long time. Let me reiterate: We had a chance to convey our position in a calm and detailed manner,” he emphasized.

Trump stated at the post-summit news conference that several factors were delaying an agreement, with “one probably being the most significant.”

He did not disclose the specific issue, but a Russian expert cited by the official news agency Tass speculated that it “may involve territorial concessions by Ukraine.”

Based on his interpretation of Trump's post-summit interview with Fox News, Malek Dudakov remarked, “Essentially, he is shifting this burden onto Kyiv and hinting that any forthcoming agreement with Russia will likely not favor Ukraine.”

“Expecting a single meeting to resolve all the complexities between Moscow and Washington was unrealistic,” he stated as quoted by Tass.

The choice of Alaska as the summit's venue holds historical significance, as it was once a territory of Russia, sold to the US by Czar Alexander II for $7.2 million in 1867, and later became the 49th State in 1959.

While Trump returned to Washington shortly after the summit, Putin remained to honor the graves of Soviet service personnel who perished during World War II, a period when the US and the Soviet Union were allies.

Alaska also retains remnants of an ethnic Russian community, and Putin met with Archbishop Alexei of Sitka from the Russian Orthodox Church, according to his press office.