Did Trump and Putin Make Progress at the Summit Without an Immediate Ceasefire Announcement?

New York, Aug 16 (NationPress) Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin asserted that they achieved significant advancements during their three-hour discussions on Friday, edging closer to resolving the Ukraine War, though they did not declare an immediate ceasefire.

"It's not a done deal at all,” he remarked to a Fox News interviewer post-summit in Alaska. "And Ukraine has to agree. President (Volodymyr) Zelensky must also consent."

"Our meeting was quite constructive today, and I believe we negotiated numerous points concerning Ukraine," he noted.

Prior to the summit, he clarified that he would not be negotiating on Ukraine's behalf, emphasizing that the gathering served as a platform to facilitate a direct dialogue between Presidents Putin and Zelensky.

"Now it’s really President Zelensky’s responsibility to finalize things," President Trump stated regarding a peace agreement.

“We have a solid chance of achieving it,” he added.

“They will arrange a meeting now, involving President Zelensky, President Putin, and myself, I assume,” he mentioned.

President Trump indicated that he could convene an immediate meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelensky if discussions proceeded favorably.

Concluding the news conference, he told Putin, “We'll be in touch very soon, and likely see you again shortly.”

President Putin interjected, “Next time in Moscow.”

Trump's assertion that “it’s not a done deal” suggested an acknowledgment that he did not secure the immediate ceasefire he had sought.

However, the fact that he did not abruptly end negotiations after minutes, as he had previously threatened, might indicate a breakthrough.

Moreover, he did not declare the “very severe consequences” he had warned about if Putin failed to agree to peace.

During the news conference following their discussions, Putin expressed optimism.

“I hope that the agreements we’ve reached will help us move closer to achieving the goal of resolving the situation and pave the way for peace in Ukraine,” he stated.

“I firmly believe that following this path, we can conclude the conflict in Ukraine sooner rather than later,” he added.

“I consider our meeting highly productive,” Trump stated. “We agreed on numerous points.”

President Trump mentioned vaguely that there were “a couple of significant issues that we haven’t fully resolved yet, but we’ve made progress.”

“One is likely the most crucial, and we have a great chance of reaching it. We didn’t finalize it, but we have a very good opportunity to do so,” he elaborated.

Fox News interviewer Sean Hannity pressed Trump about their disagreements.

Trump responded that he preferred not to elaborate but added, “I assume someone will make it public. They’ll figure it out. But no, I don’t want to do that. I want to see if we can finalize this.”

The primary points of contention before the talks included: a land exchange or redrawing borders that would grant Russia certain Ukrainian territories, and a security guarantee from Europe and the US for Ukraine.

Trump has mentioned a land exchange, which would pose political challenges for Zelensky.

The British Defence Secretary indicated on Friday that the UK and its allies are prepared to deploy troops to Ukraine to ensure its security if a ceasefire is reached.

Trump also supported the idea of troops to guarantee security but excluded them from operating under NATO’s banner.

Putin may have yielded on the security guarantee topic, stating, “Naturally, Ukraine’s security must be genuine. We are prepared to address that.”

Trump indicated he would communicate with his Western allies and Zelensky to update them on the summit.

He must persuade Europeans and Zelensky, who were initially skeptical about the summit but willing to explore its possibilities, that progress had been made.

The summit was shortened, and only one of the planned phases—a meeting with key officials, Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov—was conducted.

Instead of the first phase, where a private meeting was expected, Trump and Putin engaged directly while walking down the red carpet and continued their discussion in Trump’s limousine.

They commenced the talks with officials and canceled the planned third phase, which would have included a luncheon with additional officials, particularly those involved in trade and investment.

Putin had expressed a desire to broaden the discussions to include Nuclear arms control, and Ushakov suggested trade and economic cooperation.

Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Special Presidential Representative for Investment Kirill Dmitriev, along with US Secretaries Pete Hegseth of Defence, Scott Bessent of Treasury, and Howard Lutnick of Commerce, were on standby.

The anticipated third phase, where these topics were expected to be discussed, did not occur.

At the news conference, Putin promoted trade, which is currently a focus for Trump.

“It is evident that US and Russian investment and business collaboration hold immense potential,” he remarked. “Russia and the US can exchange a great deal in trade, digital technology, and space exploration,” he added.

"Today’s agreements will serve as the foundation, not only for addressing the Ukrainian situation but also in restoring practical and business-oriented relations between Russia and the US,” Putin stated.

He asserted that trade between the US and Russia had increased by 20 percent during Trump’s presidency, despite Trump’s threat to impose a 25 percent tariff on India for purchasing oil from Russia.

The summit commenced with a meticulously planned welcome as the US Air Force One and Russia’s presidential aircraft landed almost simultaneously.

Trump applauded as Putin approached him on the red carpet.

They exchanged smiles and handshakes while four F-35s and a B-2 Spirit bomber flew overhead.