What Will Trump and Putin Announce After Their Talks?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Trump and Putin's news conference follows extensive talks.
- The discussions focused on potential resolutions to ongoing conflicts.
- High stakes were emphasized by Trump regarding achieving a ceasefire.
- The atmosphere around the talks was reported as positive.
- It has been seven years since their last joint press conference.
New York, Aug 16 (NationPress) US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are preparing for a news conference following approximately three hours of discussions, raising anticipation over whether a breakthrough was achieved in resolving the ongoing conflict or if the talks fell short.
The news conference was initially intended to occur after the talks, which were expected to unfold in stages.
Rather than the planned direct dialogue followed by a meeting with officials, the discussions commenced with two representatives from each side.
A subsequent luncheon with a larger group of officials was also scheduled, indicating the news conference would take place post the initial meeting.
It remains uncertain if the broader meeting will occur after the news conference.
Trump suggested that a joint news conference would happen if progress was made during negotiations, otherwise, it would be just him speaking.
The setup for the press conference is ready, with microphone tests conducted at both podiums.
Highlighting the high stakes of the summit, Trump stated to a Fox News interviewer aboard Air Force 1 en route to Alaska, “I won’t be satisfied if I leave without some form of a ceasefire.”
He added, “Today is crucial for laying the groundwork.”
“We will have another meeting if things progress positively, or there may be no further meetings ever again.”
Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were present when the discussions began, while Putin’s team included Foreign Policy Aide Yuri Ushakov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The official Russian news agency Tass reported that as the leaders exited for the news conference, Putin conversed with his Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.
Russian state media quoted Ambassador to the US Alexander Darchiev as stating that the atmosphere surrounding the negotiations was “generally positive.”
It has been seven years since President Putin stood with an American president for a joint press conference, the last being in Helsinki in 2018, during a controversial event where Trump appeared to favor Russia over US intelligence on election interference.
When Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in 2021, he opted not to hold a joint press conference, instead addressing questions independently, a strategy designed to prevent Putin from controlling the narrative of their discussions.