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Vladimir Putin was smiling. Donald Trump was not.
When the leaders of Russia and the United States shook hands on stage after failing to reach a deal at their Alaska summit, President Trump had a look on his face that his four predecessors might have recognized: tired, annoyed, and worried. The path ahead was uncharted, and he uncharacteristically refused to take a single question from the reporters.
Hours later, however, Trump seemed revived. He jettisoned what until 24 hours earlier had been his first priority and a strategy supported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO allies. “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,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Which was exactly what Putin wanted all along. Zelenskyy would meet with him at the White House on August 18 to consider what happens next. The Ukrainian leader has consistently opposed peace talks without a ceasefire because it would give Russia a chance to press its battlefield advantage undeterred.
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There’s no wonder why Putin looked pleased in Alaska. The summit was a windfall for him, ending his isolation from the West since the Ukraine invasion with a red-carpet welcome and a rare ride in the back seat of the armored presidential limousine nicknamed “The Beast.” He looked delighted to be back on U.S. soil for the first time in a decade.
They spoke for about three hours before skipping a planned luncheon and economic meeting, instead heading to a news conference without questions. Afterward, the two leaders took separate cars back to the airfield.
The summit didn’t achieve what Trump said beforehand he wanted most: A ceasefire. In their statements afterwards, the word “ceasefire” wasn’t mentioned. Trump also had set a series of deadlines for Russia to agree to progress or face secondary sanctions. The most recent deadline passed on August 8, the day they agreed to meet in Alaska. After the summit, he didn’t mention the word “sanctions” either.
By the next morning, after all, a “mere Ceasefire Agreement” was no longer the goal.
No major promise Trump made during the 2024 campaign has proved harder to deliver than his assurance that he could settle the grinding war in Ukraine on his first day in office. Despite Trump’s move from friendly entreaties to undefined threats of “very severe consequences,” Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s armed forces and its civilians have not abated.
“So there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump told the expectant audience, an unhappy admission from a self-described master negotiator who titled his first book “The Art of the Deal.” The flummox that showed on Trump’s face at the August 15 news conference would have been familiar to Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and George W. Bush, all of whom have struggled with Putin.
Those are not the adjectives presidents have used about Putin since then.
That said, Trump’s tone toward Putin remained chummy − calling him “Vladimir” − even after the summit failed to reach the goals he had set beforehand. “We got along great,” he told Fox News. “I always had a great relationship with President Putin.”
The summit was a windfall for Putin, ending his isolation from the West since the Ukraine invasion with a red-carpet welcome and a rare ride in the back seat of the armored presidential limousine, nicknamed “The Beast.” The Russian leader looked delighted to be back on U.S. soil for the first time in a decade.
There’s no wonder why Putin looked pleased in Alaska. The summit was a windfall for him, bringing an end to his isolation from the West with a red-carpet welcome and a rare ride in “The Beast.” The Russian leader appeared relaxed enough to tease about their next meeting in Moscow − speaking in English, so no one would miss the point.
Hours after Air Force One landed back in Washington, Trump seemed revived. He jettisoned his previous strategy of pursuing a ceasefire agreement and embraced a new approach for peace: directly negotiating a Peace Agreement that would end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump announced that Volodymyr Zelenskyy would meet with him at the White House on August 18 to discuss this plan.
Trump’s fear is a replay of the last time Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office, in February. He was berated by President Trump and Vice President JD Vance for insufficient gratitude toward the United States for its help and for standing in the way of a peace agreement with Russia.
The summit didn’t achieve what Trump said beforehand he wanted most: A ceasefire. In their statements afterwards, the word “ceasefire” wasn’t mentioned. Trump also had set a series of deadlines for Russia to agree to progress or face secondary sanctions. The most recent deadline passed on August 8, the day they agreed to meet in Alaska. After the summit, he didn’t mention the word “sanctions” either.
By the next morning, all that remained was a “mere Ceasefire Agreement.” Trump admitted there was no deal until there was one. This admission came from a self-described master negotiator who titled his first book “The Art of the Deal.”
Despite the declaration “PURSUING PEACE” on the blue backdrop behind the two men, the summit ended with no clear agreement. Trump’s tone toward Putin remained chummy − calling him “Vladimir” − even after the summit failed to reach the goals he had set beforehand. “We got along great,” he told Fox News. “I always had a great relationship with President Putin.”
The flummoxed look on Trump’s face at the news conference would have been familiar to past presidents who dealt with Putin, such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and George W. Bush. Each of these presidents has used different adjectives when describing their interactions with Putin.
In the end, the Alaska summit was a mix of Trump’s flip from friendly entreaties to undefined threats of “very severe consequences” and Putin’s relaxed demeanor. While Trump seemed revived after the summit, the path ahead remains uncharted.
