US President Trump, Russian President Putin meet in Alaska (ANSA)
Zelenskyy heads to Washington as Trump-Putin Summit ends
without concrete peace plan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will travel
to Washington on Monday for talks with U.S. President Donald J. Trump,
following the U.S.–Russia summit in Alaska that raised hopes but delivered few
details on ending the war in Ukraine.
By Stefan J. Bos
President Zelenskyy confirmed on the social media platform X
that he would meet Trump to, in his words, “discuss all of the details
regarding ending the killing and the war,” adding, “I am grateful for the
invitation.”
The Ukrainian leader stressed that peace must be “real and
lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions.”
He also demanded the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war
and civilians, along with the return of children abducted by Russia. “All of
them must come home,” he wrote.
President Zelenskyy’s announcement came after Trump and
Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Friday at Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson, a U.S. military facility in Anchorage.
A red carpet and military flyover set the scene as
both men greeted each other on the tarmac under the banner “ALASKA 2025.”
Fighter jets and a B-2 stealth bomber roared overhead, a show of U.S. military
might that even drew a glance from President Putin.
Although the summit was rich in symbolism, it offered few
concrete steps. Trump later said the leaders had agreed to work toward a “Peace
Agreement” rather than a mere ceasefire.
Speaking to Fox News television before leaving Anchorage,
Trump said a meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy
would be arranged by the two countries and that he would attend. “Ukraine has
to agree. President Zelenskyy has to agree,” Trump said.
“But it is a terrible war where he is losing a lot. And both
of them are. And hopefully it can be completed. That would be a great
achievement for them. Forget about me. For them. And you save 7,000 lives a
week—that’s a lot,” he added.
Yet, President Putin has refused to surrender annexed
territories or accept Ukraine’s stated goals of joining the NATO military
alliance and the European Union.
However, he suggested Russia was prepared to work on
unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine.
Through an interpreter, President Putin said: “We see
the striving of the administration and President Trump personally to help
facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, and his striving to get to
the crux of the matter is precious. As I’ve said, the situation in Ukraine has
to do with fundamental threats to our security.”
He also claimed that Russia “always considered the Ukrainian
nation a brotherly nation. How strange it may sound in these conditions. We
have the same roots, and everything that’s happening is a tragedy for us, a
terrible wound. Therefore, the country is sincerely interested in putting an
end to it.”
President Trump also revealed that he hopes to meet
Putin again soon. That led to an unexpected exchange, when President Putin
interrupted Trump’s closing remarks to suggest: “Next time in Moscow.”
Trump laughed, replying: “Ooh… that’s an interesting one. I
don’t know, I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I can see it possibly
happening. Thank you very much, Vladimir.”
European leaders, including the heads of France, Italy,
Germany, Britain, Finland, Poland, and the presidents of the European
Commission and European Council, welcomed Trump’s involvement but insisted
further talks must include Ukraine’s president.
“As President Trump said, ‘there’s no deal until there’s a
deal,’” they wrote in a joint statement. “It will be up to Ukraine to make
decisions on its territory.”
They added that Russia “cannot have a veto against Ukraine’s
pathway to EU and NATO,” and that “no limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s
armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries.”
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