The summit in Alaska between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump ended this Friday, two hours and 45 minutes after it began, without a ceasefire agreement or the additional sanctions that the Republican had promised to impose if hostilities continued, although both described their meeting as 'productive' and 'useful'.
The anticipated press conference was a disappointment for journalists, as Putin and Trump limited themselves to making a brief statement and did not take questions.
Putin and Trump talked about progress, but did not mention any. It is unclear whether they chose not to reveal those 'understandings' because, for them to materialize, Trump has to inform his partners in Europe and the Ukrainian government, or if they are not yet sufficiently relevant. The Republican magnate tried to explain it unsuccessfully, saying that 'we achieved progress', but 'we need to agree on some important points'.
The Russian head of state dedicated a large part of his intervention to praising his counterpart, whom he once again thanked for his efforts to end the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Putin emphasized that he also wants to end the war, which he described as a 'tragedy and pain', with the 'brotherly Ukrainian people', but reiterated that, to achieve a lasting political settlement in Ukraine, it is necessary to eliminate what he calls the 'underlying causes' of the conflict and address all of Russia's security concerns. In other words, he made no concessions to Trump and reiterated his conditions for the unconditional capitulation of Ukraine.
The occupant of the White House, without the characteristic euphoria, also did not insist publicly on the need to declare an immediate ceasefire and only lamented that every week 'thousands of people die'. Referring to a possible agreement for a cessation of hostilities, he acknowledged that 'we haven't gotten there, but the chance is high. For now, it has not materialized, we do not have a deal.' He added that 'we agreed on many points, on others we did not', without specifying what he was talking about.
