"Great progress," but still no agreement on Ukraine and no mention of the ceasefire or sanctions threatened for weeks. Donald Trump summed up his nearly three-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin that took place in Alaska last night: "There's no deal until there's an agreement." ( LIVE ).

Zelensky: "I'll meet with Trump on Monday."

"I will meet with President Trump in Washington, DC, on Monday to discuss all the details related to ending the killings and the war. I am grateful for the invitation," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X after being briefed by the US president on the outcome of the summit with Putin in Alaska. " We support President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. Ukraine emphasizes that key issues can be discussed at the leader level and that a trilateral format is suitable for this purpose," Zelensky added. " Ukraine reiterates its willingness to work with maximum commitment to achieve peace . President Trump informed me of his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion. It is important that America's strength has an impact on the evolution of the situation."

Red carpets and applause

What immediately stood out was the warm, friendly welcome given to the Kremlin leader, a far cry from the treatment he received a few months ago in the Oval Office with Zelensky. A red carpet was laid out for the tsar on the airport tarmac, and Trump himself applauded him, shook his hand, and then, in an unprecedented move, welcomed him into his presidential limousine , "The Beast," for the short ride from the military base to the official meeting location. Ten minutes of true face-to-face time, during which the two leaders were completely alone, without even translators.

The three-hour summit

The official meeting, which saw them both accompanied by small delegations, lasted nearly three hours. At the end, they appeared before what was supposed to be a press conference, both speaking of "progress" and "agreements," but without providing any details about their conversation . And above all, they did not take questions from journalists. Neither of them ever mentioned the word truce from the stage, despite Trump having said before arriving in Anchorage that he would push for an immediate ceasefire : "I won't be happy if it's not today," he explained. Putin described the meeting as "constructive and useful," calling the war in Ukraine a "tragedy" and agreeing with Trump that "Ukraine's security must be guaranteed."

The press conference

The tsar—who, breaking protocol, opened the press conference despite not being the host and spoke for eight minutes, twice as long as Trump —repeatedly referred to "agreements" reached but without going into detail: the agreed-upon agreements "should be the starting point," he said. He added that he hoped Ukraine and Europe "would not hinder peace efforts." The Kremlin leader then invited Trump to Russia: "Next time, we'll see each other in Moscow," he said, thus emphasizing the good relations with the White House tenant and, experts note, his reinstatement on the international stage after being welcomed into the United States. "We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed upon. Only a few remain. Some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there ," Trump said.

The interview with Fox News

Immediately after the meeting, the president gave an interview to Fox News: "I want people to stop dying in Ukraine," but "now it's up to Zelensky and the Europeans," he added. "Putin has spoken very sincerely about his desire to end the war in Ukraine," and "to Zelensky, I say, 'Make a deal.'" Here, finally, the reference to the trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky: "It will happen very soon, and they both want me to participate; I'll be there."

The UN: "Constructive dialogue"

Among the initial international reactions was the official one from the United Nations: "We have taken note of Friday's summit in Alaska between the US and Russian Presidents. We welcome the continuation of the constructive dialogue between Member States ," UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric, spokesman, told TASS. The UN reiterates its call for an "immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire, as a first step towards a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine, which fully respects its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, within internationally recognized borders, in line with the United Nations Charter, international law, and UN resolutions. The United Nations stands ready to support all efforts to this end."

(Unioneonline/D)

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