“Very frank, substantive”: Putin hails Alaska summit with Trump as useful, eyes path to peace in Ukraine
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday described his Alaska visit as “timely and extremely useful,” during a televised meeting with senior Kremlin officials, calling his talks with former US President Donald Trump an important step in seeking peace.
“We have not had direct negotiations of this kind at this level for a long time,” Putin said, stressing that Moscow was able “to calmly and in detail reiterate our position.”
He further remarked: “The conversation was very frank, substantive and, in my opinion, brings us closer to the necessary decisions,” according to AFP.
The Alaska meeting on Friday — the first US-Russia summit since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022 — lasted three hours but ended without a ceasefire.
Trump, speaking afterward, said he now wanted a “rapid, full-fledged peace deal,” urging Kyiv to accept that “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not.”
His comments drew sharp reactions in Ukraine, where leaders fear Washington’s pressure may force compromises on core national interests.
Zelenskyy heads to Washington amid pressure
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington on Monday in the wake of the Alaska talks, facing mounting pressure from the US to agree to a swift resolution with Russia.
His visit follows a bruising round of diplomacy earlier this year, when his Oval Office meeting with Trump turned tense.
According to Reuters, Trump had conveyed that Putin was willing to freeze the front lines if Ukraine agreed to withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk.
Zelenskyy rejected the proposal, calling it impossible to surrender internationally recognised Ukrainian territory.
Despite his firm stance, Zelenskyy has also indicated readiness to meet Putin directly.
Russia’s war, launched on February 24, 2022, has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and razed entire regions of Ukraine.
The Alaska summit, which caught Kyiv off guard, underscored the difficult choices Ukraine faces as it seeks to defend its sovereignty while relying on continued Western support.
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