The much-awaited summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump finally took place in Alaska on Friday, August 15. Yet, after weeks of speculation and global anticipation, the meeting ended with no breakthrough and no agreement on the Russia-Ukraine war. What stood out most was the unusual friendliness between the two leaders, a striking contrast to the harsh language Trump has often used when speaking about Russia. Despite his repeated threats of new sanctions, the meeting was marked more by warmth than confrontation.

Observers were particularly surprised because Trump has consistently used an aggressive tone on Russia. He has threatened Moscow with penalties if it did not agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine. But this time, he welcomed Putin with visible warmth, something the world did not expect. Since returning to office, Trump has been pushing the idea that he can bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end. One of his most famous promises after assuming office was that he could stop the war within just 24 hours.

Ahead of the Alaska meeting, Trump warned he would impose sanctions on Russia if it did not end its conflict with Ukraine before Friday. Although he did not give details, he had earlier threatened Russia’s trading partners, including India and China, with additional tariffs. In fact, the White House had already placed 25% punitive tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. But even after six months of Trump’s presidency, the war has not ended. Now, after this meeting, whatever little hope there was of a US-brokered ceasefire seems to have completely faded.

Trump Describes the Meeting as “Extremely Successful”

The two leaders met for more than two hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. When they finally appeared before the media, it was expected to be a press conference. However, neither Trump nor Putin took any questions.

Speaking afterwards, Trump chose his usual superlatives. He called the meeting “extremely productive”, even though there were no concrete announcements. “We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to; there are just a very few that are left. We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there,” Trump said. His tone was noticeably softer than before, lacking the aggression he normally displays when speaking of Russia.

Putin also gave a carefully worded statement. He warned Ukraine and European nations “not [to] create any obstacles” and not to “make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues.” The Russian President expressed guarded optimism: “We hope that the understanding we have reached will… pave the way for peace in Ukraine.”

Ukraine Absent from the Meeting That Was Supposed to End the Conflict

One of the most surprising aspects of the summit was that Ukraine itself was not included. Although the summit was advertised as a possible step toward peace, the country at the center of the war did not even have a seat at the table. That naturally raised serious questions: how could peace be negotiated when one of the key parties was missing?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already pointed out this concern before the Alaska summit. He said the only real path to peace was for all three sides—Ukraine, Russia, and the United States—to sit together. “Russia must end the war that it itself started and has been dragging out for years. The killings must stop. A meeting of leaders is needed – at the very least, Ukraine, America, and the Russian side – and it is precisely in such a format that effective decisions are possible. Security guarantees are needed. Lasting peace is needed. Everyone knows the key objectives. I want to thank everyone who is helping to achieve real results,” Zelensky said.

Trump, who has often spoken about deserving the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering peace worldwide, was aiming for another achievement with this summit. But after the meeting produced no results, he quickly shifted the responsibility onto Ukraine. He even rated his meeting with Putin “10/10”, while saying, “Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done. And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it’s up to President Zelensky.” (quoted by Fox News).

For India, there may be a small short-term relief. Trump said after the summit that he would not immediately impose secondary tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, such as India. But he added a warning: “Now, I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now. I think, you know, the meeting went very well.”