Trump-Putin meeting: Ukraine war, tariffs and better cooperation dominate talks

Investing.com -- U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met in Alaska but came away without a breakthrough on ending the war in Ukraine, even as the U.S. president struck an optimistic tone.

Putin said agreements from his summit with Trump could be a platform for ending the war in Ukraine and rebuilding ties. He did not specify what the two sides had agreed, and the leaders took no questions at their joint news conference.

’10/10’

Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity he would rate the Alaska summit a “10” out of 10, saying “we got along great,” and predicted that Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would meet in the future.

“Now, it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” Trump said, noting that Washington and Moscow had found common ground on several issues but still faced “one or two pretty significant items” to resolve.

Speaking later at a news conference, Trump cautioned that the outcome remained uncertain. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he said.

While describing progress on key questions, he acknowledged, “We haven’t quite got there.” 

What Putin said about Ukraine and ties with the U.S.

Putin framed the Alaska meeting as a necessary reset after years of deterioration.

“As is known, Russian-American summits have not been held for more than four years. This is a long time," according to translation by Reuters.

"The past period was very difficult for bilateral relations. And, let’s be honest, they have slid to the lowest point since the Cold War. And this is not good for our countries, or the world as a whole. Obviously, sooner or later, it was necessary to correct the situation, to move from confrontation to dialogue. And in this regard, a personal meeting of the heads of the two states was really overdue."

He cast Ukraine as the central topic and stressed Russia’s security concerns.

"We see the desire of the U.S. administration and President Trump personally to facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, his desire to delve into the essence and understand its origins.”

“All of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored.”

Putin said he shared Trump’s stated goal on Ukrainian security. “I agree with President Trump — he spoke about this today — that Ukraine’s security must, without a doubt, be ensured. We are ready to work on this.”

He linked that to a broader normalization: “I expect that today’s agreements will become a reference point not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also launch the restoration of business-like, pragmatic relations between Russia and the United States.”

“I have every reason to believe that by moving along this path, we can reach an end to the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible.”

Putin flagged commercial openings if ties improve.

“Russia and the United States have something to offer each other in trade, energy, the digital sphere, high tech and space exploration. Cooperation in the Arctic, resumption of interregional contacts, including between our Far East and the American West Coast, also seem relevant...”

He said the two leaders had established “very good business-like and trusting contact."

“And I have every reason to believe that by moving along this path, we can - the quicker the better - reach an end to the conflict in Ukraine.”

Different reactions

Senior figures in Moscow quickly hailed the meeting. Andrei Klishas, a lawmaker from Putin’s United Russia party, said that “the meeting in Alaska confirmed Russia’s desire for peace, long-term and fair.”

He portrayed the summit as a coup for Russia and a loss for Ukraine and its European allies, who have been pushing for an unconditional ceasefire.

On the other hand, Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, criticized the framing he heard from Putin and urged continued pressure on Moscow.

“President Putin of Russia reiterated known arguments, such as emphasising the so-called ‘root causes’ of the war, which is code for the Russian justification for the illegal invasion of Ukraine."

"Our view is clear: it is important we must continue to put pressure on Russia, and even increase it, to give the clear signal to Russia that it must pay the price.”

Zelenskiy’s travel plans

The White House said Trump held a lengthy phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and then spoke to NATO and European leaders on his flight back to Washington.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined the call, as did NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to officials.

Leaders from Germany, Finland, Poland, Italy and Britain also participated, the European Commission said.

According to Axios, Trump spoke for more than an hour and a half with Zelenskiy and European leaders. Zelenskiy later said he would travel to Washington on Monday.

Energy and tariffs

Trump said he was not immediately considering retaliatory tariffs on countries such as China for buying Russian oil, though he left the door open to action.

“Well, because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity after the summit.

“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.”

China and India are the top two buyers of Russian oil. Trump has threatened sanctions on Moscow and secondary sanctions on countries that buy its crude if there is no movement to end the war in Ukraine.

He imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods last week, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil. He has not taken similar action against China.

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