What Kremlin head Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed in the back seat of the US presidential limousine during a short trip to their longest official meeting will likely remain a mystery, Bloomberg writes, according to UNN.
Details
As the publication notes, the two presidents did not say much after the inconclusive summit in Alaska – most importantly, they did not mention a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine, which was Trump's stated goal when he entered the negotiations. Their meeting, it is stated, ended with one of the shortest press conferences Trump has ever held.
"The long-awaited event surprised with the absence of fireworks and the unusual restraint of the free president, whom Putin overshadowed in Helsinki seven years ago," the publication notes. This time, they did not answer questions from the crowded hall of journalists in Anchorage, "leaving them to ponder the details of an intriguing deal that the pair mentioned but kept secret."
"The fear was that Ukraine would be sold out. The implication was that Trump planned, returning to Washington on Air Force One, to deliver a message that Kyiv and European allies did not want to hear," the publication says.
"I'm going to make a few phone calls and tell them what happened, but we had an extremely productive meeting," Trump said. "Many points were agreed upon. Very little is left. Some are not that important, one is probably the most important, but we have a very good chance of achieving the goal. We have not achieved the goal, but we have a very good chance of achieving it."
"For now, Ukraine's worst fears have not materialized - Trump revealed nothing, at least publicly. But these sentiments could quickly change over the weekend as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy begins to piece together what Trump and Putin discussed during this nearly 3-hour meeting," the publication noted.
"What exactly were the unresolved issues?" the publication asks.
There were many hints of Russia's satisfaction. Putin, as the publication writes, took the initiative, speaking first at the podium with Trump, which is usually the privilege of the host.
The Russian leader spoke about the "mutual understanding" they had reached with Trump, which, he said, could even open the door to ending the war he started.
Then Putin issued a warning. "We expect Kyiv and European capitals to take all this constructively and not create any obstacles, not try to disrupt the planned progress with provocations or behind-the-scenes intrigues," he said.
The interview Trump then gave to Sean Hannity of Fox News brought little comfort to Ukraine, in which he directly passed the ball to Zelenskyy to "get it done." He said he might be at a meeting between the Ukrainian leader and Putin, but gave no full commitment, and still provided no details about what was discussed.
Trump after meeting with Putin: "Now everything depends on Zelenskyy"16.08.25, 04:33 • [views_91935]
"There are one or two pretty important points, but I think they can be achieved," Trump said. "It really depends on President Zelenskyy to do it. And I would also say that European countries should get a little involved."
John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, said Trump might well tell his allies to "keep quiet" once he informs them of the secret details of his meeting with Putin. It will be difficult for them to do so, especially if the UK, France, and Germany conclude that Ukraine is about to be told to accept a bad deal, the publication writes.
"We are in the early stages of a poker game," said Benjamin Jensen, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Department of Defense and Security, on Bloomberg Television.
"By inviting the Russian president to American soil and granting him an audience, Trump has already secured a diplomatic victory for a strong leader who became an international pariah for ordering a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Putin, by all accounts, conceded nothing in return," the publication says.
"Trump spoke of a big game ahead of the summit, saying he would instantly know if Putin was serious and that he would not hesitate to leave if not convinced. In the end, he walked the red carpet - not always in a straight line - and clapped when the lively Putin came up to shake his hand," the publication indicates.
As the publication writes, "perhaps having learned the lessons of previous meetings when they were left unsupervised, without assistants and secretaries, the White House announced that this time Putin and Trump would be joined by their high-ranking assistants."
And yet, minutes after the two leaders descended from the runway, Putin was seen beaming from inside "The Beast," as the armored limousine is called, sitting alone with Trump, the publication writes.
The US president looked solicitous of his guest, urging Putin to go ahead as they descended from the podium in front of reporters. The Russian leader emphasized that he could not hear the questions being asked of him.
"President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?" one reporter shouted. Putin raised his hand to his ear but did not answer.
"Those private 10 minutes were all it took for Putin to feel that the flight across the Bering Strait was worth it," the publication notes.
He was in Alaska, a US state that the Russian tsar sold to the Americans more than 150 years ago, for about as long as the flight itself: four hours. His pool reporters were treated to "chicken Kyiv" on the way, the publication writes.
As the publication indicates, Putin's veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov played his part, arriving in Anchorage in jeans and a white sweater with "USSR" written in black Cyrillic letters. Earlier that day, Trump emphasized that he had consulted with Belarusian autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenka, the publication notes.
This was an alarming signal for many traditional US allies. Lukashenka, whom the Republican administration of President George W. Bush called "Europe's last dictator," is Putin's closest ally and is under international sanctions, including from the US. None of this seemed to bother Trump, who said they had a great conversation, the publication writes.
Putin in Anchorage spared no flattery, paying special attention to relations with the US as Russia's neighbor, separated by only a few kilometers of water across the Bering Strait.
"When we met, got off the planes, I said: 'Good day, dear neighbor, very nice to see you alive and well.' And that sounds very neighborly, in my opinion, good," he told the assembled journalists. "We are close neighbors, that's a fact."
"He made little mention of the Ukrainian neighbor that Russia invaded," the publication says.
"On a day marked by memorable images, though ultimately shrouded in mystery, came a telling moment of clarity. Putin, who has been in power for more than a quarter-century, has studied English but rarely ventures to speak it publicly," the publication noted.
Even before he landed in Alaska, as the publication writes, it was clear that Putin was already preparing for another meeting with Trump, this time on Russian soil. Just as he opened the briefing for journalists, he also found a way to end it.
"Next time in Moscow," Putin suggested in English.
"Oh, that's interesting," Trump replied. "I'll get a little criticism, but I can imagine that's possible."