US President Donald John Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin failed to reach a final solution on Ukraine ceasefire during their meeting that lasted for nearly three hours in Anchorage, Alaska on August 15, 2025. At the end of the meeting that started with a handshake, a smile and a ride in the presidential limousine (an unusually warm reception for a US adversary responsible for launching the largest land war in Europe since 1945), the US President said that the discussions were “very productive“, adding that “a considerable number of agreements” had been reached. However, he reiterated his familiar stance, stating: “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.“

President Trump informed the press that he would have to discuss the Peace Agreement with Ukraine and NATO member-countries before holding a second round of talks with President Putin. He claimed that there would be an opportunity to move forward based on the outcome of his meeting with the Russian President, although they made no decisions on some issues. “We are hopeful that we will be able to reach a solution very soon,” added the US President.

For his part, the Russian President stressed that the things which triggered the conflict must be removed first to stop the war. He also expressed hope that his meeting with President Trump would strengthen the US-Russia relations. Speaking at a press conference, President Putin said that neither the Russians nor the Ukrainians would obstruct the peace process. At the same time, he expressed hope that “the Ukrainians and Europeans choose to not throw a wrench in” the peace process. Describing his meeting with President Trump as constructive, the Russian strongman stated that they also discussed important bilateral issues in Anchorage.

Moscow had previously hinted that President Putin might propose land swapping as a condition for a ceasefire (with Ukraine) during his meeting with President Trump. In Anchorage, the two leaders confirmed that they would meet at least once more to reach a permanent and lasting solution. Earlier, President Trump had claimed that the August 15 meeting would not result in a permanent solution and the second meeting would be a crucial one.

Interestingly, President Putin announced that his next meeting with the US President would be held in Moscow. According to political analysts, the Russian President’s “Next time in Moscow” statement has signalled his willingness to continue diplomatic engagements with President Trump, potentially inviting the next meeting to be held on Russian soil.

As President Trump and President Putin departed Anchorage, the global community expressed hope that their engagement would translate into lasting progress. However, President Putin’s warm red-carpet welcome in Alaska has got a cold reaction in Ukraine. “Red carpets and this level of ceremony are normal at international events, but in this case – for an aggressor responsible for the deaths of millions – it should not have happened,” the BBC quoted Maria Drachova, a 40-year-old lawyer from Kiev, as saying. She also said: “The rational world is behaving irrationally by giving him this welcome.“

It may be noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on May 14 to meet German Chancellor Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz. Later, he held a virtual meeting with President Trump in the presence of Chancellor Merz. French President Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron, President of the European Council António Luís Santos da Costa and other European leaders also attended the virtual meeting that took place ahead of the Alaska Summit. Reports suggest that President Zelenskyy would visit President Trump in Washington DC on August 18, 2025 to discuss ending the war.

President Trump had promised to stop the Russia-Ukraine War during the US Presidential Election in October 2024. Later, he discussed the issue with President Putin over phone, but failed to resolve the crisis. He arrived in Alaska on August 15 with that goal in mind.

Interestingly, the Wall Street Journal has claimed that President Putin went to Alaska with a completely different plan as he wants Russia to maintain its dominance over Ukraine. He also wants to maintain cordial relations with President Trump, simultaneously. It seems that the Russian President has achieved what he wanted at the Alaska Summit, with the US President shifting his position on the Ukraine ceasefire after meeting his Russian counterpart. President Trump, who previously said that he would not be happy leaving Alaska without a ceasefire, has insisted that negotiating a permanent peace agreement is the best way to end the war in Ukraine, rather than a temporary ceasefire that “often times do not hold up“.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das