Trump-Putin Summit Concludes Without Ukraine Ceasefire, Zelensky Heads to Washington

Washington D.C. / Anchorage, Alaska – 16 August 2025 – A highly anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska concluded without any agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine. The summit, held in Anchorage, Alaska, on 15 August 2025, lasted for nearly three hours. Despite the length of the talks, both leaders declined to answer journalists' questions at a press conference.

Following the meeting, President Trump delivered a brief, three-minute statement to reporters, asserting that his team had made "great progress" but had "not yet reached a full conclusion". He emphasised that "An agreement is only an agreement when it is signed". Russian President Putin's address was reportedly three times longer than Trump's. Putin expressed gratitude to Trump for the "pleasant style of negotiations" and stated his "sincere interest in stopping the war," but insisted that "all initial causes must first be eliminated". Putin also suggested that had Donald Trump been the US President in 2022, the war would not have begun at all.

The choice of Alaska for the summit was significant due to its geographical position, being roughly equidistant from Washington and Moscow, which facilitated logistics. Former US diplomat Bill Courtney highlighted this advantage. Additionally, security was a major factor, as Alaska is the 48th most populous US state, making it easier to control security compared to other locations. Matthew Schmidt, a professor at New Haven University, noted the symbolic victory for Putin in holding the summit on land that was once Russian territory. The International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant against Putin for war crimes also made holding the summit in a third country difficult, as 125 states are ICC members and would be obliged to arrest him if he entered their territory. The US, however, is not a party to the ICC.

A notable moment during the summit was President Trump personally handing Putin a letter from First Lady Melania Trump concerning the situation of children in Ukraine and Russia. While specific details were not disclosed, officials confirmed that the letter addressed the issue of children abducted from Ukraine by Russia. The International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on 17 March 2023, related to the illegal deportation of children from occupied Ukrainian territories.

Zelensky's Exclusion and Impending Washington Visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not present at the initial Trump-Putin talks. Trump had indicated that a second meeting, involving Zelensky, could take place if the preliminary talks were successful. Following the Putin meeting, the Ukrainian Presidential Administration confirmed that Trump and Zelensky had a lengthy call, which was later joined by European leaders.

Zelensky is now set to hold talks with President Trump in Washington on Monday, 18 August. He expressed his gratitude for the invitation via his Telegram page. Zelensky has consistently rejected the notion of territorial concessions, a stance that has caused concern in Kyiv following Trump's comments about potential "sharing" of territories between Putin and Zelensky. Ukraine insists that decisions made without its participation would be meaningless. Ukrainian officials hope that Trump and Putin will not agree to anything unacceptable to Kyiv, as this could portray Ukraine as an obstacle to peace.

Russia's Warnings to Azerbaijan Over Ukraine Aid

Concurrently, Russia has issued strong warnings to Azerbaijan regarding its support for Ukraine. Aleksei Fadeev, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that if Baku were to "lift the arms embargo for selling to Ukraine it will only worsen the situation". He emphasised that Russia's position on supplying weapons to Ukraine is "well known to Azerbaijan". Fadeev added that such actions do not contribute to a peaceful settlement and would further complicate the situation.

This warning comes amidst reports in Azerbaijani pro-government media, specifically Caliber, citing anonymous sources who suggested that Baku might consider lifting its arms embargo on Ukraine if Russia continues its "aggressive policy against Azerbaijan's interests," particularly after a Russian attack on an Azerbaijani petrol depot in Odesa Oblast.

Azerbaijan has already provided significant humanitarian aid to Ukraine, with a decree by President Aliyev allocating $2 million for the Ukrainian energy sector to purchase and ship electrical equipment produced in Azerbaijan. This contribution is part of Ukraine's total humanitarian aid from Azerbaijan, which has exceeded $44 million.

The aid prompted strong reactions from the Russian side. Russian MP Andrei Gurulyov, via his Telegram channel, stated that Russia "may impose a ban on imports of Azerbaijani goods" in response to Baku's decision. He warned that this would "change a lot" for Azerbaijan, hinting at possible detention of Azerbaijani businesspersons in Russia and suggesting that Russia's "special military operation" is a "flexible concept, including along the entire [Russian] border". Azerbaijani media viewed this as an "open Russian military threat". While Gurulyov later denied threatening Azerbaijan, he reiterated his point about mountainous terrain by referencing Chechnya. Top Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov also weighed in, claiming a new "special military operation" might be necessary to prevent a NATO base from being established on the Caspian Sea, calling it "so dangerous" geopolitically. Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabayov responded to Gurulyov by noting that the geographic conditions of the Great Caucasus Mountains make military actions against Azerbaijan "practically impossible".

Current Battlefield Situation and Future Prospects

On the ground, Russia currently occupies approximately one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, or 114,500 square kilometres. The front line stretches for about a thousand kilometres across the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Both sides continue to sustain heavy casualties, with Russia recently making significant advances in eastern Ukraine around Toretsk and Pokrovsk.

Looking ahead, Trump has suggested that a follow-up trilateral meeting could happen soon, potentially still in Alaska. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has outlined conditions for lasting peace, including discussions on security guarantees and territorial disputes. However, Russia continues to insist on resolving the conflict's "root causes," which, in Kremlin terminology, includes eliminating Ukraine's NATO aspirations and effectively disarming its military. The conflicting objectives of both sides suggest that peace will not be achieved quickly or easily.

European leaders have consistently stressed that peace in Ukraine cannot be resolved without Ukraine's involvement, stating that "the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be solved without Ukraine". The UK has also affirmed its unwavering support for Ukraine, emphasizing that international borders should not be changed by force and that Ukraine must have "firm and reliable security guarantees" for its territorial integrity as part of any agreement.