Trump and Putin Meet in Alaska Amid Uncertain Prospects for Ukraine Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held high-stakes talks in Alaska on Friday, with hopes of securing a Ukraine ceasefire hanging in the balance. While expectations for a breakthrough remain uncertain, Putin arrived with a last-minute proposal for a potential nuclear arms agreement — an offer that could provide both leaders with a face-saving diplomatic achievement.

The meeting, staged at a Cold War-era air force base and marking the pair’s first face-to-face engagement since Trump’s return to the White House, comes amid heightened concern in Kyiv and across Europe that Washington might strike a deal detrimental to Ukraine’s interests.

Trump, who once claimed he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” conceded on Thursday that the three-and-a-half-year conflict had proven far more intractable than anticipated. He suggested that if discussions with Putin proved productive, arranging a subsequent three-way summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy — notably excluded from Friday’s talks — would be a critical next step.

The U.S. president is pushing for a truce that could enhance his standing as a global peacemaker and bolster his case for the Nobel Peace Prize, a prospect he has openly pursued.

Kyiv Seeks Assurances
Ukraine and its European partners took some comfort from a Wednesday conference call in which Trump reportedly affirmed that Kyiv must be part of any negotiations involving territorial concessions. Zelenskiy later said Trump also backed the concept of security guarantees in a post-war settlement, though the U.S. leader has not mentioned these publicly. This assurance helped ease fears of a bilateral Trump-Putin accord that would sideline Ukraine and force major compromises.

Putin Seeks Sanctions Relief
For Putin, whose war economy is feeling the strain of sustained Western sanctions, Friday’s talks offer an opportunity to secure relief — or at least avoid further punitive measures, which Trump has threatened. On the eve of the meeting, the Kremlin leader dangled the prospect of a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last remaining treaty, set to expire in February.

Trump said on Thursday he believed Putin would “do a deal” on Ukraine, though his tone on the likelihood of success has varied. Putin, for his part, praised what he described as Washington’s “sincere efforts” to end the war. A Kremlin source told Reuters that preliminary common ground may have been reached, saying: “Apparently, some terms will be agreed upon tomorrow because Trump cannot be refused, and we are not in a position to refuse due to sanctions pressure.”

Complex Path to a Ceasefire
Putin has set strict conditions for a full ceasefire, but one potential compromise could involve a phased suspension of the air war. Analysts warn, however, that such an arrangement could allow Moscow to retain the option of escalating hostilities at will. “If the Russians can put forward a deal that creates a ceasefire but leaves them in control of the escalatory dynamics… that would be a wonderful outcome from Putin’s perspective,” said Sam Greene, Director of Democratic Resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Territorial Disputes Remain Central
Trump has floated the idea of land transfers between Russia and Ukraine as a means of breaking the stalemate — a proposal Zelenskiy has firmly rejected, calling Putin’s overtures a bluff designed to buy time and avert tougher U.S. sanctions.

Russian forces currently control nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory, and Putin has made it clear that his objectives include full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. He also demands that NATO membership be permanently ruled out for Kyiv and that limits be placed on the size of Ukraine’s military.

Kyiv has dismissed these terms as unacceptable and tantamount to capitulation. With both sides holding firm, the Alaska summit could set the tone for either renewed diplomatic engagement or a continued deadlock.