Trump faces setbacks in his talks with Putin because no ceasefire was agreed upon in Alaska.
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| Donald Trump meets with Putin and hand shaked |
President Donald Trump arrived at a summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin hoping for a ceasefire deal. He threatened severe consequences and tough new sanctions if Putin did not agree to stop the fighting in Ukraine.
In a surprising turn, Trump dropped his demand for a ceasefire and instead pushed for a complete peace agreement, which matched Putin's position.
Following discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, Trump stated in a message while flying home from Friday's meeting in Alaska that everyone agreed the best way to end the brutal war between Russia and Ukraine is to pursue a Peace Agreement. He emphasized that a ceasefire often fails to hold.
This shift highlighted the difficulties in dealing with Putin, a savvy opponent, and revealed the complexities of a conflict Trump had claimed he could resolve in just 24 hours during his campaign.
Few specifics have come out about their discussions or the progress they both claimed to achieve. The White House did not respond Saturday to requests for comment.
While European leaders felt relieved that Trump did not agree to terms that would give up territory or favor Moscow, the summit allowed Putin to reestablish his international status. It may have also given Russia more time to advance its military actions in Ukraine.
We're back to where we were before without him having gone to Alaska, said Fiona Hill, who was Trump's senior adviser on Russia at the National Security Council during his first term. This included when he last met Putin in Helsinki in 2018.
In an interview, Hill argued that Trump left the meeting in a weaker position on the world stage due to his reversal. Other leaders might now see the US president as less powerful than he believes, she said, and certainly not the master negotiator he claims to be.
Throughout the process, Trump was sure he had amazing persuasive skills," she noted, "but he left the meeting without a ceasefire—the one thing he had been advocating for, even after treating the Russian leader like a guest of honor.
Trump faces a strong challenge from Putin, who does not seek anything from him except continued control over Ukraine, she added.
At home, Democrats reacted with concern over what seemed at times to be a day of submission. Trump applauded Putin as he walked down a red carpet during an elaborate ceremony welcoming him to the US for the first time in a decade. The two shared a ride in the presidential limousine and exchanged pleasantries.
Trump appeared to take pleasure in Putin supporting his repeated claim that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Trump had been in office instead of Democrat Joe Biden.
Before the cameras, Trump did not take the chance to criticize Putin for launching the largest ground invasion in Europe since World War II or for committing human rights abuses. Instead, Putin spoke first and invited Trump to Moscow next.
President Trump seems to have been played by Vladimir Putin once again, said Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The President welcomed a murderous dictator on American soil, and reports suggest he gained nothing concrete in return.
Enough is enough, she continued. If President Trump won't take action, then Congress must step up decisively with serious sanctions when we return in the coming weeks.
Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, affirmed that he supports diplomacy but stressed that peacemaking must be responsible.
Instead of yielding to Putin, the US should work with our allies to impose tough, targeted sanctions on Russia to increase economic pressure, he said.
In Washington, Trump's allies have reacted cautiously. Republican lawmakers who spoke out were largely reserved, mostly calling for ongoing discussions and positive actions from the Trump administration.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, commented on social media after the summit that while the press conference provided few details about their meeting, she was cautiously optimistic about the signals that some level of progress was made.
Murkowski emphasized that any negotiated settlement must involve Ukraine and require its consent.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and a close ally of Trump, expressed pride in Trump for having the face-to-face meeting. He also felt cautiously optimistic that the war might end well before Christmas if a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and Putin takes place.
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