All eyes have been on Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for pivotal talks over the way forward for the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine—with out their Ukrainian counterpart on the desk.
Within the days main as much as the summit, Trump appeared to downplay expectations for the talks and any potential diplomatic breakthroughs. However he struck a harder tone hours forward of the talks, telling reporters aboard Air Pressure One: “I wish to see a cease-fire quickly. I don’t know if it’s going to be as we speak, however I’m not going to be blissful if it’s not as we speak.”
As soon as in Anchorage, the 2 leaders appeared cozy, with Trump actually rolling out a crimson carpet for the Russian chief and even permitting him to trip in Trump’s presidential limousine, often known as the “Beast.” The nice and cozy reception stood in sharp distinction to the fiery and hostile trade that occurred when Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the White Home in February.
Whereas Trump and Putin have been initially anticipated to satisfy for one-on-one talks, the 2 leaders have been in the end accompanied by a number of high advisors in a last-minute change of plans. Trump was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White Home envoy Steve Witkoff, whereas Putin introduced Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov. The group met for two hours and 45 minutes, in line with the Kremlin.
However even after a press convention with each leaders afterward, it’s not fully clear what the 2 leaders agreed to, if something. “There’s no deal till there’s a deal,” Trump mentioned, later including: “We didn’t get there, however we’ve got an excellent probability of getting there.”
Beneath is the complete rush transcript of Trump and Putin’s press convention.
Vladimir Putin: Mr. President, girls and gents. Our negotiations have been held in a constructive ambiance of mutual respect. We had very thorough negotiations that have been fairly helpful. I wish to thank as soon as once more my American counterpart for the proposal to journey out right here to Alaska. It solely is sensible that we’ve met right here as a result of our international locations, although separated by the oceans, are shut neighbors. So after we met, once I got here out of the aircraft and I mentioned, “Good afternoon, expensive neighbor, excellent to see you in good well being and to see you alive,” I feel that could be very neighborly, and I feel that’s some type phrases that we will say to one another.
We’re separated by the Strait of Bering, although there are two islands solely between the Russian island and the U.S. island. They’re solely 4 kilometers aside. We’re shut neighbors, and it’s a reality. It’s additionally essential that Alaska has to do with our widespread heritage, widespread historical past between Russia and the U.S., and plenty of constructive occasions need to do with that territory.
Nonetheless, there’s great cultural heritage again from the Russian America [sic]. For instance, Orthodox church buildings and a number of greater than 700 geographical names of Russian origin. In the course of the Second World Struggle, it was right here in Alaska that was the origin of the legendary air bridge for the availability of navy plane and different gear underneath the Lend-Lease Program. There was a harmful and treacherous route over the huge vacancy of ice. Nonetheless, the pilots of each international locations did every little thing to carry nearer the victory. They risked their lives, they usually gave all of it for his or her widespread victory.
I used to be simply within the metropolis of Magadan in Russia. There was a memorial there devoted to the Russian and the united statespilots. And there are two flags: the united statesflag and the Russian flag. And I do know that right here, as nicely, there’s such a memorial. There’s a navy burial place a number of kilometers away from right here. The Soviet pilots are buried there who died throughout that harmful mission.
We’re grateful to the residents and authorities of the U.S. for rigorously taking good care of their reminiscence. I feel that’s very worthy and noble.
We’ll at all times keep in mind different historic examples when our international locations defeated widespread enemies collectively within the spirit of battle, camaraderie, and allyship—that supported one another, facilitated one another. I’m positive that this heritage will assist us rebuild and foster mutually useful and equal ties at this new stage, even in the course of the hardest situations.
It’s identified that there have been no summits between Russia and the U.S. for 4 years, and that’s a very long time. This time was very exhausting for bilateral relations, and let’s be frank, they’ve fallen to the bottom level because the Chilly Struggle. I feel that’s not benefiting our international locations and the world as a complete. It’s crucial, in the end, we’ve got to amend the state of affairs to maneuver on from the confrontation to dialogue. And on this case, a private assembly between the heads of state has been lengthy overdue.
Naturally, underneath the situation of great and painstaking work, this work has been completed. Typically, me and President Trump have excellent direct contact. We’ve spoken a number of instances. We spoke frankly on the cellphone.
And particular envoy of the president Mr. Witkoff traveled right down to Russia a number of instances. Our advisors and heads of overseas ministries stored in contact on a regular basis, and you already know totally nicely that one of many central points was the state of affairs round Ukraine. We see the try [sic] of the administration and President Trump personally to assist facilitate the decision of the Ukrainian battle, and his try to get to the crux of the matter, to grasp this historical past, is treasured.
As I’ve mentioned, the state of affairs in Ukraine has to do with basic threats to our safety. Furthermore, [we] would at all times contemplate the Ukrainian nation, and I’ve mentioned it a number of instances, a brotherly nation. Nonetheless unusual it might sound in these situations, we’ve got the identical roots, and every little thing that’s taking place is a tragedy for us and [a] horrible wound.
Subsequently, the nation is sincerely inquisitive about placing an finish to it. On the similar time, we’re satisfied that as a way to make the settlement lasting and long-term, we have to get rid of all the first roots, the first causes of that battle, and we’ve mentioned it a number of instances, to think about all professional considerations of Russia and to reinstate a simply stability of safety in Europe and in [the] world on the entire. And I agree with President Trump as he has mentioned as we speak, that naturally the safety of Ukraine needs to be ensured as nicely. Naturally, we’re ready to work on that.
I wish to hope that the settlement that we’ve reached collectively will assist us carry nearer that aim and can pave the trail towards peace in Ukraine. We count on that Kyiv and European capitals will understand that constructively and that they received’t throw a wrench within the works and won’t make any makes an attempt to make use of some backroom dealing to conduct propositions to torpedo the nascent progress.
By the way, when the brand new administration got here to energy, bilateral commerce began to develop. It’s nonetheless very symbolic. Nonetheless, we’ve got a progress of 20 %. As I mentioned, we’ve got a number of dimensions for joint work, and it’s clear that the U.S. and Russian funding and enterprise cooperation have great potential. Russia and the united statescan supply one another a lot in commerce, digital, high-tech, and in area exploration. We see that Arctic cooperation can also be very attainable in our worldwide context, for instance, in between the Far East of Russia and the West Coast of the U.S.
General, it’s essential for our international locations to show the web page, to return to cooperation. It’s symbolic that not distant from right here, within the water between Russia and [the] U.S., there’s a so-called worldwide dateline. I feel you possibly can step over actually from yesterday into tomorrow, and I hope that we’ll reach that in [the] political sphere.
I wish to thank President Trump for our joint work, for the well-wishing and reliable tone of our dialog. It’s essential that either side are result-oriented, and we see that the president of the U.S. has a really clear concept of what he wish to obtain. He sincerely cares in regards to the prosperity of his nation.
Nonetheless he understands that Russia has its personal nationwide pursuits. I count on that as we speak’s agreements would be the place to begin, not just for the answer of the Ukrainian challenge but additionally will assist us carry again businesslike and pragmatic relations between Russia and the U.S.
And ultimately, I wish to add yet another factor. I’d wish to remind you that in 2022, over the last contact with the earlier administration, I attempted to persuade my earlier American colleague that the state of affairs shouldn’t be delivered to the purpose of no return when it will come to hostilities. And I mentioned it fairly straight again then that it’s an enormous mistake.
Right this moment, when President Trump was saying that if he was the president again then, there might be no battle, and I’m fairly positive that it will certainly be so. I can verify that. I feel that total, me and President Trump have constructed an excellent businesslike and reliable contact, and I’ve each cause to imagine that shifting down this path, we will come, the earlier the higher, to the tip of the battle in Ukraine. Thanks. Thanks.
Donald Trump: Thanks very a lot. Mr. President, that was very profound, and I’ll say that I imagine we had a really productive assembly. There have been many, many factors that we agreed on, most of them, I might say, a few huge ones that we haven’t fairly gotten there, however we’ve made some headway. So there’s no deal till there’s a deal.
I’ll name up NATO in a short while. I’ll name up the varied folks that I feel are acceptable, and I’ll in fact name up President Zelensky and inform him about as we speak’s assembly. It’s in the end as much as them. They’re gonna need to agree with what Marco [Rubio] and Steve [Witkoff] and among the nice folks from the Trump administration who’ve come right here, [U.S. Treasury Secretary] Scott [Bessent] and [CIA Director] John Ratcliffe. Thanks very a lot. We now have a few of our actually nice leaders. They’ve been doing an outstanding job.
We even have some great Russian enterprise representatives right here. And I feel you already know, everyone desires to cope with us. We’ve turn into the most popular nation wherever on the earth in a really quick time period. And we look ahead to that—we look ahead to dealing. We’re going to try to get this over with. We actually made some nice progress as we speak.
I’ve at all times had a unbelievable relationship with President Putin, with Vladimir. We had many, many powerful conferences, good conferences. We have been interfered with by the “Russia, Russia, Russia” hoax that made it somewhat bit harder to cope with, however he understood it. I feel he’s in all probability seen issues like that in the course of the course of his profession. He’s seen all of it, however we needed to put up with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. He knew it was a hoax, and I knew it was a hoax, however what was completed was very legal, but it surely made it more durable for us to deal as a rustic by way of the enterprise and all the issues that we’d wish to have handled, however we’ll have probability when that is over.
So, simply to place it in a short time, I’m going to start out making a couple of cellphone calls and inform him what occurred, however we had a particularly productive assembly, and plenty of factors have been agreed to. And there are only a only a few which are left. Some will not be that vital; one might be probably the most vital. However we’ve got an excellent probability of getting there. We didn’t get there, however we’ve got an excellent probability of getting there.
I wish to thank President Putin and his whole workforce whose faces who I do know, in lots of circumstances, in any other case apart from that whose faces I get to see on a regular basis within the newspapers. You’re nearly as well-known because the boss, particularly this one proper over right here [pointing to Lavrov].
However we had some good conferences through the years, proper? Good, productive conferences through the years, and we hope to have that sooner or later. However let’s do the best one proper now. We’re going to cease, actually, 5, 6, 7,000, hundreds of individuals every week from being killed, and President Putin desires to see that as a lot as I do, so, once more, Mr. President, I’d wish to thanks very a lot, and we’ll converse to you very quickly and possibly see you once more very quickly. Thanks very a lot, Vladimir.
Putin: Subsequent time in Moscow.
Trump: Oh, that’s an fascinating one. I don’t know, I’ll get somewhat warmth on that one, however I, I can see it presumably taking place. Thanks very a lot, Vladimir, and thanks all. Thanks.
