Alaska Summit: A Chance for Peace
The Alaska Summit between the US and Russian leaders ended with many surprises, opening up a chance for peace in the conflict in Ukraine.
According to RIA Novosti on August 16, the negotiations in Anchorage (Alaska) between the Russian and US leaders ended after nearly 3 hours. The sides reached mutual understanding on a number of points in resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Lots of surprises
Just for a moment at the airport, President Vladimir Putin paused in the middle of a conversation with President Donald Trump on the red carpet - because above, a "phantom" B-2 and a pair of F-35s roared past the Elmendorf-Richardson base. An unexpected "parade".
The surprises continued. Even the way to welcome the special guest was kept secret until the last minute. There were rumors that US Secretary of State Mark Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset might greet President Putin at the entrance. But in fact, President Trump himself waited. The two leaders smiled, shook hands, and then headed to the two luxurious "war horses" - Aurus and Cadillac.
The third surprise was when President Donald Trump, at the last second, invited President Putin to ride with him. Putin nodded. “The talks are about to begin!” shouted an excited reporter as the two climbed into “The Beast,” the US President’s armored limousine.
But the twist happened again. Initially, the schedule clearly stated: Only the two leaders and their interpreters would participate in the negotiations. However, later it was reported that senior aides would also be present. And when President Putin arrived, at 11:00 Alaska local time on August 15 (ie 2:30 a.m. on August 16 Hanoi time), the scenario changed again.
As a result, in the small conference room, in addition to the two leaders Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, there were also assistants from both sides: Yuri Ushakov, Sergei Lavrov, Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio.
Iconic meeting place
The post-conference press conference in the “3+3” format once again surprised everyone. There was no intense questioning as the media expected; instead, the two presidents just shook hands, exchanged a few brief words, and then left the podium. However, those short statements carried profound meaning.
President Putin began by thanking President Trump for the invitation to Alaska - a land with a special historical mark in the Russia - US relationship. Mr. Putin emphasized that this place has been the intersection of the fates of the two countries through many periods. During World War II, Alaska played a key role in military cooperation, and on this peninsula, Soviet pilots still rest forever.
The Russian President expressed his deep gratitude to the US government and local people for preserving the memory and honoring these heroes. A message that was both grateful and symbolic for this historic meeting.
Mr Putin also thanked Mr Trump for his efforts to resolve the conflict. Between the parties, Mr Putin noted, an understanding had been reached, which, as the Russian leader hoped, would pave the way for peace in Ukraine.
“We hope that Kiev and European capitals will perceive all this constructively and will not put any obstacles in their way. They will not try to disrupt the upcoming process at the cost of provocations or behind-the-scenes intrigue,” the Russian president said.
President Putin also called these events a great tragedy for Russia, because “the Ukrainian people are brothers.” Therefore, Moscow is very interested in the early beginning of peace.
President Putin affirmed that Russia agrees that Ukraine's security must be guaranteed. And he added: Moscow is ready to do that.
"There is no agreement yet"
For his part, President Trump noted that Moscow and Washington have reached agreement on a number of points.
“The most important thing is we have a good chance to achieve peace,” Mr. Trump emphasized.
At the same time, the US President said that "on the most important point" of the agreements on Ukraine, there is no agreement with Russia, and did not explain what exactly it was about.
"We couldn't find a full understanding. Unfortunately, there's no agreement yet," President Trump said. The parties will continue to communicate. Mr. Trump also promised to discuss the results of the meeting with European allies and Ukraine.
