No deal, but no consequences for Putin, the American wrote in the "New York Times" after yesterday's meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States in Anchorage, Alaska. The conversation, which lasted less than three hours, ended without promises and without questions, is the publication's assessment of the long-awaited negotiations on the conflict in Ukraine between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, BTA writes.
"Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin, but never reached a peace agreement" is one of the headlines on the topic in the newspaper. "President Trump applauded his guest Putin as the Russian leader approached him. But their visit ended only with an agreement to meet again - perhaps, Putin said, "in Moscow," the New York Times continued, noting that the two leaders offered the media a "demonstration of friendship."
According to the American publication, the "warm public welcome" that Trump gave Putin on the runway at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage "ended the diplomatic isolation" of the Russian leader over the past three years - since the invasion of Ukraine. "But Putin did not agree to end the war," the New York Times notes.
Trump failed to reach a peace agreement on Ukraine, and this only made his warm welcome to Putin even more puzzling, commented the newspaper's analyst David Sanger. "Under normal circumstances, the failure of the leaders of the world's two largest nuclear powers to reach an agreement to end a bitter three-year conflict in the heart of Europe might have been a cause for despair. But for Ukrainians and their European allies, the end of negotiations between Presidents Trump and Putin after about three and a half hours contained an element of relief," Sanger wrote. "As desperate as they were to end the death and destruction, their deepest fear was that Trump would cave in to the Russian president's territorial demands and force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to face a painful choice between giving up more than 20 percent of his country or rejecting a peace deal he says is a poisoned chalice," Sanger said.
"Trump-Putin summit began with a red carpet, ended quickly and soberly," was the headline in the "Washington Post".
"With a red carpet, a warm handshake and a tour of military bases, Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin as a hero, stepping onto American soil for the first time in years. Less than four hours later, that friendly atmosphere faded, replaced by a sudden and awkward joint appearance in which two presidents with soberly stern faces took the stage earlier than expected without announcing a deal," the publication wrote. "Trump, who often takes questions from reporters for more than an hour, spoke for less than four minutes before quickly leaving the stage without answering questions from hundreds of journalists gathered in Anchorage. The contrasting moments at the Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base in Alaska highlighted the limits of Trump's ability to conduct international diplomacy like a television show," the newspaper assessed.
"The day began cheerfully, as Trump greeted Putin in his typical showman style that defined his career. He clapped as Putin walked towards him down the runway, then patted the Russian leader on the hand during their greeting. He appeared to laugh briefly at Putin's opening remarks before the two entered Trump's armored car, known as the Beast, without an interpreter - an unusual breach of security and diplomatic protocol, the Washington Post noted.
The publication notes that the warmth of the welcome shocked Ukraine and Europe, in part because it contrasted sharply with the reception that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received at the White House in February. At that meeting, Zelensky, dressed in his traditional military uniform, was reprimanded by Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance on live television after saying that he could not accept a ceasefire without security guarantees, the Washington Post reported.
The publication also recalls that in the hours before the summit in Alaska, Trump expressed optimism that he could reach a peace agreement in Ukraine. “I will not be happy if I leave without some form of ceasefire,“ Trump said on “Fox News”s “Special Report with Brett Baier“ aboard his “Air Force One” plane.
On the other hand, Putin achieved many of his goals with just the invitation to meet Trump, notes the "Washington Post", adding that, according to the Kremlin leader, the conversation in Alaska was "friendly and filled with mutual trust".
The leading headline of the "Wall Street Journal" is "Trump Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Putin, But Gets Little in Return". After the typical Trump extravagance - a red carpet, military honors and a ride in the presidential limousine, Trump returned to Washington with little to show for all the pomp, is the publication's commentary.
"Nyet deal", writes the "New York Post", which uses the Russian word for "none", but written in Latin instead of the English one. The Alaska meeting was a start, but Putin is still up to his old tricks - and Trump knows it, writes the author of the publication Douglas Murray. "As the people of Ukraine know, good neighborliness is not one of Putin's best qualities. However, it was with a reference to the fact that the United States and Russia are neighbors that Putin began his conversation with President Trump in Alaska yesterday. As far as he could see, on the red carpet of the runway in Anchorage, he said to Trump: "Good afternoon, dear neighbor. I am very glad to see you in good health".
According to the "New York Post" it has become clear that Putin is not interested in stopping the war that has begun, and that he and Trump had very little to agree on.
One thing was clear from the meeting - there was no deal. And the ceasefire that Trump wanted to take effect when the summit ended is far from becoming a reality, CNN comments, noting that Trump has now begun to emphasize that Zelensky must make a deal. The media outlet also quotes former US national security adviser John Bolton, who says that Trump did not lose, but Putin definitely gained from the summit in Alaska.
In front of “Fox News“, however, Trump himself spoke of a lot of progress made during the summit. He noted that Putin is not only open to achieving peace, but wants peace to be achieved. Trump also advises Zelensky to reach a deal and advises the Europeans to be a little more involved in the whole process of ending the war in Ukraine. According to Trump, Russia and Putin now respect America, whereas under Biden they did not. In front of journalist Sean Hannity from “Fox News“ Trump also said that Putin told him that he believed the 2020 election, which Trump lost and Biden won, was rigged because of widespread mail-in voting in the United States, telling him: "You can't have a great democracy with mail-in voting."
Trump left the Alaska meeting empty-handed after failing to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.