The leading topic for French publications today is the summit between the presidents of the United States and Russia, which took place yesterday in Alaska. The topic is particularly relevant in France given Paris' support for Ukraine and the fact that French President Emmanuel Macron maintains good relations with the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, and recently spoke by phone with the Russian president. Paris is also a co-initiator with London of the "Coalition of the Willing" to provide guarantees for the security of Ukraine after a possible peace agreement there comes into force, BTA writes in a review of the French press.
Trump offered Putin a well-choreographed return to the diplomatic scene, notes "Figaro". He rolled out a red carpet and organized a flyover of B2 bombers and fighter jets to welcome Putin at the airport. On social media, the scene immediately sparked criticism from opponents of the US president, who said it showed too much respect for the Kremlin's master. Trump supporters, on the contrary, saw it as a desire to use US military power to impress the Russian president, known as an expert in psychological pressure, the publication adds.
The fact that the Russian leader, who has an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court and is subject to numerous sanctions in many countries, dares to leave Russia is in itself extraordinary. But doing so to be greeted with full honors in the US was completely unthinkable before Trump's thunderous return to the White House, which deviated from the pro-Ukrainian line of his predecessor Joe Biden, the newspaper adds. The former Democratic Party president wanted to turn the Kremlin's master into a pariah after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the French newspaper added.
According to “Le Monde“, there are several things to remember from the Alaska summit. After nearly three hours of talks in the presence of their advisers, the Russian and American presidents gave a short press conference - about 12 minutes - in which they spoke in turn against the background of the inscription “Pursuing Peace” (”In search of peace”). Then they parted ways without answering journalists' questions in the crowded hall of the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage. Trump spoke of a “very productive” meeting, Putin – of a “constructive” conversation, but neither leader gave any details about a possible peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine, which began more than three years ago with a Russian invasion. "We're not there yet, but we've made progress. There's no deal until there's a deal," the US president said. "We've agreed on a lot of things," Trump added, without elaborating.
"There's only a few things left, some of which are not very important, but one of them is probably the most important," he added. Trump said he would soon call the leaders of NATO countries, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Putin said he hoped what he and Trump agreed on would open "the path to peace in Ukraine," without specifying what they had agreed on. "We hope that Kiev and the European capitals will take all this in a constructive spirit and will not create obstacles or try to undermine the expected progress with provocations or backstage intrigues," Putin continued. "For the settlement of the Ukrainian issue to be lasting and long-term, all the deep causes of the crisis must be eliminated," Putin added. Russia considers Ukraine's desire to join NATO and, more generally, the expansion of the Western military alliance to its borders an existential threat.
"Russia's legitimate concerns must be taken into account and a fair balance must be restored in the field of security in Europe and the world as a whole," the Kremlin leader said. "I think today's agreements will be a starting point not only for resolving the Ukrainian issue, but also for restoring trade and pragmatic relations between Russia and the United States," Putin added. "We will probably see each other again very soon. Thank you very much, Vladimir," Trump concluded, to which the Russian president replied: "Next time in Moscow." The invitation seemed to please the Republican: "Oh, that's interesting. I'll get some criticism, but that could happen. Thank you very much, Vladimir," he said.
“France 24“ notes that the Alaska summit was “Putin's spectacular comeback”. And there is no question of Trump admitting that he failed in any way, on the contrary - when he talks about the meeting, he gives it a 10 out of 10 and says that reaching an agreement now depends on Zelensky, but that the Europeans must put more effort into the process.
BFMTV highlights that after his meeting with Trump, Putin asked for guarantees of Ukraine's security and called for a path to peace, which seems a bit strange after three years of war in Ukraine, initiated by the Russian leader. The Alaska summit did not result in any concrete news, something that was particularly expected. During the press conference, Putin and Trump did not mention the ceasefire, did not talk about the military situation in Ukraine or a possible trilateral meeting with Zelensky. Trump appeared optimistic, but did not go into specifics, the media added.
The US president, who loves to portray himself as a decisive negotiator, said during the joint press conference with Putin that very few issues remained to be resolved, but one of them was probably the most important, without saying which one, notes Agence France-Presse. The two leaders spent a total of 6 hours in Alaska. Trump, who had set himself the goal of organizing a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky very quickly and achieving a ceasefire, did not mention any of this until he gave a press conference alongside Putin after their meeting. But in an interview with “Fox News“ he said that an agreement to end the war really depends on the president of Ukraine. With his Russian counterpart, Trump did not have the defiant tone he had before the meeting, when he threatened to slam the door and leave if the talks reached a dead end, or when he assured that Putin would not play tricks on him. Trump, who threatened Russia with serious consequences if it did not end the war, has now clarified that he is not considering immediate measures in this direction. And Putin, in the same cordial register, said that he hopes the understanding reached in Alaska will bring peace to Ukraine. Trump and Putin parted ways without presenting a plan for Ukraine, Agence France-Presse summarizes.