Alaska, which is located northwest of the US mainland, is the closest point where Russia and the US are neighbours. Originally inhabited by indigenous Americans, the region was first colonised by the old Russian empire in the 18th century. Due to the high costs of maintaining the faraway location, Moscow sold Alaska to the US in 1867 for US Dollar 7.2million. Russian influence still abounds in the region -- visible in the Russian Orthodox churches, and also in the Russian surnames of some Alaskans. The Elmendorf-Richardson base, where the meeting was held, was also significant. It was originally an air force base built in 1940, during World War II. But its role expanded significantly during the Cold War that followed. The US was worried about possible Soviet attacks on Alaska, and thus built monitors and anti-aircraft systems to counter any threats. The airbase was an important part of that mission. The air squadrons based there are still positioned to intercept any Russian aircraft that might seek to enter US airspace.
While the meeting was anticipated to take about seven hours, it wrapped up in less than three. Trump and Putin addressed a gathering of journalists after the talks with brief, pre-prepared statements. Neither leader took any questions.
Analysts have pointed out that US President Donald Trump had convened the high-stakes Summit in Alaska on August 15 with Russian President Vladimir Putin and wanted to test whether the Russian leader would compromise on the Ukraine war. In the end, it looks like it was Trump, not Putin, who budged.
Trump, who bills himself as a master negotiator, acknowledged there was "no deal" but said there were "very few" areas of disagreement, although he was vague on what they were. But posting hours later on his Truth Social account, Trump said he wanted Russia and Ukraine to "go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war" and not a ceasefire.
Holding of the Alaska summit itself was a victory for Putin. Over a period of six months Putin in the eyes of the West became a pariah and was welcomed on US soil like a partner and friend. To cap it off, in an apparently unscripted moment, Putin decided to accept a lift to the airbase in Trump's armored limousine instead of driving in his own Moscow-plated presidential state car. As the vehicle pulled away, the cameras zoomed in on Putin, sitting in the backseat and laughing.
A source has conveyed to the media that Trump has conveyed Putin's demand for more Ukrainian territory to Zelenskiy. Chief among Putin's war aims is complete Russian control over the Donbas industrial region in eastern Ukraine, which comprises the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Despite steady advances, around 25 per cent of Donetsk still remains beyond Russian control. Putin also wants full control of Ukraine's Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions; NATO membership being taken off the table for Kyiv and limits placed on the size of Ukraine's armed forces. Ukraine has said these terms are unacceptable and tantamount to asking it to capitulate.
Anthony Zurcher of the BBC has observed that Trump had said that he and Vladimir Putin made "some great progress", but later, he said, "we didn't get there," before exiting the room without taking any questions from the hundreds of reporters who had come for the press conference. According to Zurcher, such a vague movement by Trump may have relieved America's European allies and Ukrainian officials that Trump had not offered unilateral concessions or agreements that could have undermined future negotiations.
The big question now-- whether Trump will decide to impose his much-threatened new sanctions on Russia as punishment. The President had partially addressed that in the friendly confines of a Fox News interview before flying out, saying that he would consider such a move "maybe in two weeks, three weeks". However, given that the President promised "severe consequences" if Russia did not move towards a ceasefire, such unspecific answer may prompt more questions than it answers.
Analyst Steve Rosenberg, has made some interesting observations. He has made a query as to when a "press conference is" not a press conference. He has noted that "When there are no questions. There was palpable surprise in the hall when Presidents Putin and Trump left the podium as soon as they'd delivered their statements - without taking any questions. Members of the Russian delegation, too, left the room swiftly without answering any of the question's journalists were shouting at them. Clear signs that when it comes to the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump still have major difference of opinion. Donald Trump has been pushing for a Russian ceasefire. Vladimir Putin has apparently not given it to him. There was a very different vibe earlier in the day. President Trump had rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin, treating the Kremlin leader as an honoured guest. The Russian President got his moment in the geo-political limelight, sharing the stage with the leader of the world's most powerful country. However, how will Trump react to what happened? He still hasn't managed to persuade Putin to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Previously he'd threatened a tougher approach to Russia, with ultimatums, deadlines and warnings of more sanctions if Moscow ignored calls for a ceasefire. He has not followed through. Will he?"
Before the meeting, it was widely anticipated that Putin would attempt to dilute peace talks with talk of bilateral trade and cooperation. Trump had, however, asserted that there would be no discussion of business with Putin until the pair had made substantive progress on bringing about a ceasefire in Ukraine.
This plan, however, seems to have been derailed somewhat, with the Russian President saying in his post-meeting statement that the pair discussed their collaboration in the areas of tech and space. "It is clear that US and Russian investment and business cooperation has tremendous potential. Russia and the US can offer each other so much. In trade, digital, high-tech and in space exploration, we see that Arctic cooperation is also very possible," he told reporters.
As Trump thanked Putin for his time, he said he hoped they would meet again soon. Putin quickly responded by saying, in English with a laugh, "Next time, in Moscow".
Trump had previously asserted that he hopes to host a trilateral meeting on ending the war in Ukraine very soon, attended by Ukraine's Zelenskyy, too. In Alaska, the US leader said he would now call NATO officials and Zelenskyy to discuss the meeting.
In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity after the meeting, Trump was asked how he rated the summit on a scale of 10. He described the meet as a "10 out of 10". "We got along great," he said. Then, he emphasised the importance of the Ukrainian leader agreeing to a deal. "Now, it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit. But it's up to President Zelenskyy," he said, adding that he'll attend the next meeting "if they'd like". "Make a deal," he said, in a message apparently for Zelenskyy.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee has told CNN's Anderson Cooper that President Donald Trump's summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin did not yield any results. He has observed that "Nothing came out of this summit. It was a nothing burger. It was a shrug of the shoulders."
CNN's Kaanita Iyer has also drawn attention to some interesting dimensions pertaining to the Alaska meeting- (a) Putin began his remarks at the briefing by acknowledging that US-Russia relations have suffered in recent years, (b) Trump said that he and Putin had "made some headway" and "great progress" in their bilateral meeting. Still, he added, "there's no deal until there's a deal, (c) Negotiations between Putin and Trump were held in a "respectful, constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere," Putin said. Trump said they had "an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to", and (d) Putin said he agrees that the security of Ukraine should be ensured. He also claimed at one point that the war in Ukraine would not have happened had Trump been President in 2022.
For the man who likes to tout himself as a peacemaker and a dealmaker, it appears that Trump has left Alaska with neither. There are also no indications that a future summit that includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is forthcoming -- Putin's "next time in Moscow" quip about their next meeting notwithstanding.
One needs to conclude by pointing out that Europe had been nervous about what Trump might agree to. It would be pertinent to recall here that there was a three-way call between Trump, Zelenskyy and European leaders on August 13. At that time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlined what the European coalition wanted-- that the US not agree to any territorial deals without Ukraine being present, that Ukraine needs credible security guarantees as part of any peace deal, and that there needs to be a guarantee of non-invasion by Russia. Zelenskyy reiterated those calls and added that Ukraine should still be allowed to join NATO if a ceasefire is reached. He also said sanctions should be strengthened if Russia fails to agree to a peace deal during the meeting in Alaska later on.
We have to wait now and see what evolves and emerges in the next three months.
Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.
muhammadzamir0@gmail.com
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