ANCHORAGE\u00a0\u2014\u00a0President Trump made his expectations clear entering a summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday: \u201cI won\u2019t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire,\u201d he said aboard Air Force One.<\/p>\n
Yet he did, emerging from their meeting in a diplomatic retreat, endorsing Russia\u2019s territorial ambitions and adopting Putin\u2019s position that would put off ceasefire negotiations in favor of more comprehensive talks.<\/p>\n
Trump told his European counterparts he had agreed with Putin\u2019s demand that Ukraine make territorial concessions to end the conflict, a painful prospect for Ukrainians at the heart of the war, a European official told The Times on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Trump also wrote on social media that he would adopt the Kremlin line deferring talks on an imminent ceasefire.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,\u201d Trump wrote on social media. \u201cIf all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people\u2019s lives will be saved.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a remarkable success for Putin, who sees a Russian edge on the battlefield and has put off discussions of a ceasefire for months as Russian forces press their advantage along the Ukrainian front lines.<\/p>\n
Putin was greeted on the tarmac of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson with applause and smiles from the American president and offered a ride in his iconic vehicle. After years in isolation over his repeated invasions of Ukraine, facing an indictment from the International Criminal Court over war crimes, a red carpet awaited Putin on U.S. soil.<\/p>\n
Landing in Washington, Trump spoke with Ukraine\u2019s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the secretary-general of NATO and other European leaders. A follow-up meeting with Zelensky is scheduled for Monday in Washington.<\/p>\n
But achieving a peace agreement is an even higher bar than the ceasefire that has eluded the Trump administration in recent months, requiring comprehensive, often protracted negotiations that, in the meantime, will allow Russia to continue its battlefield offensive.<\/p>\n
The New York Times first reported details of Trump\u2019s conversations with European leaders.<\/p>\n
Details of the meeting are still unclear. In Alaska, both men referenced \u201cagreements\u201d in statements to reporters. But Trump acknowledged the question that matters most \u2014 whether Russia is prepared to implement a ceasefire \u2014 remains unresolved.<\/p>\n