Trump-Putin Alaska Summit Highlights: Macron, Merz and Starmer to co-host “Coalition of the Willing” talks ahead of Zelenskyy’s Washington visit

During the much awaited Alaska summit on Friday, the Russian President Vladimir Putin was speaking through a translator at the joint press conference with US President Donald Trump after concluding a nearly three hours three-on-three meeting. At the conclusion of his speech, Putin said, “And next time in Moscow,” to a surprise for everyone as it was a rare public usage of English by the Russian leader.

In a high-stake summit in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday regarding the Ukraine war, there were several moments when President Putin and Trump exchanged words without interpreters, sparking a parallel debate whether Putin speaks English or not.

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United States President Donald Trump Saturday greeted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska with a dramatic military display. A B-2 stealth bomber, the one used in strikes against Iranian nuclear sites in June, flew over the base, accompanied by four F-35 fighter jets, as reported by ABC News.

Two officials told ABC that a pair of B-2 stealth bombers had been flown in prior to the summit, while the F-35s arrived from nearby Eielson Air Force Base. F-22 Raptors, stationed at Elmendorf, lined the red carpet as the leaders walked by.

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Melania Trump took the unique step of crafting a letter that calls for peace in Ukraine, having her husband President Donald Trump hand-deliver it to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their Friday meeting in Alaska. The letter did not specifically name Ukraine, which Putin's forces invaded in 2022, but beseeched him to think of children and “an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology.”

Nor did the American first lady discuss the fighting other than to say to Putin that he could “singlehandedly restore” the “melodic laughter” of children who have been caught in the conflict.“In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone you serve humanity itself,” she wrote on White House stationery.

- AP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held calls on Saturday with his Turkish and Hungarian counterparts, the Russian foreign ministry said, hours after a summit between the US and Russian presidents yielded no deal on ending the war in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump, who hosted President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for bilateral talks aimed at ending the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in early 2022, said that Kyiv should make a deal with Moscow because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not."

The phone call between Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan took place at Turkey's initiative, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

"The foreign ministers exchanged views on the outcomes of the high-level Russia–US meeting held in Alaska on August 15," the ministry said in its short statement. Turkey has tried to keep diplomatic channels open to both sides during the war, acting as a NATO member, a partner for both Russia and Ukraine, and a potential mediator.

- Reuters

If India was counting on a clear and positive outcome from the Alaska summit to avert the additional 25 per cent US tariff on Indian exports, it will be disappointed by the inability of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to deliver last night. Read More

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not”, after hosting a summit where Vladimir Putin was reported to have demanded more Ukrainian land. Read More

Ukraine's military reports that their troops have advanced up to 2.5 kilometers in the Sumy region, specifically in the North-Slobozhansk direction near the villages of Oleksiivka and Yunakivka.

Active operations are ongoing in this area, which borders Russia's Kursk region. The Ukrainian General Staff notes that their soldiers are working to destroy enemy forces and liberate Ukrainian settlements.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday welcomed what he said was US openness to providing security guarantees to Ukraine under a peace deal to end Russia's war against Kyiv.

"Robust and credible security guarantees are essential to any just and lasting peace. I welcome the openness of the United States to providing security guarantees as part of Coalition of the Willing's efforts," Carney said in a statement.

"The leadership of President Trump and the United States is creating the opportunity to end Russia's illegal war in Ukraine."

(With input from Reuters)

Ukraine's military reported that its forces advanced up to two kilometers on the Sumy front. According to recent reports, Ukrainian forces have been actively engaged in the Sumy region against Russian troops. (Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the need for a “lasting peace” in Ukraine following plans for a trilateral summit involving US President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy himself, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The move comes after the Alaska summit between Trump and Putin, from which Zelenskyy was excluded. Read More

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Saturday that the United States is prepared to take part in security guarantees for Ukraine, following a summit in Alaska between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that ended without a ceasefire.

Merz made the remarks to German broadcaster ZDF after Trump briefed European leaders on his talks with Putin.

European leaders have been invited to join US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks at the White House on Monday, the New York Times reported, citing senior European officials.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has cautioned that the struggle over Ukraine’s future and Europe’s security has entered a “decisive phase,” urging the West to stand firm against Vladimir Putin, whom he described as a “cunning and ruthless player.”

“The game for Ukraine’s future, Poland’s security, and all of Europe has entered a decisive phase,” Tusk said. “Today it is even clearer that Russia respects only strength, and Putin has once again shown himself to be a cunning and ruthless player. That is why preserving the unity of the entire West is so crucial.”

US President Donald Trump and European leaders discussed potential security guarantees for Ukraine outside NATO, similar to the alliance’s “Article 5,” during a call on Saturday, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

One source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions, said European leaders were seeking clarity on the U.S. role in such guarantees, but no further details were available.

Under NATO’s Article 5, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all 32 members of the alliance.

A group of European leaders released a joint statement following discussions with President Trump and President Zelenskyy, outlining the next steps for Ukraine.

“The next step must now be further talks including President Zelensky,” the leaders said, stressing the importance of his involvement.

They added: “We are ready to work with President Trump and President Zelensky towards a trilateral summit with European support.”

The statement reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine: “We stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests.”

“It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force,” the leaders continued. They also emphasised their determination: “We are determined to do more to keep Ukraine strong in order to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace.”

The joint statement was issued by: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and European Council President António Costa.

The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, issued an official statement on Ukraine following the Alaska summit between President Trump and President Putin.

“President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended,” Starmer said.

He echoed the joint statement from the European Council, emphasising: “the next step must be further talks involving President Zelenskyy. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him.”

Starmer added: “This morning, I spoke to President Zelenskyy, President Trump and other European partners, and we all stand ready to support this next phase. I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more. In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions, which have already had a punishing impact on the Russian economy and its people. Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.” (The Guardian)

European leaders prepared a joint statement after evaluating information given by Donald Trump about the summit in Alaska and listening to the opinions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday.

"The conversation among European leaders evaluating the information provided by President Trump and the outcomes of the Alaska meeting has concluded," Tusk wrote on X. "Together with @EmmanuelMacron, @_FriedrichMerz, @Keir_Starmer, @GiorgiaMeloni, we listened to the opinions of @ZelenskyyUa and prepared a joint statement."

Tusk did not say when the statement would be issued.

(Reuters)

US President Donald Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin ended without an agreement to stop the war in Ukraine. He also held calls with European and NATO leaders on Saturday, though details were not released. Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska, but the summit produced no concrete progress. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said, after Putin claimed the two leaders had reached an “understanding” on Ukraine and warned Europe not to “torpedo the nascent progress.”

In an interview with Fox News before leaving Alaska, Trump said the onus might be on Zelenskyy “to get it done,” though European nations would also play a role. According to European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta, Trump spoke with Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. No details of the roughly hour-long conversation were provided.

There was no immediate comment from Zelenskyy or other European leaders, who did not have a place at Friday’s summit. Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said on Russian state television that a possible trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy had not been raised in US-Russia discussions. “The topic has not been touched upon yet,” he said, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones overnight, 61 of which were shot down. Front-line areas in Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Chernihiv were attacked.

(AP)

In the early hours of Saturday morning following a summit in Alaska between the leaders of Russia and the United States, senior politicians in Moscow were quick to trumpet the meeting as a win for Russia and its narrative of the war in Ukraine. "The meeting in Alaska confirmed Russia's desire for peace, long-term and fair," said Andrei Klishas, a senior lawmaker from President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.

He portrayed the summit as a coup for Russia and a loss for Ukraine and its European allies, who have been pushing for an unconditional ceasefire. "The tasks of the SMO will be accomplished either by military or diplomatic means," Klishas wrote, using the acronym for Special Military Operation, the Kremlin's term for the war. "A new architecture for European and international security is on the agenda, and everyone must accept it."

The highly-anticipated summit on Friday in Anchorage yielded no agreement to resolve or pause the conflict, now in its fourth year, although both Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump described the talks as productive. The two men met for nearly three hours before giving a brief media appearance and boarding separate planes home.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president known for his hawkish views, said the summit proved that it was possible to hold talks without conditions - as Moscow has insisted - while the fighting in Ukraine rages on. Russia's flagship Channel One morning state news bulletin on Saturday stressed the pageantry around the summit, its global profile, and the warm welcome extended to Putin, who had been ostracized by Western leaders since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"The Red carpet, handshakes and footage and photographs that are in all global publications and TV channels," it said, saying it was the first time that Trump had met a visiting leader off their plane at the airport. Its correspondent in Alaska said the two leaders had obviously agreed about a lot of things, but did not say what those things were. "The very fact of the meeting in Alaska, its tone, and its outcome represent a significant and joint success for both presidents, each of whom made a tremendous personal contribution to achieving the best possible result at this time," Konstantin Kosachyov, a chair of the foreign affairs committee of Russia's upper house of parliament, wrote on Telegram.

(Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that he plans to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week after Trump’s summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin secured no agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he held a “long and substantive” conversation with Trump on Saturday after the US leader met Putin in Alaska. He thanked Trump for an invitation to meet in person in Washington on Monday and said they would “discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.”

Zelenskyy reiterated the importance of involving Europe. “It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America," he said. "We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.”

Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska, but Friday's summit ended without concrete progress on bringing an end to the war. Trump said that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” after Putin claimed the two leaders had hammered out an “understanding” on Ukraine and warned Europe not to “torpedo the nascent progress.” During an interview with Fox News Channel before leaving Alaska, Trump insisted that the onus going forward might be on Zelenskyy “to get it done,” but said there would also be involvement from European nations.

Trump spoke with Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, according to European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta. She gave no details of the conversation.

There was no immediate comment Saturday from European leaders who, like Zelenskyy, didn't have a place at the table at Friday's summit. Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said on Russian state television Saturday that a potential trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy has not been raised in US-Russia discussions. “The topic has not been touched upon yet,” Ushakov said, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Russian attacks on Ukraine continued overnight, using one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones, 61 of which were shot down, Ukraine’s Air Force said. Front-line areas of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Chernihiv were attacked.

(AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump and European partners on Saturday morning following the meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the Elysee office said in a statement on Saturday.

The phone conversation lasted for one hour and other there were seven other European leaders present, including Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Freidrich Merz, Keir Starmer, Giorgia Meloni, Alezander Stubb and Karol Nawrocki, as well as the secretary general of NATO, the statement said.

(Reuters)

- Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide:

- Czech defence minister Jana Cernochova, on X:

- Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto, on X:

(Reuters)

US President Donald Trump called EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European leaders to brief them on his Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a Commission spokesperson said on Saturday.

Trump met Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine. The talks did not yield a peace deal.

(Reuters)

US President Donald Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska and also was talking with NATO leaders early Saturday, the White House said. Trump secured no agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine even after rolling out the red carpet for Putin. Trump said that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” after Putin claimed the two leaders had hammered out an “understanding” on Ukraine and warned Europe not to “torpedo the nascent progress.”

During an interview with Fox News Channel before leaving Alaska, Trump insisted that the onus going forward might be on Zelenskyy “to get it done,” but said there would also be some involvement from European nations. Trump did not speak to reporters on his flight back to Washington. When his plane landed, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was on the phone with NATO leaders after a lengthy call with Zelenskyy.There was no immediate comment Saturday from Zelenskyy or from European leaders.

(AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the region of Chukotka in Russia's far east on his way back from a summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, the TASS state news agency reported on Saturday. Chukotka is separated from Alaska by the Bering Strait. Putin met with the regional governor there, TASS said.

Th Foreign Minister of Norway, Espen Barth Eide, has said that pressure on Russia must be maintained and increased over the war in Ukraine. Eide said it was too early to say whether US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting resulted in any progress, Reuters reported.

As the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was underway on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, Moscow launched about 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, Ukraine’s Air Force has said on Saturday.

The Ukrainian Air Force added that frontline territories of territories in the Sumy, Donetsk, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions were targeted in Russian attack, The Guardian reported.

ON RUSSIA-US TIES

"As is known, Russian-American summits have not been held for more than four years. This is a long time. The past period was very difficult for bilateral relations. And, let's be honest, they have slid to the lowest point since the Cold War. And this is not good for our countries, or the world as a whole.

Obviously, sooner or later, it was necessary to correct the situation, to move from confrontation to dialogue. And in this regard, a personal meeting of the heads of the two states was really overdue."

ON UKRAINE

"I have said more than once that for Russia the events in Ukraine are associated with fundamental threats to our national security. Moreover, we have always considered and consider the Ukrainian people, I have said this many times, brotherly, no matter how strange that may sound in today's conditions. We have the same roots and everything that is happening for us is a tragedy and a great pain."

ON COOPERATION WITH TRUMP

"Overall we have established very good business-like and trusting contact with President Trump. And I have every reason to believe that by moving along this path, we can - the quicker the better - reach an end to the conflict in Ukraine."

- Reuters

US President Donald Trump said that he had a "productive" and "constructive" meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin but added that it is now up to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach a ceasefire with Moscow.

"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…And if they’d like, I’ll be at that next meeting," Trump said.