The most observed summit of recent times has already taken place, and the two presidents consider that successfully. They have not closed any agreement, but they do have “soon.” In a joint press conference, the American Donald Trump has declared “extremely productive” the meeting of two and a half hours in the military base of Elmendorf-Richardson, on the outskirts of Anchorage (Alaska), in which he has dealt with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about the future of Ukraine in an early conversation. But he has also stressed that nothing has been agreed: “There is no treatment until a deal is closed,” he said.
“We have closed many points. There are only a few earrings. Some are not too important. One is probably the most important, although we have good chances of getting it. We have not achieved it, but we have a good possibility of achieving it” in the future, the American added to the press congregated in the military base.
Neither of the two leaders has accepted questions. The Russian president has first taken the floor, highlighting that the two countries are “neighbors” and share “a wide common cultural heritage.” As he said, by greeting Trump upon his arrival he greeted him “as a neighbor”, “with warm words” and expressing his satisfaction to see him again.
Immediately after the joint appearance, Trump had to call the Ukrainian leader, Volodimir Zelenski, and the European representatives, as confirmed to the journalists. It is not clear, for now, if you will invite Zelenski to a trilateral summit with Putin to deal with the conditions for a peace agreement, the result that kyiv and Europe considered the best possible.
Trump had landed at 10.20 local time (20.20 Spanish peninsular hour, 14.20 in Washington), with about 10 minutes of delay over the scheduled time. Upon arrival he met with the Senators of Alaska aboard the presidential plane, before landing, waiting for the arrival of the guest leader. Putin’s plane touched land at 10.50.
The first of the leaders to descend from the plane was Trump, in his vicinity of host, to receive the Russian president on the red carpet while aircraft B-2 and F-35 flew over the scene. Both shaken hands for just a couple of seconds, before heading by talking to a podium to pose for official photos. Trump launched several applause in the air.
. The public testimony that its international isolation stage, after the large -scale invasion of Ukraine three and a half years ago, has ended and returns to global stages. Accompanied by the United States leader, on American soil and escorted by US military.
Neither made statements to the press – Putin made a gesture of not understanding the uprising of questions to the journalists who crowded – before getting together to The beast, The presidential car that took them to the building where they maintain their meeting.
Before the meeting, in statements aboard the Air Force Onethe American had insisted that his main objective is that Russia and Ukraine reach a high fire that allows the definitive end of war to achieve. “I want to see a truce quickly. I do not know if it will arrive today, but I would like it to arrive today. Everyone says that today it cannot be, but I only say that what I want is to stop this killing. I have gotten into this to put an end to this slaughter,” he pointed to journalists who accompanied him to Anchorage.
The conversations between the two leaders at the military base began at around 11.30 local time, almost immediately after the tight -hand tight, and could last six or seven hours, as the Kremlin has pointed out. At the last minute a change of plans was communicated: although initially the leaders were planned to start their appointment, only flanked by their interpreters, they will finally be accompanied by their most confidence advisors. In the case of the American, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the special envoy of the White House for the Middle East and Russia, Steve Witkoff. On the Russian side, Foreign Minister Serguéi Lavrov, and the Minister of Foreign Policy Yuri Ushakov. To the second part of the appointment, the rest of the respective advisory teams was incorporated.
If the contacts are successful, Trump plans to offer a press conference in which the Russian leader could also participate. In that case of progress, the US president has also promised to immediately call the Ukrainian leader, Volodimir Zelenski, and then European leaders, to aware of what is approached.
In that case, the result that Trump is waiting for, a tripartite summit between him, Putin and Zelenski could be celebrated. On the eve of the Anchorage meeting, the White House tenant had pointed out that three possible venues of that hypothetical future encounter are handled, although he clarified that “staying in Alaska” would be “the easiest.”
Trump has recognized the possibility that this summit, for which hundreds of journalists have moved, ends nothing. The percentage of probabilities of failure, according to him, is a “25%.”
The American assures that, given his long history of relationship with the Russian, he will know in the first “two minutes” of conversation if Putin participates in good faith or, on the contrary, he only wants to give him long while a Russian offensive redoubled on the front line continues. If that happened, he said, he will simply return to the White House and Putin will have to face “serious consequences.”
Although when he announced the summit in Alaska eight days ago the US president had advanced that this meeting would be key to achieving peace, since then he has tempted his speech and has limited herself to declare that the talk would be a mere opportunity to listen to Putin and determine if the Russian is serious when she claims to have intentions of peace. He, he said, did not plan to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine: “I am here to [los dos enemigos] They feel at the table. ”
The Achorage summit arrives after a week of intense diplomatic contacts in Europe, where kyiv’s allies have tried to ensure that their positions are taken into account in the talk between the two leaders. in which Ukraine participates with voice and vote, and that kyiv is not pressed to accept impossible conditions.
The Kremlin insists that, to accept a high fire, the “causes at the root of the conflict” must be solved: that is, Ukraine’s aspirations to integrate in the West and, above all, in NATO. Moscow wants kyiv’s entry to the alliance to be blocked and the Western armament flow to the occupied country is limited. Also from the provinces of Donetsk, Lugansk, Jersón and Zaporiyia, including the parties under the control of the Ukraine Armed Forces.
Zelenski rejects that possibility flatly, and in particular if he does not obtain in return security guarantees against another possible invasion in the future. Ukraine public opinion is mostly against renouncing any territory that so much blood, effort and time has cost to defend, some lands that are fundamental for the feeling of national identity. From the military point of view, giving up these territories would make it easier for Russian troops to reach kyiv in a hypothetical future invasion.
