Trump Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Putin, Walks Away Empty-Handed on Ukraine Cease-fire
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — President Donald Trump staged his most high-profile diplomatic play yet to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, greeting Vladimir Putin with the kind of pomp usually reserved for America’s closest allies. He left with no ceasefire, no concrete peace deal, and a U.S.-Russia “understanding” that Kyiv didn’t sign on to.
A Show of Friendship, No Breakthrough
Trump and Putin met Friday at this Cold War–era military hub in Anchorage, where the U.S. has long monitored Russian air activity. The scene was striking: a red carpet, extended handshakes, and a ride together in the presidential limo “The Beast” as B-2 bombers and F-22 fighters aircraft designed to deter Moscow flew overhead.
For Putin, it was his first time on U.S. soil in more than a decade, a symbolic victory after years of Western efforts to isolate him over the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and his crackdown on dissent. For Trump, it was an opportunity to show off his deal-making skills.
But after hours of talks, there was no agreement to end the war, now entering its fourth year. Trump acknowledged the gap bluntly: “There’s no deal until there’s a deal… We didn’t get there.”
The Stakes and the Optics
Putin used the moment to thank Trump for the “friendly” tone and to suggest “turning the page” in U.S.-Russia relations. Trump called the meeting “warm” and said “a lot of points were negotiated,” but he offered no specifics and no commitments from Moscow.
While Trump threatened new sanctions if Russia failed to move toward peace, the meeting itself bought Putin time. Without a ceasefire or new restrictions, Russian forces can continue advancing on the battlefield and Putin gained a platform to present himself as a legitimate statesman, not the aggressor condemned by most of the West.
Zelenskyy, excluded from the meeting, had posted a video beforehand urging a “strong position from the U.S.” The decision to meet without Ukraine’s president undercut the long-standing Western principle of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
From Private Promises to Public Pressure
The talks were held not one-on-one, but in a six-person format that included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The shift appeared aimed at avoiding a repeat of the 2018 Helsinki summit, when Trump met Putin privately and later sided with him over U.S. intelligence assessments on Russian election interference.
Putin’s demands for peace remain far from Kyiv’s position: halting Western arms supplies, freezing Ukraine’s mobilization, and recognizing Russia’s territorial gains. Ukraine and its allies reject those conditions outright.
A War That Grinds On
The timing of the Anchorage meeting underscored the war’s endurance and brutality. Ukraine, battered by missile strikes and fighting along a 600-mile front, continues to hold out against a larger Russian force but faces mounting strain. Russia shows no sign of slowing its offensive.
For Trump, who campaigned on ending the war “on day one” of his return to office, the lack of a breakthrough is a political and diplomatic setback. For Putin, it was a chance to break isolation, stall sanctions, and leave the table without conceding a single inch in Ukraine.
Sources: Associated Press, U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the President of Ukraine, Kremlin
