By Inside Trump and Putin’s historic summit
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin high-stakes summit in Anchorage, Alaska, has come to an end.
[UPDATE-Aug 17] Aug. 15, 2025: Trump, Putin Summit in Anchorage, Alaska
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Aug. 15, Anchorage, AK
After more than two hours of talks, the two leaders appeared in a joint press conference, with both leaders alluding to progress but not announcing any specifics, including a ceasefire deal. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said.
Trump called Zelensky, NATO colleagues after meeting with Putin, White House says
US President Donald Trump called Zelensky and NATO colleagues after meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
“President Trump had a lengthy call during the flight back to DC with <…> Zelensky,” Trump’s press pool said, citing Leavitt. The report added that the US president also called NATO leaders. No details about the substance of these conversations have been released. Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox News following the summit in Anchorage, Trump emphasized that many points of a potential agreement on Ukraine had been settled and that he had advised Kiev to accept the deal.
💥 Aug. 17, Internat. Reactions and Comments
Macron doesn’t rule out Ukraine recognizing loss of lands under peace deal
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he doesn’t rule out that Ukraine will have to recognize the loss of some of its territories under a potential peace deal.
“As part of a truce, a ceasefire or a peace deal, the country may recognize the loss of territories,” he said in a video address aired on the Elysee Palace’s X page. “It will not recognize that they are under anyone else’s sovereignty, but will recognize their loss though military action. It doesn’t run counter to international law, but will be a very serious concession.” – “After three and a half years of conflict and so many victims, no country will accept even actual territorial losses if it has no guarantees that the rest of its territory will be protected,” he stressed.
According to Macron, the Coalition of the Willing met on Sunday to “discuss security guarantees to Kiev,” which will be once again discussed on Monday at a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington. In his words, the coalition wants to outline “the format of the Ukrainian army that will make it possible to guarantee a fair and lasting peace.” He also recalled that several Western countries has expressed readiness to send several thousands of troops to Ukraine to ensure post-conflict peace. “Several states are ready to do this: from providing training and logistics to the presence in non-combat zones, i.e. not on the frontline or disputed territories,” Macron noted, adding that the issue of the potential deployment of military contingents will be discussed with Trump “to clarify how the United States is ready to participate in this.”
EN DIRECT | Déclaration du Président @EmmanuelMacron à l’issue de la réunion de la Coalition des volontaires. https://t.co/RasROYZcja
— Élysée (@Elysee) August 17, 2025
Vladimir Zelensky will travel to Washington on August 18. He will be accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Startmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also announced plans to take part in this meeting.
Up to Kiev to decide whether to accept Putin-Trump peace deal or not, says Rubio
It’s up to Kiev to decide whether to accept the proposals agreed upon by the Russian and US presidents, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump or not, but the war will only be getting worse, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
“This war is only going to get worse. It’s not going to get better,” he said in an interview with Fox News, commenting on the outcome of the Russia-US summit in Anchorage. “. Russia’s economy is now 100% full time war footing.”
“In terms of, like, what Zelensky is going to agree to, that’s up to them (the Ukrainians) to decide. They’re going to have to decide what they’re willing to give, and ultimately, what they’re going to get, what they’re going to demand as well,” he said. “You can’t have a peace deal between two warring factions unless both sides agree to give up something and both sides agree that the other side gets something right.”
“Otherwise, if one side gets everything they want, that’s not a peace deal. It’s called surrender, and I don’t think this is a war that’s going to end anytime soon on the basis of surrender,” he emphasized. According to Rubio, “the ongoing diplomatic efforts on the Ukrainian track must in the long run lead to a three-party meeting between Putin, Trump, and Zelensky. where we could finalize.” – “But we got to get this thing closer before we get to that point,” he added.
Von der Leyen, Zelensky announce emergency press conference in Brussels
European Commission Head Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky announced a joint press conference in Brussels on Sunday as a response to the Russia-US summit in Alaska.
As the European Commission’s press office reported, Zelensky has flown into Brussels and at 2:30 p.m. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will give a joint press conference with Zelensky. Von der Leyen wrote on the X social media platform that Zelensky would fly to Brussels to participate together with her in a teleconference of the coalition of the willing.
This visit was not in the European Commission’s plans until Sunday morning.
Trump tells EU leaders about peace plan giving the rest of Donbass region to Russia
Following his meeting with the Russian head of state, Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump proposed negotiating a peace deal under which Ukraine would give up the rest of the Donbass region to Russia, including areas not liberated by Russian troops, in a phone call with European leaders, The New York Times reported, citing high-ranking European officials.
According to them, a cease-fire in the rest of Ukraine at current battle lines and security guarantees, for both Kiev and Europe, would be offered in return.
Putin, Trump take step to peace, Zelensky will try to disrupt progress, Ukraine’s ex-PM says
The latest meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska marked a significant step toward establishing long-term peace in Ukraine. However, the country’s former Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov (2010-2014) warned that Zelensky may attempt to undermine progress during his upcoming meeting with Trump scheduled for Monday.
Azarov expressed a cautiously optimistic view of the summit. “I believe a meaningful step has been taken toward a settlement,” he stated. “Most likely, we are witnessing a convergence of two processes – the pursuit of a ceasefire and the effort to restore lasting peace.” At the same time, Azarov expressed concern that Zelensky would try to disrupt the negotiations. “It’s clear he will attempt to hinder progress. The outcome will largely depend on Trump’s stance and how firm he is in his discussions – not only with Zelensky but also with his British allies. That’s the key question. We’ll see – Monday is not far off,” Azarov remarked.
He also highlighted that after his meeting with Putin, Trump appeared to have gained a clearer understanding of the situation. Azarov praised the American leader’s assertion that the best way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine is to negotiate a comprehensive peace agreement, rather than merely a ceasefire. “The process has evolved. Initially, the focus was solely on a ceasefire – without conditions or guarantees. Now, however, Trump has emphasized that what really matters is long-term peace, not just a temporary truce. These are fundamentally different goals. If we can move toward establishing a sustainable peace, there is hope. It may not happen overnight or within a week or two, but progress is possible. We must aim for a lasting peace,” Azarov concluded.
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Putin calls Alaska visit timely, useful
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called his visit to Alaska, where he met with US President Donald Trump, timely and useful.
“I would like to immediately note that the visit was timely and very useful,” he said at a meeting with the leadership of the presidential staff, the government, the State Duma, government ministries and departments following Russian-American summit talks, Putin said. “We discussed practically all tracks of our cooperation, but first of all, of course, we talked about a possible resolution of the Ukrainian crisis on a fair basis.”
`Coalition of the willing’ to gather online on August 17
The `coalition of the willing’ will convene a meeting via video link on August 17, AFP reported, citing the Elysee Palace.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who earlier announced that the members of the coalition will hold a conversation soon without disclosing the date, will get together for an online conversation at 3:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. UTC) on Sunday. The three leaders will discuss “next steps as part of the discussion on peace in Ukraine.”
Europe must propose realistic plan for Ukraine — Wagenknecht
European countries must develop a pragmatic plan for a peace resolution in Ukraine and hold Vladimir Zelensky accountable, demanded Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the German party Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice” (BSW).
“The Alaska summit was not a disappointment,” Wagenknecht stated. “The fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump met at all marks diplomatic progress compared to previous years. The world is somewhat safer when the US and Russia engage in high-level negotiations again.”
She emphasized that European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, should now focus on facilitating negotiations by proposing a realistic peace plan and ensuring Zelensky is held accountable. “Unless we abandon the prospect of Ukraine’s NATO accession and recognize the current frontline as a border, the casualties will not cease,” Wagenknecht warned. She pointed out that the majority of the Ukrainian population desires peace, even if it means territorial concessions. “Anyone claiming that Ukraine should resolve this issue independently must heed the mood of the people, which is increasingly less supportive of Zelensky’s uncompromising stance,” she concluded.
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