By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – President Trump on Friday headed back to Washington DC after his inconclusive summit with Russian President Putin on Ukraine war although the talks lasted for nearly three hours ended on a positive note.
Air Force One departed Elmendorf Air Force Base around 4:20 p.m. local time and is now heading back to Washington, DC, media reported.
White House officials said that Trump was on the ground in Alaska for 6 hours.
Trump and Putin held a joint press conference in Alaska during their high-stakes summit but did not take questions from reporters.
The briefing came after several hours of discussions between the two leaders and their top aides, focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine, which began with Moscow’s 2022 invasion.
Putin was seen boarding a plane in Anchorage.
Before stepping on board, he paused briefly to wave and offered a slight bow.
Russian President visited the Fort Richardson Memorial Cemetery, where he laid flowers on the graves of Soviet Union soldiers. The visit followed his bilateral meeting with Trump.
Kremlin-released footage showed Putin kneeling, placing a bouquet, and making the sign of the cross.
The graves honor Soviet pilots and sailors who died transporting equipment from the US to the USSR during World War II.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had confirmed Putin’s plan to visit the memorial.
Putin was speaking alongside Trump, called on Ukraine and European nations not to block peace efforts.
“We expect Kyiv and European capitals to respond constructively and not try to derail the progress through provocations or behind-the-scenes moves,” Putin said
Trump thanked Putin for their time together, he expressed hope they would meet again soon.
Putin, switched to English and laughed replied, “Next time in Moscow.”
Trump, however, seemed hesitant to commit.
“That’s an interesting one. I don’t know, I’ll get a little heat on that one,” he said.
Putin said on Friday that he agreed with US President Donald Trump that Ukraine’s security “must be ensured”, but tied that commitment to addressing what he called Russia’s “fundamental security concerns”.
“I agree with President Trump that the security of Ukraine must be secured, and of course, we are ready to work on that,” Putin said during a press conference in Anchorage, Alaska.
He expressed hope that an agreement reached with Trump, which neither leader described in detail, would “pave the path towards peace in Ukraine”.
Putin stressed that the war could only end if “all the primary roots” of the conflict were addressed.
“The situation in Ukraine has to do with the fundamental threats to our security,” he said.
“To consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world… naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well,” Putin added.
He did not elaborate on what eliminating those “roots” would mean, though in the past he has linked the phrase to demands Kyiv and its allies have rejected.
Trump told reporters after the summit that he planned to brief NATO leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “other appropriate officials” about the discussions.
“I’m going to start making a few phone calls and tell them what happened,” he said.
They emerged claiming “progress” on unspecified issues but announced no ceasefire, offered no specifics, and took no questions.
Putin, on Friday, also thanked Trump for the “atmosphere of trust” at their meeting in Alaska, media reported.
“I would like to thank Trump for working together and maintaining a friendly and trustful atmosphere in the talks. The key thing is that both parties were determined to achieve results,” Putin said at a joint press conference with Trump following their meeting, Russian news agency TASS reported.
Putin described his talks with US President Donald Trump in Alaska as “positive and constructive”.
“Our talks were held in a respectful and constructive atmosphere. They were quite detailed and useful,” he said at a joint news conference.
Putin hopes that the agreements reached in Alaska will become a reference point for resolving the Ukrainian problem and restoring relations between Moscow and Washington.
He began remarks at the briefing by acknowledging that US-Russia relations have suffered in recent years. Usually when an American President hosts a foreign counterpart, a joint news conference would begin with remarks from the US leader followed by his guest.
“Our talks were held in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere,” Putin said after meeting Trump in Alaska, adding that he greeted Trump “as a neighbour” and had established “very good direct contacts” with him.
Putin said the Ukraine conflict was one of the central topics, stressing that Russia has “always regarded, and still regards, the Ukrainian people as a brotherly people”.
He added, “All the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated. Ukraine’s security must, of course, be ensured, and we are ready to work on this.”
Russian state media quoted Ambassador to the US Alexander Darchiev stated the atmosphere around the discussions was generally positive.
Trump and Putin concluded their three-on-three meeting after roughly three hours. The two leaders met behind closed doors, joined by their top advisers.
Speaking to Fox News aboard Air Force One on his way to Alaska, Trump said he wants to walk away from his meeting with Putin with a ceasefire in hand, and won’t be satisfied without it.
“I wouldn’t be thrilled if I didn’t get it,” Trump said, adding that some believe a halt to hostilities in Ukraine may only come after a second meeting.
“We’ll see what happens. I won’t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire.”
Putin, meanwhile, gave no indication of his position.
They shook hands on the red carpet, F-22 fighters and B-2 stealth bombers flew overhead, aircraft designed during the 1970s and 1980s for a potential US-Soviet conflict, though they entered service only after the Cold War ended.
Their presence during the welcome may have been a pointed reminder of US military power as Trump and Putin prepared to begin talks on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
