Putin and Trump fail to reach Ukraine peace deal

US president says discussions with Russian counterpart ‘extremely productive’ but ‘no deal’ made

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin failed to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine after three hours of high-stakes talks in Alaska.

“We haven’t quite got there, but we’ve made some headway,” the US president said.

Mr Trump insisted at a press conference at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage: “We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to.

“There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there.”

He did not specify which barriers had been overcome, nor which remained.

It is now “up to Volodymyr Zelensky”, the Ukrainian president, to make peace, he said. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

Putin, who travelled to the US for the first time in a decade, was allowed to open the press conference, saying the war in Ukraine was a “tragedy for us and a terrible wound”.

He referred to Mr Trump as a “dear neighbour” with whom he could do business, while the US president said: “I’ve always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin, with Vladimir.”

But the leaders departed the stage after just 12 minutes without taking any questions in a sign that, for all the warm words, little tangible progress had been made.

Putin, who spoke for twice as long as Mr Trump, also had the last word, suggesting – in English – that the pair would meet “next time in Moscow”.

“Ooh, that’s an interesting one,” Mr. Trump replied. “I don’t know. I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening.”

It was an abrupt ending to an otherwise friendly meeting that began when Mr Trump greeted the Russian leader with a smile and an outstretched hand as he disembarked his private aircraft.

The leaders walked down respective red carpets and Mr Trump clapped as the Russian president approached, before they shared a warm embrace.

Standing side by side on the tarmac in front of the travelling press pool, Putin faced a barrage of questions about his war in Ukraine.

Under the roar of a US military flyover, the Russian leader shrugged and gestured to his ear, suggesting that he could not hear the reporters who asked if he would stop killing Ukrainian civilians.

The White House unexpectedly announced that the joint press briefing would go ahead earlier than planned.

Hundreds of journalists crammed into the room, with Russian media on one side and Western journalists on the other.

An expanded bilateral meeting, which had been planned to take place over lunch with the president’s economic advisers, was scrapped.

During his six-hour and 45-minute flight to Alaska, the US president had warned that he would “walk” if the meeting did not go to plan.

But after three hours of discussions, he appeared on stage flanked by Putin, whom he referred to at one point as “the boss”.

Towards the end of the conference, Mr Trump said he would contact Mr Zelensky and other European leaders to discuss the progress of the talks.

“I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate, and of course, call up President Zelensky and tell them about today’s meeting. It’s ultimately up to them,” he said.

Mr Trump’s talks with Putin were initially intended to be one-on-one, but the White House announced both leaders would be accompanied by two of their advisers while Mr Trump was mid-flight.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy who has been credited with bringing Putin to America, flanked the president.

Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine had proved a “failure” as Mr Trump failed to secure a ceasefire.

Mr Merezhko told The New York Times that Putin had appeared as an equal to the US leader.

“He won the informational war... He used Trump to show that he is not isolated,” he said.

Mr Trump also faced criticism from Democrats and US media who accused the president of legitimising Putin and the war with the welcome he afforded him.

While Mr Trump failed to produce any details about a path to peace, The Telegraph on Friday revealed that Britain is poised to put “boots on the ground” in Ukraine within a week of a ceasefire being declared.

Plans have been made for hundreds of British military trainers and engineers to enter the country if fighting pauses, to help rebuild Ukraine’s armed forces.

Sir Keir Starmer has also approved the use of RAF fighter jets to help police the skies over Ukraine with allies to ensure Russia does not breach any truce.

It would mark a significant escalation in Britain’s role in helping Kyiv see off the Russian threat towards Ukraine, bringing with it risks for those deployed.

European allies, who have been working on the plans for months under a partnership dubbed the “coalition of the willing”, pushed ahead with renewed urgency this week in anticipation of the summit.