Talks with Trump in Alaska very frank, bring us closer to necessary decisions: Putin

President Vladimir Putin told Russian officials that he discussed ways of ending the conflict in Ukraine ‘on a fair basis’ with Donald Trump.

Updated on: Aug 16, 2025, 22:17:26 IST

By HT News Desk

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called his meeting with US President Donald Trump "timely" and "very useful" and said that the two leaders discussed ways of ending the war in Ukraine "on a fair basis".

US President Donald Trump, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska (X/WhiteHouse)

Putin made the remarks while speaking to top Kremlin officials in Moscow, a day after the meeting in Alaska, where the Russian President stepped on US soil for the first time in a decade, AFP reported.

"We have not had direct negotiations of this kind at this level for a long time," Putin said. "We had the opportunity to calmly and in detail reiterate our position."

Also Read | India welcomes Trump-Putin summit, backs peace in Ukraine; PM Modi responds to Zelensky’s post

"The conversation was very frank, substantive, and, in my opinion, brings us closer to the necessary decisions," he said.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands before their meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. (X/WhiteHouse)

Putin-Trump meeting

Trump met Putin on Friday at an Alaska air base. The meeting between the two leaders lasted for over three hours. This was the first instance when Putin was allowed on Western soil since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Also Read | Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's first reaction after Trump-Putin Alaska summit: 'Will meet…'

Both Trump and Putin offered warm words about their interaction at the summit, but did not take questions from reporters.

"We are not there yet, but we have made progress. There is no deal until there's a deal," Trump said.

He called the meeting “extremely productive” with “many points” agreed, but did not offer specifics. "There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant," Trump said without elaborating.

Also Read | Trump delivers Melania's letter to Putin during Alaska meeting; Here's what it said

Putin told Trump he agreed with him that the Ukraine war, which Putin ordered, would not have happened if Trump were president instead of Joe Biden when the invasion was launched in 2022.

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