Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday lauded US President Donald Trump’s efforts to resolve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, acknowledging that Ukraine’s security “should be ensured” as part of any peace settlement.
Speaking at a joint press conference after nearly three hours of talks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Putin described the war as a “tragedy” and stressed the need for a just balance of power in Europe. He expressed hope that Kyiv and European capitals would approach the peace process constructively.
“We see the strive of the administration and President Trump personally to help facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict… The Ukrainian nation is a brotherly nation, and everything that’s happening is a tragedy for us, a terrible wound,” Putin said.
He reiterated that Russia seeks to address the root causes of the conflict, calling for “legitimate security concerns” to be considered in order to restore balance in Europe. “I agree with President Trump… the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well. Naturally, we are prepared to welcome that,” Putin added.
Putin also cautioned against attempts to derail the process. “We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will perceive this constructively, and will not attempt provocations to torpedo the progress,” he said.
The Alaska summit brought together senior officials from both sides. Putin was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and aide Yury Ushakov, while Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Earlier, the two leaders greeted each other on the red carpet, shook hands, posed for photographs, and in an unusual gesture of camaraderie, departed together in Trump’s presidential limousine for the talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not part of the meeting, had underscored that Kyiv’s top demand was a ceasefire. “Everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine. We must prepare a trilateral format for talks,” he insisted ahead of the summit.
The White House hailed the meeting as “historic,” emphasising Trump’s pursuit of peace. Before the talks, Trump had warned he would “walk” if progress stalled, saying, “I may leave and say, ‘good luck,’ and that’ll be the end.”
