Trump-Putin summit concludes without ceasefire

The summit held between presidents of American Donald Trump and Russia Vladimir Putin held yesterday in Anchorage, Alaska ended without ceasefire.

The seven hours expected summit, which only ended within three hours, focused on achieving a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Before the meeting, Trump expressed hope that the summit would lead to broader talks that include Ukraine and possibly European leaders.

Speaking to reporters, the president of America clarified that his primary objective was to get Putin to the negotiating table, not to act as Ukraine’s official representative.

Meanwhile, at the end of the summit, Trump disclosed “we didn’t get there” but said progress was made after the Ukraine talks with Putin.

Referring to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump warned that it is “ultimately up to them,” adding that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

On his part, Putin was “sincerely interested” more in ending the war without giving details.

He noted that his country is committed to ending the war, but the conflict’s “primary causes” must be eliminated for an agreement to be long-lasting, while giving stern warning to Ukraine and the European Union against throwing a “wrench in the works” and cautioned against attempts to use “backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the nascent progress”.

However, Trump or Putin did not take questions from the media at the end of the summit, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is yet to react.

Read also: UPDATED: High-stakes summit underway between Trump, Putin