Alaska, August 16
Negotiations with the American delegation in the "narrow format" have concluded, the Kremlin said in a short statement, as reported by CNN.
The bilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin lasted well over three hours, CNN reported. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with other officials, were also present.
The fact that the two leaders had not moved on to their expanded bilateral luncheon after an hour and a half was also a sign that Trump, at least so far, did not feel compelled to "walk," as he had earlier promised to do if the talks were going south, as per CNN.
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1956473589982527653
https://x.com/Scavino47/status/1956467277844394014
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not present for this ongoing meeting even as the two leaders discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
As per CNN, Trump had said that after the meeting, he will call Zelenskyy, as well as European leaders, after the summit ends to brief them on the results. He's made it clear that his eventual goal is to get Putin and Zelensky in the same room to discuss how to end the war.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump had said that it could happen "almost immediately" if this meeting goes well, potentially even in Alaska.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine's "number one" demand of the Alaska summit is for Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
Only a ceasefire can provide the basis for meaningful peace talks, Ukraine and its European allies said, as per CNN.
Following a call between Trump and European leaders on Wednesday, two European diplomats familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump suggested he would push for a ceasefire at today's talks, which are currently underway.
If Russia agrees to a ceasefire, Ukraine's attention could then turn to its next priority -- a seat at the table for next meeting. Kyiv is hoping today's talks are a prelude to a three-way summit between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the US.
"Everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine," Zelenskyy said after Wednesday's call with Trump, as quoted by CNN. "We must prepare a trilateral format for talks."
— ANI
Reader Comments
Why is Ukraine not present in these talks? Their voice matters most in this conflict. India has always believed in peaceful dialogue between all parties involved - that's our foreign policy principle.
The US-Russia tensions affect the whole world. As an Indian, I'm concerned about how this might impact our defense deals and oil imports. We need to maintain good relations with both sides for national interest.
Interesting that they're discussing this in Alaska! The location choice seems strategic - neutral ground between US and Russia. Hope this leads to some concrete outcomes rather than just photo ops.
India's neutral stance in this conflict makes sense. We have historical ties with Russia but important economic relations with the West. Tough balancing act for our diplomats! 🇮🇳
The article mentions ceasefire but what about long-term solution? Temporary peace won't help. India has experience in conflict resolution - maybe our leaders can offer some wisdom here.
Three hours is a long meeting! Shows how complex this issue is. From Indian perspective, we should watch how this affects BRICS dynamics too.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.