‘We Didn’t Get There’: Trump Says Summit With Putin Was ‘Extremely Productive,’ but Signals No Deal Was Made on Ukraine

President Trump says he had a “very productive” meeting with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, but is implying that the two leaders were unable to reach an agreement on a ceasefire to stop the fighting in Ukraine.After a nearly three-hour meeting behind closed doors between Mr. Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Mr. Putin and his advisers, reporters were informed that there would be a press conference, which was sooner than expected. The two leaders held a short event where both men delivered remarks. Mr. Putin bemoaned the strained relations between America and Russia, which he said had hindered progress on talks to end the war in Ukraine. Mr. Putin also warned European nations not to “create any obstacles” or “make attempts to disrupt the emerging progress through provocations and behind-the-scenes intrigues.” Mr. Trump called the meeting “extremely productive” and said that there were several points agreed to, and “very few” that were not agreed to. However, Mr. Trump implied, without explicitly stating it, that there was no ceasefire deal, saying, “We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.”Mr. Trump said he would discuss the meeting with NATO leaders and President Zelensky, and signaled that there could be another summit soon. Mr. Trump ended the event without taking any questions from reporters. Ahead of the summit, Mr. Trump said he was read to walk out of the meeting if he believed Mr. Putin was not serious about ending the war. The American president said he could determine Mr. Putin’s intentions within two minutes. The 47th president also previously said he would only hold a solo press conference if he believed the meeting did not go well. Hours earlier, the two leaders greeted each other on a red carpet as a B-2 stealth bomber flew overhead, where they shook hands before posing for a picture and heading to a closed-door meeting. Noticeably absent from the meeting is President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a video on X, Mr. Zelensky said, “On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well. And that speaks volumes. Recently, weʼve discussed with the U.S. and Europeans what can truly work.”“Everyone needs a just end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to bring the war to an end, and we count on a strong position from America. Everything will depend on this — the Russians factor in American strength. Make no mistake — strength,” he said.Mr. Zelensky added that he believes there should be a meeting between Russian, Ukrainian, and American officials to end the war. He also said security guarantees for Ukraine are “needed,” but put the responsibility on Russia to end the war “that it itself started and has been dragging out for years.”The meeting comes as Mr. Trump has expressed frustration with Mr. Putin for not ending the war in Ukraine, saying the Russian leader has gone “crazy” and is “needlessly killing a lot of people.”Mr. Trump told reporters he would like a ceasefire agreement to come out of the summit on Friday, though he said that may not happen. He said his goal is not to negotiate a peace deal on Mr. Zelensky’s behalf, but to convince Mr. Putin to go to the negotiating table to discuss a ceasefire and an end to the war in Ukraine. Before the meeting, multiple reports indicated that Russia was carrying out strikes in Ukraine, which Mr. Trump said might be Mr. Putin attempting to show strength ahead of the meeting. _____________Correction: President Zelensky put pressure on Russia to end the war that he contends Moscow started. An earlier version misstated Mr. Zelensky’s remarks.

‘We Didn’t Get There’: Trump Says Summit With Putin Was ‘Extremely Productive,’ but Signals No Deal Was Made on Ukraine

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