‘It was 10/10′: Trump rates Alaska summit with Putin a ’10’ despite no result on Ukraine ceasefire, says meeting was ‘highly productive’
President Donald Trump said he would give his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin a “10,” even though he had earlier warned he wouldn’t be “happy” if no ceasefire was reached. Speaking on Fox News, Trump explained that the high score was because the two leaders got along well. “I think the meeting was a 10 in the sense that we got along great. And it’s good when two big powers get along, especially when they’re nuclear powers. We’re number one, they’re number two in the world and that’s a big deal,” Trump said.
Trump said the discussions covered multiple points and suggested that significant agreements were within reach. “A lot of points were agreed on. There’s not that much, there’s, you know, one or two pretty significant items, but I think they can be reached now,” he said.
Trump also said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed the war in Ukraine should end through land swaps and some form of U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump confirmed that territorial concessions giving Russia land it did not previously control, along with possible U.S. assurances for Ukraine, were part of their discussions. “I think those are points we negotiated, and we largely agreed on them,” Trump said. “Actually, I think we agree on a lot. The meeting was warm.”
He described Putin as “strong” and “tough as hell,” but said the talks were positive. “I think we’re pretty close to the end. And look, Ukraine has to agree to it,” Trump added, advising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “make a deal.”
The two leaders met for over three hours behind closed doors at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, after Trump welcomed Putin with a red carpet reception. They later appeared together for a joint press conference.
Trump’s inconclusive summit with Putin
Trump has departed Alaska after an inconclusive summit on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, though the nearly three-hour talks ended on a positive note. Air Force One left Elmendorf Air Force Base at about 4:20 p.m. local time, heading back to Washington, D.C. Trump spent roughly six hours on the ground in Alaska.
During the high-stakes meeting, Trump and Putin held a joint press conference but did not take questions from reporters.
The briefing followed several hours of discussions between the leaders and their top aides, centered on the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Trump emphasized that the summit did not settle all issues and that major decisions would ultimately be up to Zelenskyy.
“Now, it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit but it’s up to President Zelenskyy,” Trump said.
He confirmed that a follow-up meeting is being planned with Zelenskyy and Putin. “They’re going to set up a meeting now between President Zelenskyy, President Putin, and myself, I guess. I didn’t even ask about it. Not that I want to be there, but I want to make sure it gets done,” Trump said, adding, “I want to see people stop dying in Ukraine.”
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