Donald Trump has told Ukraine to ‘get a deal done’ with Russia after the US President met Vladimir Putin to discuss a ceasefire between the two warring countries.
Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin during a historic meeting with his Russian counterpart in Alaska on Friday in the hopes of reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
After nearly three hours behind closed doors, the talks ended in a stalemate as the two global superpowers told reporters at a press conference that there would be no immediate ceasefire.
Instead, Putin claimed they had hammered out an ‘understanding’ on Ukraine and warned Europe not to ‘torpedo the nascent progress’.
Meanwhile, Trump said the meeting went ‘very well’ and hailed it as a ‘great and very successful day in Alaska’, in a post on his social media platform.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to the Alaska summit, but is set to meet with Trump at the White House on Monday.
In a post-summit interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump said it was now down to Zelensky to ‘make a deal’, stressing that the country was outmatched against Russia’s ‘war machine’.
‘I think we’re pretty close to a deal,’ Trump said. ‘Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they’ll say no. President Zelensky has to agree. It’s up to President Zelensky to get it done.’
US President Donald Trump (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) met in Alaska for an historic summit to discuss the future of Ukraine (pictured shaking hands)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured outside Downing Street this week) was not invited to the Alaska summit, but is set to meet with Trump at the White House on Monday
When asked by Hannity what he would advise Zelensky, Trump said: ‘Make a deal. Gotta make a deal.
‘Look, Russia is a very big power, and they’re not. They’re great soldiers. They did have courage in fighting and you know they are fighting a big war machine.
He later added: ‘We – I think – are close to a deal. But I don’t like saying it.
‘I think President Putin would like to solve the problem and it was a problem that should have never happened.’
Trump later said he was ‘fairly sure’ a deal could be struck in a ‘short’ time period, adding that he hoped to set up a meeting between himself, Zelensky and Putin in the coming days.
During the interview, Trump also signalled that he and Putin had discussed potential land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine.
‘I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on,’ Trump said.
Zelensky has repeatedly underlined the importance of security guarantees for Kyiv as part of any deal, to deter Russia from launching a new invasion at some point in the future.
Putin and trump posing on a podium shortly before they drove to a the venue of their three-hour talk – which failed to yield a peace deal
Trump failed to secure a ceasefire agreement or peace deal in the ‘extremely productive meeting’ with the Russian president (the pair pictured ahead of their three-hour meeting)
Following the Alaska summit Zelensky spoke with Mr Trump in a one-on-one call on Saturday morning before European leaders joined. In total, the conversations lasted over 90 minutes.
The Ukrainian President later posted on social media laying out what he wanted to see from an end to fighting.
Writing on X, he said: ‘A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions.’
He said a ceasefire must include an end to fighting on land, in the sea and the air, and all prisoners of war, as well as captured civilians – including children – must be returned.
Sanctions on Moscow ‘should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war’, Zelensky added.
After the summit with Mr Putin at an air base in Anchorage, Alaska, the US president suggested there were only a few major stumbling blocks holding up the prospect of a peace deal.
Writing on his Truth Social platform after the summit, Mr Trump said he hoped Monday’s meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart in the Oval Office could pave the way for three-way talks with Mr Putin.
The American leader added: ‘Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!’
