Russian officials and media struck a largely positive tone, with some describing Friday’s meeting as a symbolic end to Putin’s isolation in the West.

Former President Dmitry Medvedev, now the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, hailed the summit as a significant step forward in re-establishing high-level communication between Moscow and Washington, noting the conversations were “calm, devoid of ultimatums and threats”.

According to Laurie Bristow, the British ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020, Putin has managed to emerge from international seclusion, reasserting himself as a key global leader on the world stage. He was not significantly challenged by Trump, who also disregarded an arrest warrant for Putin by the International Criminal Court.

“Unless Mr. Putin is absolutely convinced that he cannot win militarily, the fighting is not going to stop,” Bristow told The Associated Press.

“That’s the big takeaway from the Anchorage summit.”

Russian assaults on Ukraine persisted into the night, involving the use of one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones, of which 61 were intercepted, as reported by Ukraine’s air force. Regions on the front lines such as Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Chernihiv were targeted.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defenses shot down 29 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Sea of Azov overnight.