In their first meeting since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, US President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Saturday to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

The high-stakes talks, while described as “productive” by both leaders, concluded without any concrete agreement to end or pause the conflict, now entering its fourth year. Standing beside Trump, Putin asserted that the war in Ukraine would never have started had Trump remained in power following the 2020 election.

“Today, when President Trump says that if he was president back [in 2022], there would be no war — and I’m quite sure that it would indeed be. I can confirm that,” Putin said, according to a foreign media report.

Also Read:Trump says “No deal until there’s a deal” after Alaska talks with Putin

No ceasefire, no details

The nearly three-hour meeting was closely watched around the world, but neither leader disclosed specific details of what was discussed. They also declined to take questions from the press following their joint statement.

“There were many, many points that we agreed on. I would say a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite got there, but we’ve made some headway,” Trump said, adding, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

Also Read:Trump-Putin Alaska Meeting Update: Productive meeting, couple of big points agreed on, says US President; Zelenskyy mentioned 

‘Root cause’ of war

Despite the lack of tangible outcomes, both leaders expressed optimism about the direction of their talks.

“I expect that today’s agreements will become a reference point, not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also launch the restoration of business-like, pragmatic relations between Russia and the United States,” Putin stated.

However, Putin indicated continued resistance to a ceasefire, saying that lasting peace would only be possible if what he described as the “root cause” of the conflict was addressed.

Putin said the “root cause” of the Ukraine conflict must be eliminated to reach a long-term peace, suggesting his stance on the war remains unchanged.