Trump-Putin meeting analyzed by ISW: Putin sticks to his stance on Ukraine
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press briefing in Alaska clearly showed whether he has changed his position on the war in Ukraine, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.
According to the ISW, Putin broke protocol by speaking first at the press conference with US President Donald Trump. During the briefing, Putin repeated several longstanding Kremlin narratives about the war in Ukraine, Russian history, and US–Russia relations.
Putin once again emphasized the importance of eliminating the root causes of the war in Ukraine, referring to NATO’s eastward expansion and alleged discrimination against Russian speakers in Ukraine. He also accused European countries of attempting to disrupt the negotiation process.
“Putin said nothing in the joint press conference to indicate that he has moderated either his war aims or his willingness to compromise on them and reiterated language he has used since 2021 to justify Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Putin again demonstrated that he has not changed his views on Ukrainian sovereignty since 2021 and remains disinterested in serious peace negotiations with Ukraine,” the analysts noted.
Putin likely used his visit to Alaska to reiterate the old Kremlin thesis of a shared origin of Russia and Ukraine and to refer to Ukrainians as a brotherly people.
Trump–Putin meeting
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on Friday, August 15 (Kyiv time: the night of August 15–16) at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska.
After the talks, the leaders held a joint press conference, but journalists were not allowed to ask questions.
Trump stated that no agreement on Ukraine was reached, though some progress has been made.
Europe has already reacted to the Trump–Putin meeting. More details are available in the RBC-Ukraine report.
