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“President Donald Trump failed to secure an agreement from Vladimir Putin on Friday to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, falling short in his most significant move yet to stop the bloodshed.” AP News
“Russia would relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine and Kyiv would cede swathes of its eastern land which Moscow has been unable to capture, under peace proposals discussed by Russia's Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at their Alaska summit, sources briefed on Moscow's thinking said…
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to travel to Washington on Monday to discuss with Trump a possible settlement of the full-scale war, which Putin launched in February 2022. Although the summit failed to secure the ceasefire he said he had wanted, Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that he and Putin had discussed land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and had ‘largely agreed.’” Reuters
Here’s our previous coverage of the summit. The Flip Side
The left is critical of Trump’s refusal to impose further sanctions on Russia.
“Trump went into Friday’s meeting in Anchorage with the goal of securing a ceasefire, telling reporters on Air Force One, ‘I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. I don’t know if it’s going to be today, but I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today.’ Putin has resisted calls for a ceasefire, while [Zelenskiy], along with other European leaders, have stressed the importance of a commitment to stop fighting in order to begin negotiations for a lasting peace deal…
“[Last] Wednesday, Trump promised ‘very severe consequences’ if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire. After the meeting with Putin, Trump backtracked on the idea of a ceasefire entirely… Trump repeatedly promised that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in the first 24 hours of his presidency. Eight months in, he has left a summit with [Putin] without a deal.”
Ruth Murai, Mother Jones
“Trump, in his rush to meet with Putin, not only risked whatever was left of his image as a dealmaker-in-chief, but he also may have damaged the United States’ image as a global champion for democracy… While the Russian energy sector and economy is suffering, the truth is Putin didn’t need anything more than a photo of him on the same military base the U.S. once used to counter the Soviets…
“Trump legitimized Putin as the leader of a superpower that must be dealt with directly and not a rogue state kicked out of the G8. Trump completely ignored U.S. sanctions and the international arrest warrant for Putin, essentially siding with Putin against the democratic world order. He again illustrated how potentially easy it is for him to be manipulated into playing second fiddle to Putin’s imperial ambitions, gaining nothing for himself or the U.S. in return.”
Nayyera Haq, MSNBC
“Trump berated [Zelensky] in the Oval Office. He allowed the Pentagon twice to halt prearranged military shipments to Ukraine. He promised that when the current tranche of armaments runs out, there will be no more. He has cut or threatened to cut the U.S. funds that previously supported independent Russian-language media and opposition. His administration is slowly, quietly easing sanctions on Russia…
“Trump does say that he wants to end the war in Ukraine, and sometimes he also says that he is angry that Putin doesn’t. But if the U.S. is not willing to use any economic, military, or political tools to help Ukraine, if Trump will not put any diplomatic pressure on Putin or any new sanctions on Russian resources, then the U.S. president’s fond wish to be seen as a peacemaker can be safely ignored.”
Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic
The right is cautiously optimistic about the meeting.
The right is cautiously optimistic about the meeting.
“I am not naive enough to believe Putin is a good guy. He isn't. He is a KGB thug--bloodthirsty and brutal. But he is also the leader of a power that has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, controls a good chunk of the world's oil supply, and is slicing up its neighbor. The US and Europe are not going to invade Russia and replace Putin with our own puppet, so we have to deal with him, and no matter what the West does, Putin will control large parts of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea…
“Those are accomplished facts. Nobody is ‘handing’ these regions to Russia. Russia has them and will continue to no matter what we do. The only issue is whether he has them and is also killing Ukrainians and bankrupting the West's military, or whether he has them and the war is over…
“Trump used both a carrot and a stick in Alaska. Putin arrived and walked on a red carpet, but he did so surrounded by the most powerful Air Force in the world right next to his country. Trump flew a B-2 right over Putin's head--ostensibly to honor the man, but actually reminding him who holds all the military cards… Everybody is freaking out that Trump didn't slap Putin in the face, but the only thing that could have accomplished would be killing all prospects for peace.”
David Strom, Hot Air
“In a just world, Ukraine would regain the territory stolen from it since 2014, receive massive reparations from Russia, and be admitted to NATO. But Russia will not give up its ill-gotten gains any time soon, whether by force or voluntarily, and it is likely to be years, if ever, before Ukraine will be able to join NATO…
“Faced with that reality, Western policymakers should concentrate on doing what they can to secure the independence of the 80 percent of Ukraine that remains under Kyiv’s control. If some New York City realtor–style schmooze brings Ukraine closer to that goal, so be it…
“Trump should remember that while patience is a virtue, being a patsy is not. In the aftermath of the meetings, he wants to hold off on further sanctions for now. That’s fine, but, in the absence of progress toward a cease-fire, in fairly short order he should resume turning the sanctions ratchet.”
The Editors, National Review
Many argue, “[Trump] should increase sanctions on Russia immediately — particularly secondary sanctions on oil and other goods that are keeping Putin’s war machine afloat. The president should make clear arms supplies will continue, particularly now that Europe is footing the bill, and our military industry is benefiting. Putin did not move on his demands. He must be forced to move.”
Editorial Board, New York Post
