Overview

• Speaking at the Valdai forum, Vladimir Putin said he and Donald Trump listened to each other for about an hour and a half and exchanged views on difficult issues.
• Putin said the Alaska discussion focused on ways to resolve the Ukraine crisis and did not address a broader bilateral agenda.
• He thanked Trump for organizing the meeting and described him as a comfortable interlocutor who listens.
• The White House schedule listed a closed intelligence briefing for Trump, and the Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported he authorized intelligence support for Ukrainian strikes and is weighing Tomahawk and Barracuda missiles, though no decision has been announced.
• International coverage highlighted Putin’s warning about Europe’s militarization and his assessment that U.S. proposals on Gaza could enable a positive breakthrough, with a Palestinian state described as essential to a settlement.