Overview

• Trump and Putin met behind closed doors at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15 without Ukraine’s participation and expanded the session to include Senator Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff.
• They emerged with no binding ceasefire or territorial agreement, citing progress but merely agreeing to discuss follow-up meetings.
• European leaders, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have reiterated that Ukraine must sit at the table first and that talks cannot proceed without a ceasefire and rejection of any legal recognition of Russian gains.
• Russia maintained its maximal demands for formal control over occupied regions and an end to Western arms supplies, a stance that bolstered Putin’s diplomatic standing after the summit.
• A Pew Research poll finds 59 percent of U.S. adults lack confidence in Trump’s decision-making on the Ukraine war, raising questions about America’s role as mediator.