Overview

• The three-on-three session at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson lasted nearly three hours but ended without a formal agreement to halt the war in Ukraine.
• Putin announced that the leaders had reached an “understanding” while Trump insisted “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
• Trump said he would brief President Zelenskyy and European leaders on the discussions and could hold further meetings if substantial progress is achieved.
• Ukrainian officials and EU capitals have condemned any negotiations that exclude Kyiv or allow territorial concessions without Ukraine’s consent.
• The summit’s theatrical arrival sequence, including red carpets, military flyovers and Putin’s ride in the presidential limousine, drew scrutiny over the optics of legitimizing Russia’s leader.