【By Observer News, Ruan Jiaqi】

On August 15 local time, U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin met in Alaska, USA, for a three-hour meeting. This was the first face-to-face meeting between Russian and American leaders since June 2021, and also the first time that the Russian president had set foot on American soil since September 2015.

In a brief joint press conference, both leaders said the meeting atmosphere was good and constructive, but Trump revealed that no agreement had been reached between the two sides. Putin also invited Trump to Moscow for another meeting in English, and Trump expressed an open attitude toward it.

Trump mentioned at the press conference that he would call NATO and some people he considered appropriate later, of course, he would also call Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to inform him about today's meeting.

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal on the 15th, after the meeting, Trump gave an interview to Fox News. He told the host that the message he wanted to convey to Zelenskyy was: "Make the deal." (Make the deal. Gotta make a deal.)

"Russia is a very powerful country, while Ukraine is not," Trump said. "They are fighting a huge war machine."

Trump claimed that he believed Putin was willing to reach an agreement, and both sides had already "nearly reached a consensus," believing that the Ukraine-Russia conflict would end with territorial exchange and some form of security guarantee provided by the United States to Ukraine.

"I think we are very close to reaching an agreement," Trump said. "But you know, Ukraine has to agree. They may refuse."

"Now, whether or not to promote the agreement really depends on Zelenskyy. I also want to say that European countries should be involved to some extent. But the key is still on Zelenskyy. If they are willing, I will attend the next meeting," he added.

According to the latest report from CNN on the 16th, Trump had a long conversation with Zelenskyy on the flight departing Alaska. The office of Zelenskyy confirmed that the two had made a call that day.

It is reported that the presidential aircraft "Air Force One" arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland just after 2 a.m. Eastern Time. White House Press Secretary Lauren Lyle revealed that during the six-hour flight, Trump spent most of his time making calls. She also said that after calling Zelenskyy, Trump also communicated with NATO.

After the meeting between the two presidents, Trump gave an exclusive interview to Fox News. Screenshot

The host then asked Trump about his subsequent plans, mentioning that Trump had previously said he wanted Putin and Zelenskyy to meet face to face. "I'm not sure if I can safely let the two of them meet alone. I think you (Trump) being present would be better," he said.

Trump agreed, saying, "Both of them want me there. I will go. It needs to have a beginning and an end." Under the host's questioning, Trump said that a trilateral meeting between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia is expected to take place in a "relatively short" period of time.

Face to the global cameras, Trump boasted about his good relationship with Putin and characterized this meeting as "highly effective."

In an interview with Fox News, Trump continued to praise Putin, "I think we reached a consensus on many issues, and I can tell you that the atmosphere of this meeting was very amicable."

He continued, "He is a strong person with an extremely firm will, but this meeting was a friendly exchange between two important countries. It is a good thing that big countries can get along well."

If given a score for this meeting, Trump said he would give this significant meeting a perfect score, "If the maximum is 10 points, I would give it 10 points."

After the meeting, Trump's stance on sanctioning Russia seemed to soften. He said he would not immediately consider imposing tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy.

"I may need two or three weeks before considering it, but I don't need to consider it now," Trump said. "I think the meeting went very smoothly."

According to Russian media reports, on the 15th local time, the Russian president's press secretary Peskov stated that the meeting between Putin and U.S. President Trump was very positive. Peskov said that this meeting helped both sides continue to work together to seek solutions.

Peskov also said that after the meeting, the two leaders issued a comprehensive statement, so they decided to refuse to accept questions from journalists at the press conference.

According to a report from the Time magazine website, on the same day, the Russian ambassador to the United States, Darchev, accepted an interview with Russian media, stating that the meeting "had not yet achieved significant breakthroughs."

He said, "We are trying and pushing forward the relevant work. However, there have not been any major breakthroughs yet, and it is obviously difficult to achieve in the near future."

Darchev revealed that there were still two issues that were currently "obstacles": first, the Russian diplomatic assets seized during the Obama administration; second, the direct flights between the U.S. and Russia that were interrupted after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis.

He said that documents regarding the resumption of air traffic between Russia and the U.S. were ready and submitted to the U.S. for review. It is expected that Russia and the U.S. will hold the next round of talks on tense issues in bilateral relations and the normalization of relations in the near future, hoping to discuss these matters specifically at that time.

Regarding the holding of the U.S.-Russia summit, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posted on social media platforms on the same day (the 15th), expressing hope that the meeting could create possibilities for a substantive trilateral meeting among the leaders. He said that Ukraine had recently consulted with the U.S. and European allies on effective solutions, and all parties hoped for the end of the war.

He said, "Ukraine is ready to advance the ceasefire and end the war in the most efficient way. We also hope that the U.S. will take a firm position. This is crucial - Russia will consider the strength of the U.S. Please be clear: it is strength."

Professor Wang Fan, dean of the School of Foreign Affairs, told Observer News that this "Putin-Trump meeting" helps the final resolution of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, but does not mean that the conflict has already been resolved. There are still many negotiation details to confirm. Ukraine needs collective security guarantees, and Russia will uphold its requirements for the security barrier against NATO's further eastward expansion. How specific arrangements will be implemented may still be controversial. Regardless, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which has lasted for more than three years and five months, if it can be paused or even ended, will be a long-awaited scene for the international community.

This article is an exclusive article of Observer News. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7539098597720408591/

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