News - World: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have emerged from a high-profile and high-stakes summit in Anchorage, Alaska, declaring the talks “productive,” but without securing a deal for Ukraine.

After Friday’s summit, which unfolded under an intense global media glare, Trump admitted, “We didn’t get there” on what he called “the biggest one,” namely the key unresolved issue.

“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he added, despite saying he and Putin had found common ground on “most” other points.

Putin, though, sounded more optimistic, saying that an “agreement” had been reached without revealing specifics.

He urged “Kiev and European capitals” to treat the development constructively and not “torpedo the nascent progress.”

Speaking alongside Putin, Trump promised to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials on the discussions.

Offering a parting comment in English, Putin said, “Next time in Moscow.”

At the briefing’s start, the Russian head of state lamented the collapse of US–Russia relations to “the lowest point since the Cold War” and called for a shift from confrontation to dialogue.

He emphasized that negotiations had been conducted in a “constructive atmosphere of mutual respect” and were “quite useful.”

The Russian president stopped short of giving any sign of change in Moscow’s oft-repeated stance on Ukraine – namely critique of the West, including the US’s intense military support for Kiev and its membership in the Western military alliance of NATO, where Washington is the main power.

He repeated his demand that the “root causes” of the situation in the ex-Soviet republic had to be “eliminated,” a reference, which observers said indicated lack of change in the stance.

Compressed schedule, high-level attendees

The summit, cut shorter than planned, lasted about 2.5 hours. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and adviser Yuri Ushakov had joined Putin.

Originally expected to meet with only translators, both leaders opted last-minute for a “three-on-three” format.

A larger working lunch with senior officials from both sides was also apparently dropped.

Trump had ordered a B-2 bomber flyover during his welcoming rituals that was perceived as Washington's implementing its signature “military prestige” dramatics.

In the lead-up, Trump had openly set a deal on Ukraine as his goal, although, he would openly admit uncertainty about the chances. He had even floated the idea of Putin meeting Zelensky in Alaska during the summit.

Source: Press TV