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U.S. President Donald Trump said that progress toward ending the war in Ukraine now depends on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a nearly three-hour summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin yielded no immediate agreement but what both leaders called "productive" talks.
"Now, it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity following the Alaska meeting. "The European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it's up to President Zelenskyy."
The highly anticipated summit, which Trump rated "10 out of 10," marked the first meeting between Putin and a U.S. president since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
While both leaders described the talks as warm and constructive, they offered few specifics about any potential breakthrough.
Standing before a backdrop reading "Pursuing Peace," Trump acknowledged that despite progress on multiple issues, key differences remain unresolved.
"There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say," Trump said at a brief press appearance. "A couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there on, but we've made some headway. So, there's no deal until there's a deal."
In the Fox News interview, Trump expressed optimism about reaching an agreement, saying, "I think we're pretty close to a deal. Now look, Ukraine has to agree to it."
Trump revealed plans for a future meeting that would include Zelenskyy alongside Putin, with himself potentially attending.
"They're going to set up a meeting now between President Zelenskyy and President Putin and myself, I guess," Trump said. "If they'd like, I'll be at that next meeting. I want to make sure it gets done, and we have a pretty good chance of getting it done."
The president did not provide details about when or where such a meeting might occur, though Putin suggested the next meeting could be in Moscow—a proposal Trump said might "get a little heat" but that he could "possibly see happening."
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When asked what advice he would give to Ukraine's leader, Trump was direct: "Gotta make a deal."
"Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not," Trump added, referring to Ukraine. "They're fighting a big war machine."
Trump indicated that potential land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine were among the negotiated points, saying, "I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on."
The Russian president, speaking to reporters after the summit, said he expected Ukraine and its European allies to accept the results of the U.S.-Russia negotiation constructively and not try to "disrupt the emerging progress."
Putin also confirmed Trump's previous statements that the war would not have occurred under the Trump administration, with Trump attributing the conflict to the Biden administration's "gross incompetence."
"I've never seen anybody do so much so fast," Putin said of Trump, according to the U.S. president. "Your country is like... hot as a pistol."
Trump told Fox News he would hold off on imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil following the progress made with Putin.
"Because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now," Trump said. "I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that right now."
The president also indicated he would not pursue sanctions against Russia while negotiations continue.
As the two leaders met in Alaska, the conflict in Ukraine showed no signs of slowing. Most eastern Ukrainian regions remained under air raid alerts, while governors of Russia's Rostov and Bryansk regions reported Ukrainian drone attacks on their territories.
Russia's defense ministry reported intercepting and destroying 29 Ukrainian drones overnight across various regions, including 10 over the Rostov region.
The war has killed or injured well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts.
There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to the summit. Before the meeting, Zelenskyy had written on Telegram: "It's time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America."
Zelenskyy, who was not invited to Alaska, has previously ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is seeking security guarantees backed by the United States.
The meeting included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy to Russia Steve Witkoff, Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Trump, who during his presidential campaign promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours, conceded Thursday that it had proven "a tougher task" than expected. He said his goal for Friday's summit was to achieve a rapid ceasefire, adding, "I want the killing to stop."
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