Trump, Putin plunge into ‘high stake’ talks as world awaits outcome

New York, Aug 16 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin plunged into their “high stakes” summit on Friday with their principal officials at their side at a meeting that could shape the future of the Ukraine war and developments globally.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and the world waited anxiously for the outcome.

Setting the “high stakes”, Trump told a Fox News interviewer on board Air Force 1 heading to Alaska, “I won’t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire” in Ukraine.

“This is really setting the table today,” he said.

“We’re going to have another meeting, if things work out, which will be very soon, or we’re not going to have any more meetings at all, maybe ever.”

Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witcof and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were at his side when the talks began, while Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousoy, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were ranged on the other side.

The background at the conference venue proclaimed, “Pursuing Peace”, and it was flanked by the flags of the two countries.

Some media on the ground in Anchorage, Alaska, said the talks in at least two phases may run on for as long as six hours.

During his flight to Anchorage, Trump told reporters, “I’m in this to stop the killing.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 began the biggest conflagration in Europe since the end of World War II eight decades ago.

Nearly 250,000 Russian soldiers and as many as 100 Ukrainian military personnel have died in the war, according to Western estimates.

Another 750,000 Russians and 300,000 Ukrainians have been injured.

Absent from the venue was Zelensky, who has the highest stakes in the outcome of the talks between Putin and Trump.

Trump told Fox News that he will not be negotiating on behalf of Ukraine, but preparing for direct talks between Zelensky and Putin.

He said, “It’s not for me to negotiate a deal for Ukraine, but I can certainly set the table to negotiate the deal.”

“Our next meeting will have President Zelensky and President Putin and probably me,” he said with a note of hope.

Zelensky has warned repeatedly that Putin was dishonest and could pull a fast one on Trump.

But on Thursday, he and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a joint statement that the Trump-Putin talks “present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace”.

On Friday morning, Zelensky said on X, “The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format — Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side. It is time to end the war.”

Western European allies have insisted that Zelensky should conduct the final negotiations.

During a phone call with Zelensky, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also backed the idea for Ukraine making the decision.

They agreed that “everything concerning Ukraine must be decided with Ukraine’s participation. Other formats will not yield results,” Ukraine’s readout of the conversation said.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force 1, Trump also had some harsh words for Putin mixed in the optimism.

“I’ll be talking to him about it,” he said sternly about Russia’s continuing attacks on Ukraine while the diplomatic efforts are in progress.

“It actually hurts him, but in his mind, that helps him make a better deal if they could continue the killing,” he added.

But on the ground, it was smiles and a handshake when they landed at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in a choreographed arrival.

Four F-35s and a B-2 Spirit bomber flew overhead as Trump welcomed Putin on a red carpet.

While talking, both Trump and Putin walked to Trump’s limousine and continued their conversation without interpreters — the Russian leader can speak English.

As they sat down for the talks, reporters shouted out questions to Putin about the continuing attacks on Ukraine.

He said in Russian, “Let’s go,” while Trump ignored them.

Putin is aspiring to take the meeting’s agenda beyond the Ukraine War to restarting nuclear arms control talks and even trade.

He told his advisers, according to a Kremlin transcript, “The aim is to establish long-term conditions for peace not only between our countries but also in Europe and indeed globally — especially if we proceed to subsequent stages involving agreements on strategic offensive arms control.”

Putin may be trying to expand the scope of the meeting beyond Ukraine economic issues — the top priority for Trump’s dealings now with nations — strategic matters.

Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Special Presidential Representative for Investment Kirill Dmitriev, and US Secretaries Pete Hegseth of Defence, Scott Bessent of Treasury, and Howard Lutnick of Commerce were on standby.

Putin told his advisers on Thursday, according to a Kremlin transcript, “The aim is to establish long-term conditions for peace not only between our countries but also in Europe and indeed globally — especially if we proceed to subsequent stages involving agreements on strategic offensive arms control.”

That was a reference to the New START nuclear arms control negotiations from which Russia pulled out in 2023. (START is the acronym for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)

Ushakov dangled the prospects of an economic bounty, a cause dear to Trump.

He said, “An exchange of views on the further development of bilateral cooperation, including in the trade and economic spheres, is also expected. It is worth noting that this cooperation holds immense, yet regrettably underutilised, potential.”

This was Putin’s first visit to the US after a decade.

He was last in the US when he had met former President Barack Obama after a United Nations General Assembly meeting in 2015.

He had met Trump at least six times during his first term and this will be the first direct contact in Trump’s second term.

A ceasefire hinges on two main factors: Land swap or re-drawing of borders that would give Russia some Ukrainian territories, and a security guarantee from Europeans and the US for Ukraine.

Trump has spoken of a land swap, which would be politically hard for Zelensky.

British Defence Secretary David Lammy said on Friday that the United Kingdom and its allies are ready to put troops in Ukraine to guarantee its security if there is a ceasefire.

Trump also spoke in support of troops to guarantee security, but ruled out their going there under the NATO banner.

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