By Qamar Bashir
The world watched closely as two of the most powerful leaders, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, met in Anchorage, Alaska, in a summit that carried the potential to alter the trajectory of one of the deadliest conflicts in Europe since World War II. Flying in from Moscow, Putin was received with a red-carpet welcome at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where U.S. military aircraft flew overhead in a symbolic display of American strength. The meeting, lasting nearly three hours, was billed by both leaders as “productive,” though the absence of concrete commitments or immediate breakthroughs has left the future of peace in Ukraine uncertain.
From the outset, the talks were historic. Not since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had a U.S. president sat down face-to-face with Putin. For Trump, the stakes were personal and political. He has repeatedly claimed credit for halting or preventing six major wars during his political career—citing his involvement in easing tensions between India and Pakistan, preventing escalation between Thailand and Cambodia, and defusing what could have been a catastrophic war between Israel and Iran. His record also includes brokering a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which earned him endorsements for the Nobel Peace Prize from leaders in both countries. Trump has made it clear: if he can secure even a significant step toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war, he believes he would be deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Yet, despite the symbolism, the Alaska summit produced no agreement to resolve or pause Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Trump himself admitted, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” while adding that “many, many points” had been agreed upon, with “a couple of big ones” still unresolved. The “Pursuing Peace” backdrop behind the two leaders sent an optimistic message, but the details remained elusive. The Ukrainian leadership, notably absent from the meeting, has made it clear they will not concede territory or accept a settlement that legitimizes Russia’s control over nearly a fifth of their land. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has also called for a U.S.-backed security guarantee, making any unilateral U.S.-Russia arrangement politically unviable without Kyiv’s buy-in.
This is where Trump’s approach diverged sharply from European and Ukrainian expectations. By engaging directly with Putin without the presence or consent of Ukraine or European allies, Trump assumed a mediating role that risked alienating key stakeholders. In his own words, he was “not here to negotiate for Ukraine” but to “get them at a table.” However, replacing one major party in a conflict with an external power—even one as influential as the United States—has rarely produced lasting peace without eventual multilateral engagement.
Putin, for his part, called the meeting a “reference point” for restoring pragmatic U.S.-Russia relations and insisted that the “root causes” of the conflict must be addressed for any long-term settlement. This language, familiar to anyone following the war, underscores Moscow’s unwillingness to agree to a ceasefire without substantial concessions. As the leaders spoke, the war raged on: air raid alerts blared across eastern Ukraine, and Russian governors in Rostov and Bryansk reported Ukrainian drone attacks. The optics of diplomacy were starkly undercut by the reality of ongoing violence.
For Europe, the meeting was an unsettling reminder that its security could be negotiated over without its direct involvement. European leaders, aligned with Zelenskiy in their opposition to any premature freeze of the conflict, were quick to express skepticism. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky welcomed Trump’s efforts but doubted Putin’s sincerity, noting that Russian forces had continued attacking Ukraine even as the summit took place. The fear in European capitals is that Trump might seek a “quick fix” deal that sacrifices Ukraine’s territorial integrity for the sake of ending hostilities on paper.
Still, there is a pragmatic argument to be made for not dismissing the Alaska talks outright. If any understanding between Trump and Putin could lead to a verifiable ceasefire, guarantee Ukraine’s security, and offer Europe a stable security framework, it would be worth exploring. This would require Kyiv and European governments to set aside political pride and assess the proposals based on merit rather than the process by which they were reached. Given the deep divisions between Trump and Europe on other issues—including Gaza, where Europe has taken a markedly different stance from Washington—the temptation to reject any Trump-brokered deal is strong. Yet peace, if achievable, should transcend personal and political grievances.
Trump’s diplomatic résumé is as polarizing as it is unusual. While some credit him with preventing conflicts, others argue that his domestic policies—on immigration, healthcare, and U.S.-Canada relations—undermine his credibility as a global peacemaker. His handling of the Gaza conflict, where critics accuse him of enabling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign, has drawn condemnation from much of the international community. In Gaza, thousands have been killed, with civilians—including children and the elderly—bearing the brunt of the violence. The region has been turned into what many describe as an “open prison” and a “death trap.”
If Trump were to use the same leverage he claims to have over Netanyahu to halt the Gaza war, his Nobel Peace Prize prospects would be significantly enhanced. Without that, his candidacy will remain a point of fierce debate. Nevertheless, the Alaska summit shows that Trump is willing to insert himself into high-stakes global conflicts, even at the risk of bypassing traditional diplomatic channels.
The reality, however, is that the Alaska meeting has so far delivered little tangible progress. No ceasefire, no formal commitments, and no agreed-upon next steps toward a trilateral summit involving Zelenskiy. Ukraine’s opposition figures, such as lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko, have already characterized the outcome as a win for Putin, arguing that the talks have simply bought Moscow more time. Without concrete deliverables, the meeting risks being remembered more for its optics than its outcomes.
That said, the possibility remains for Europe and Ukraine to engage later, should any framework emerge from Trump-Putin discussions that could realistically lead to peace. In such a scenario, setting aside ego and geopolitical point-scoring in favor of pragmatic diplomacy could save countless lives. The stakes are monumental—not only for Ukraine and Europe but for the credibility of international conflict resolution in an era when wars seem increasingly resistant to traditional diplomacy.
In the end, the Alaska summit may be less about the immediate cessation of hostilities and more about testing the waters for a new phase in the U.S.-Russia relationship. Whether this phase leads to a genuine peace process or simply becomes another chapter in the long list of failed mediation attempts will depend on whether all relevant parties—Ukraine, Europe, the U.S., and Russia—can find common ground. For now, the war grinds on, and the window for diplomacy remains precariously narrow.
By Qamar Bashir
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister, Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former Press Attache to Malaysia
Former MD, SRBC | Macomb, Michigan, USA
