Russia Satisfied with 'No-Deal Summit'... Avoids Ceasefire, Isolation, and Sanctions

Expectations for Restoring Dialogue and Cooperation with the US
Summit Seen as a Turning Point

While the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been harshly criticized for failing to produce a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, the outcome is being viewed as satisfactory in Russia.

US President Donald Trump (right) welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base in Anchorage, Alaska, on the 15th (local time). Photo by EPA

On the 15th (local time) in Alaska, President Trump and President Putin held a summit for about three hours and also held a press conference. However, regarding the core agenda of the meeting-a ceasefire in Ukraine-the only statement was that "no agreement was reached."

Both presidents assessed the summit positively, and President Putin even proposed holding the next meeting in Moscow, leaving open the possibility for follow-up negotiations and improved relations.

Regarding this, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and a close associate of President Putin, commented on Telegram on the 16th that "the mechanism for top-level talks between Russia and the United States has been fully restored-calmly, without ultimatums or threats."

He further emphasized, "The important thing is that this summit proved such talks are possible without preconditions, even while the 'special military operation' continues."

He also noted that during the summit, President Putin explained Russia's conditions for resolving the Ukraine issue in detail, and President Trump decided not to increase pressure on Russia for the time being.

From this perspective, the outcome of the summit is seen as Russia having secured an opportunity to continue dialogue with the United States without halting its offensive against Ukraine or changing its existing position on a ceasefire.

Conversely, the West is criticizing the summit, arguing that it merely provided President Putin with an opportunity to break out of international isolation without achieving an immediate ceasefire. They claim that the results favored President Putin without any tangible progress toward a ceasefire.

From Russia's perspective, this is an undeniably welcome outcome. Russian media also highlighted President Trump's extraordinary gestures, such as inviting President Putin to ride in his limousine.

Alexey Naumov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council think tank, said in an interview with the local daily Kommersant, "This is the best-case scenario for Russia. International isolation has been completely overcome, no new (US) sanctions have been imposed, Trump did not demand an immediate ceasefire, and the situation on the battlefield is turning in Russia's favor."

Naumov stated that it was predictable there would be no breakthrough on a Ukraine ceasefire, as the summit was held spontaneously and without prior preparation.

He argued that, from a traditional diplomatic perspective, the main progress of the summit is likely to remain confidential, and the fact that both presidents assessed the negotiations as having made progress suggests that Russia's position on a ceasefire was taken into account.

Timofei Bordachev, a professor at the Higher School of Economics in Russia, emphasized to Kommersant that it is significant the United States has abandoned the concepts of Russia's "strategic defeat" and "isolation."

Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, wrote on Telegram that "the Alaska summit between President Putin and President Trump could become a historic turning point," expressing confidence that various issues for the full restoration of dialogue between the two countries will be discussed in the future.

Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's Special Representative for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation and a member of the Russian delegation at the summit, assessed the meeting as productive on Telegram, stating, "There will be much resistance, but we will continue to strengthen US-Russia relations."