'Next time in Moscow?': Five takeaways after Trump and Putin's Alaska summit
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gj9er0x0zo
... Since the start of the war it has become shorthand for a series of intractable and maximalist demands that Putin says stand in the way of a ceasefire.
They include recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Ukrainian regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as well as Ukraine agreeing to demilitarisation, neutrality, no foreign military involvement and new elections. Essentially, they amount to capitulation – unacceptable to Kyiv, but clearly – even after three-and-a-half years of bloody conflict – still paramount to Moscow.
With this, it was clear that there was no deal.
...
And what was not said
Extraordinarily – given the context and the premise for the summit – when it was Trump's turn to speak he did not mention Ukraine or the possibility of a ceasefire once. The closest he came to referencing the conflict was saying that "five, six, seven thousand people a week" are killed and noting that Putin too wanted to see an end to the bloodshed.
The usually loquacious Trump seemed to have less to say than Putin. His statement was notable for its relative, and unusual, brevity – but primarily for its vagueness. "There were many, many points that we agreed on," Trump said, adding that "great progress" had been made in an "extremely productive meeting".
But he did not share any details and it did not appear that any concrete steps taken towards a resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. No major agreements or a trilateral meeting with President Zelensky were announced.
And – to Moscow's relief – there was no mention of any "severe consequences" that Trump threatened would follow if a ceasefire wasn't reached.
"We didn't get there," Trump admitted.
Then, optimistically though vaguely, he added: "But we have a very good chance of getting there."
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gj9er0x0zo
... Since the start of the war it has become shorthand for a series of intractable and maximalist demands that Putin says stand in the way of a ceasefire.
They include recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Ukrainian regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as well as Ukraine agreeing to demilitarisation, neutrality, no foreign military involvement and new elections. Essentially, they amount to capitulation – unacceptable to Kyiv, but clearly – even after three-and-a-half years of bloody conflict – still paramount to Moscow.
With this, it was clear that there was no deal.
...
And what was not said
Extraordinarily – given the context and the premise for the summit – when it was Trump's turn to speak he did not mention Ukraine or the possibility of a ceasefire once. The closest he came to referencing the conflict was saying that "five, six, seven thousand people a week" are killed and noting that Putin too wanted to see an end to the bloodshed.
The usually loquacious Trump seemed to have less to say than Putin. His statement was notable for its relative, and unusual, brevity – but primarily for its vagueness. "There were many, many points that we agreed on," Trump said, adding that "great progress" had been made in an "extremely productive meeting".
But he did not share any details and it did not appear that any concrete steps taken towards a resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. No major agreements or a trilateral meeting with President Zelensky were announced.
And – to Moscow's relief – there was no mention of any "severe consequences" that Trump threatened would follow if a ceasefire wasn't reached.
"We didn't get there," Trump admitted.
Then, optimistically though vaguely, he added: "But we have a very good chance of getting there."
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