The August summit in Anchorage, Alaska, between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin remains central to the White House’s ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to ABC News.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European partners have worked to revise the original 28-point U.S. peace proposal, initially presented last month, to a condensed 20-point plan amid a series of negotiations across five countries. Critics initially rejected the 28-point framework as amounting to a Ukrainian capitulation, while Moscow has so far not confirmed its support for the revised version.
This month, Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine, the United States, and European partners are now coordinating on three documents: the 20-point peace plan, one outlining security guarantees for Ukraine, and another covering reconstruction. According to a Ukrainian official familiar with the talks, Ukraine delivered the revised plan to the White House last week.
U.S. administration sources indicated on Monday that a peace deal may be closer than ever, stating on condition of anonymity that “literally 90%” of the issues between the two sides have been resolved.
Meanwhile, Putin and senior Russian officials continue to refer to the “spirit and letter” of the Anchorage summit, as noted by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a meeting widely regarded as a diplomatic success for Moscow. Trump, for his part, described the event as “a great and very successful day.”
Following recent visits by U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow, Putin told The Times of India that U.S. proposals “were, in one way or another, based on agreements with President Trump in Alaska.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and top foreign policy aide Yuriy Ushakov, as well as Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev, have all emphasized the summit’s ongoing influence on Russia’s negotiating position.
The Anchorage meeting is particularly significant for discussions on the Donbas region, where a proposal considered during Trump’s visit involved Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for an end to hostilities. Moscow indicated it might only consider partial territorial returns in Sumy and Kharkiv, while the frontline in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would remain unchanged. Zelenskyy has consistently rejected any plan involving Ukrainian territorial concessions.
No indication has emerged that Russian control over Crimea would be affected, with Moscow maintaining occupation of the peninsula following its 2014 annexation. The summit also aligned Trump with Putin’s stance that a full peace settlement should precede any ceasefire. Analysts, including Oleg Ignatov of the International Crisis Group, note that the Donbas proposal and related discussions on neutrality, security, and language rights represented a significant shift in U.S. policy from pre-Alaska positions.
Following the summit, both Trump and Putin publicly expressed satisfaction, with Putin describing the meeting as “substantive and frank,” while Trump called it “a great and very successful day in Alaska.” However, no formal ceasefire or peace agreement resulted from the talks, prompting concern in Kyiv and among European allies, who insist Ukraine must retain control over its territory and receive secure guarantees.
Analysts emphasize that the Kremlin’s focus remains on direct engagement with the U.S., bypassing Ukraine and its European partners, a strategy seen as a core objective of the Alaska summit. Since August, Russia has continued its military offensive, increasing air attacks on Ukrainian cities, while Putin has declared that negotiations are pointless without Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas.
John E. Herbst of the Atlantic Council criticized U.S. concessions at Anchorage, arguing that they embolden Moscow to demand more. Putin, however, continues to assert “positive dynamics” on the frontlines and remains prepared to “fight to the last Ukrainian” if necessary. Zelenskyy maintains that Ukraine will not agree to any peace settlement without legally binding security guarantees involving the United States. He described the latest talks as “not simple” but “productive,” emphasizing that Ukraine’s diplomacy aims to end the war while preserving national dignity.
Earlier we wrote that MI6 Chief Warns UK Faces Growing Threat from Russia’s Global Efforts to Export Chaos.
