Putin Drops 1-Word Response Day Before High-Stakes Trump Meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the Trump administration’s “dynamic” efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He suggested that Moscow and Washington might come to an agreement regarding nuclear arms limitations during their summit in Alaska on Friday.
In his initial public statements following President Donald Trump’s announcement of the Alaska summit, Putin convened a meeting with senior Russian officials at the Kremlin on Thursday to update them on the status of negotiations with the US concerning Ukraine.
“The current American administration… is making, in my view, quite dynamic and genuine efforts to halt the hostilities, resolve the crisis, and achieve agreements that are beneficial to all parties involved in this conflict,” Putin remarked, as reported by CNN.
In his concise comments, Putin indicated that the summit with the US is intended to “establish long-term conditions for peace between our nations, as well as in Europe and globally.”
He implied that this broader peace could be attained if, in the “subsequent phases” of discussions with the US, “we reach agreements regarding the control of strategic offensive weapons.”
The United States and Russia consented to reduce their nuclear arsenals under the New START treaty, which became effective in 2011. This agreement allowed both nations seven years to meet predetermined limits on the number of deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons. However, the treaty is scheduled to expire in February 2026.
In a demonstration of rising tensions between the two nations, Trump stated this month that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be strategically deployed near Russia in response to what he characterized as “highly provocative” comments made by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy chairman of the Security Council.
Medvedev is recognized for his unpredictable social media outbursts, which often escalate the threat of nuclear conflict, but Trump asserted that he made the decision “in case these reckless and incendiary statements are more than mere rhetoric.”
On Thursday, Yury Ushakov, who serves as Putin’s foreign policy assistant, disclosed additional information regarding the preparations for the summit. He mentioned that the presidents will initially engage in a one-on-one discussion with translators before proceeding to talks over a business lunch.
The aide indicated that the discussions would focus on the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the potential for trade and economic collaboration between Russia and the United States. He noted that following the meeting, the presidents would hold a joint press conference.
Ushakov is set to be one of five members of Russia’s negotiation team, which includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Kirill Dmitriev, a senior negotiator and head of the sovereign wealth fund.
Ukraine and European nations have not been invited to the conference, raising concerns that Kyiv may be compelled to make unpopular concessions.
European leaders reached out to Trump on Wednesday, seeking to capture his attention one last time before his one-on-one meeting with Putin.
After the meeting, the Europeans expressed a cautiously optimistic outlook, suggesting that Trump had shown understanding towards their requests for a swift ceasefire and emphasized that Ukraine should be included in future negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted on Tuesday that he would not relinquish eastern territory to Russia, cautioning that yielding the Donbas region would enable Putin to ‘initiate a third war’ in Ukraine.
‘For the Russians, Donbas serves as a launchpad for a future offensive. If we abandon Donbas voluntarily or under duress, we will instigate a third war,’ Zelensky stated during a meeting with journalists.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 through an unlawful act, subsequently commencing a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
‘I will not surrender my country, as I have no authority to do so,’ he added. ‘If we vacate Donbas today, we will clearly create a bridgehead for the preparation of a Russian offensive, given our fortifications, the terrain, and the heights we control.’