August 15, 2025: Trump-Putin summit ends without concrete deal | CNN Politics

August 15, 2025: Trump-Putin summit ends without concrete deal

Aditi Sangal Tori B. Powell Angus Watson Sana Noor Haq Sophie Tanno Adrienne Vogt Kevin Liptak Kaanita Iyer
By Aditi Sangal, Tori B. Powell, Laura Sharman, Angus Watson, Sana Noor Haq, Christian Edwards, Sophie Tanno, Adrienne Vogt, Kevin Liptak, Michael Rios, Mitchell McCluskey and Kaanita Iyer, CNN
Updated 10:07 AM EDT, Sat August 16, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska
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Watch full Trump-Putin news conference after bilateral meeting in Alaska
12:26 • Source: CNN
12:26

What we covered here

• “No deal until there’s a deal”: US President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin made “great progress” but did not emerge from today’s summit with a deal on the war in Ukraine.

• Onus on Ukraine: In an interview on Fox tonight, Trump put the onus on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate a ceasefire, saying there would soon be a meeting set up between Zelensky and Putin. “They both want me there,” Trump said.

• Key details unclear: Both leaders have left Alaska after spending about six hours on the ground. Putin also characterized the talks positively but neither leader took questions after reading statements to reporters. Here are our takeaways from the summit.

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Eastern European officials react with skepticism to Putin’s comments

From CNN’s Laura Sharman, Nina Subkhanberdina and Daria Tarasova-Markina
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene
Getty Images

Senior government officials in Eastern Europe have reacted with skepticism to comments made by Russian President Vladimir Putin following the Alaska summit.

While saying he was interested in ending the conflict, Putin said the primary causes needed to be “eliminated” for that to happen, adding that the “situation in Ukraine” had to do with “fundamental threats to (Russia’s) security.”

In a post on X on Saturday morning local time, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene accused Putin of “more gaslighting and veiled threats,” a reference to the Russian leader issuing a warning to Ukraine and Europe not to “sabotage” progress made at the summit.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in a statement that he welcomed US President Donald Trump’s efforts but doubted Putin’s interest in a deal, according to Reuters.

“If Putin were serious about negotiating peace, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today,” he said.

Trump and Putin skipped Q&A because “exhaustive statements were made,” Kremlin spokesperson says

From CNN’s Laura Sharman and Nina Subkhanberdina

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin skipped answering questions at Friday’s joint news conference because their statements said it all, according to the Kremlin’s spokesperson.

“Exhaustive statements were made,” Dmitry Peskov said when asked why the two leaders only delivered remarks at the news conference, according to Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.

“The conversation is really very positive, and the two presidents spoke about it. This is the very conversation that allows us to confidently continue moving forward together on the path of seeking resolution options,” Peskov said, RIA reported.

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