President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin left Alaska Friday with out a ceasefire settlement, though each males described the assembly as constructive.
In what was billed by the White Home as a press convention following their assembly, Mr. Trump and Putin took no questions, ignoring shouted ones from reporters.
Putin spoke little of Ukraine, specializing in the bond and heritage between the U.S. and Russia, whereas Mr. Trump stated many factors have been agreed to, and some are left, concerning Ukraine. The U.S. president plans to name European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he stated.
Here’s a transcript of what Mr. Trump and Putin stated:
PUTIN: Mr. President, women and gents, our negotiations have been held in a constructive environment of mutual respect.
We’ve very thorough negotiations that have been fairly helpful. I want to thank as soon as once more my American counterpart, for the proposal to journey out right here to Alaska. It solely is smart that we have met right here, as a result of our international locations, although separated by the oceans, are shut neighbors. So after we’ve met, once I got here out of the aircraft and I stated, ‘Good afternoon, expensive neighbor. Superb to see you in good well being and to see you alive.’ I believe that could be very neighborly. I believe that is some form phrases that we are able to say to one another. We’re separated by the strait of Bering, although, there are two islands solely between the Russian Island and the U.S. Island. They’re solely 4 kilometers aside. We’re shut neighbors, and it is a reality.
It is also vital that Alaska has to do with our frequent heritage, frequent historical past between Russia and the U.S., and plenty of optimistic occasions must do with that territory. Nonetheless, there may be great cultural heritage, again from the Russian America, for instance, Orthodox church buildings, and lots of- greater than 700 geographical names of Russian origin. In the course of the Second World Warfare, it was right here in Alaska that was the origin of the legendary air bridge for the provision of army plane and different tools below the Lend-Lease Program.
It was a harmful and treacherous route over the huge vacancy of ice. Nevertheless, the pilots of each international locations did all the pieces to convey nearer the victory. They risked their lives and so they gave all of it for the frequent victory. I used to be simply within the metropolis of Magadan in Russia. And there’s a memorial there devoted to the Russian, the U.S. pilots. And there are two flags, the U.S. flag and the Russian flag. And I do know that right here as nicely, there may be such a memorial. There’s a army burial place a number of kilometers away from right here. The Soviet pilots are buried there who died throughout that harmful mission. We’re grateful to the residents and the federal government of the U.S. for rigorously caring for their reminiscence. I believe that is very worthy and noble. We’ll at all times keep in mind different historic examples when our international locations defeated frequent enemies collectively within the spirit of battle camaraderie and allyship that supported one another and facilitated one another. I’m certain that this heritage will assist us rebuild and foster mutually helpful and equal ties at this new stage, even through the hardest situations.
It’s identified that there have been no summits between Russia and the U.S. for 4 years, and that is a very long time. This time was very laborious for bilateral relations, and let’s be frank, they’ve fallen to the bottom level for the reason that Chilly Warfare. I believe that is not benefiting our international locations and the world as an entire. It’s obvious that in the end, we have now to amend the scenario to maneuver on from the confrontation to dialog, and on this case, a private assembly between the heads of state has been lengthy overdue, naturally, below the situation of great and painstaking work, and this work has been completed.
Typically, me and President Trump have excellent direct contact. We have spoken a number of instances. We spoke frankly on the cellphone. And the particular envoy of the president, Mr. Witkoff, traveled out to Russia a number of instances. Our advisers and heads of international ministries stored in contact on a regular basis, and we all know totally nicely that one of many central points was the scenario round Ukraine.
We see the attempt of the administration and President Trump personally to assist facilitate the decision of the Ukrainian battle, and his attempt to get to the crux of the matter, to grasp this historical past, is valuable. As I’ve stated, the scenario in Ukraine has to do with basic threats to our safety. Furthermore, we have at all times thought of the Ukrainian nation, and I’ve stated it a number of instances, a brotherly nation. How unusual it might sound in these situations. We’ve the identical roots, and all the pieces that is occurring is a tragedy for us, and horrible wound. Subsequently, the nation is sincerely focused on placing an finish to it.
On the similar time, we’re satisfied that with a view to, to make the settlement lasting and long run, we have to remove all the first roots, the first causes of that battle, and we have stated it a number of instances, to think about all legit considerations of Russia and to reinstate a simply stability of safety in Europe and on this planet on the entire, and agree with President Trump, as he has stated right now, that naturally, the safety of Ukraine needs to be ensured as nicely. Naturally, we’re ready to work on that.
I want to hope that the settlement that we have reached collectively will assist us convey nearer that aim and can pave the trail in the direction of peace in Ukraine. We anticipate that Kyiv and European capitals will understand that constructively and that they will not throw a wrench within the works. They won’t make any makes an attempt to make use of some backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the nascent progress.
By the way, when the brand new administration got here to energy, bilateral commerce began to develop. It is nonetheless very symbolic. Nonetheless, we have now a progress of 20%. As I’ve stated, we have now a number of dimensions for joint work. It’s clear that the U.S. and Russian funding and enterprise cooperation has great potential. Russia and the U.S. can supply one another a lot in commerce, digital, excessive tech and in house exploration. We see that arctic cooperation can also be very attainable, in our worldwide context. For instance, between the far east of Russia and the West Coast of the U.S.
General, it is essential for our international locations to show the web page to return to cooperation. It’s symbolic that, not distant from right here, the border between Russia and the US, there was a so-called Worldwide Date Line. I believe you may step over, actually, from yesterday into tomorrow, and I hope that’s- will achieve that, within the political sphere. I want to thank President Trump for our joint work, for the nicely wishing and reliable tone of our dialog.
It is vital that either side are result-oriented and we see that the president of the U.S. has a really clear concept of what he want to obtain. He sincerely cares concerning the prosperity of his nation. Nonetheless, he understands that Russia has its personal nationwide pursuits.
I anticipate that right now’s agreements would be the start line, not just for the answer of the Ukrainian difficulty, but additionally will assist us convey again business-like and pragmatic relations between Russia and the U.S.
And ultimately, I want to add yet one more factor. I might wish to remind you that in 2022, over the past contact with the earlier administration, I attempted to persuade my earlier American colleague, it ought to not- the scenario shouldn’t be dropped at the purpose of no return, when it could come to hostilities and settle for it fairly instantly again then, that may be a huge mistake. Right now, when President Trump is saying that if he was the president again then, there can be no warfare, and I am fairly certain that it could certainly be so. I can verify that. I believe that general, me and President Trump have constructed an excellent business-like and reliable contact, and have each motive to consider that transferring down this path, we are able to come and assume it higher to the tip of the battle in Ukraine. Thanks. Thanks.
TRUMP: Thanks very a lot, Mr. President, that was very profound, and I’ll say that I consider we had a really productive assembly. There have been many, many factors that we agreed on, most of them, I might say, a few huge ones that we have not fairly gotten there, however we have made some headway. So there is no deal till there is a deal.
I’ll name up NATO in a short while, I’ll name up the assorted those who I believe are applicable, and I am going to in fact, name up President Zelenskyy and inform him about right now’s assembly. It is in the end as much as them. They’ll must agree with what Marco and Steve and a number of the nice individuals from the Trump administration who’ve come right here, Scott and John Ratcliffe. Thanks very a lot. However we have now a few of our actually nice leaders. They have been doing an outstanding job.
We even have some great Russian enterprise representatives right here. And I believe, you understand, all people needs to cope with us. We have develop into the most well liked nation anyplace on this planet in a really brief time period, and we sit up for that. We sit up for dealing- we’ll attempt to get this over with.
We actually made some nice progress right now. I’ve at all times had a unbelievable relationship with President Putin, with Vladimir. We had many, many robust conferences, good conferences. We have been interfered with by the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. It made it somewhat bit harder to cope with, however he understood it. I believe he is in all probability seen issues like that through the course of his profession. He is seen- he is seen all of it. However we needed to put up with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. He knew it was a hoax, and I knew it was a hoax, however what was completed was very legal, but it surely made it tougher for us to deal as a rustic, by way of the enterprise, and the entire issues that want to have handled, however we’ll have a very good likelihood when that is over.
So simply to place it in a short time, I’ll begin making a number of cellphone calls and inform them what occurred. However we had a particularly productive assembly, and plenty of factors have been agreed to. There are only a only a few which are left. Some will not be that vital. One might be probably the most vital, however we have now an excellent likelihood of getting there. We did not get there, however we have now an excellent likelihood of getting there. I want to thank President Putin and his complete crew, whose faces who I do know, in lots of instances, in any other case, aside from that, whose- whose faces I get to see on a regular basis within the newspapers, you are very- you are virtually as well-known because the boss, however particularly this one proper over right here.
However we had some good conferences over time, proper? Good, productive conferences over time, and we hope to have that sooner or later. Let’s do the most efficient one proper now. We will cease, actually, 5, 6, 7 thousand, 1000s of individuals per week from being killed, and President Putin needs to see that as a lot as I do. So once more, Mr. President, I might wish to thanks very a lot, and we’ll communicate to you very quickly, and doubtless see you once more very quickly. Thanks very a lot, Vladimir.
PUTIN: Subsequent time in Moscow.
TRUMP: Ooh, that is an fascinating one. I do not know. I am going to get somewhat warmth on that one, however I might see it probably occurring. Thanks very a lot, Vladimir, and thanks all. Thanks. Thanks.
PUTIN: Thanks a lot.
