Anchorage, Alaska: The highly anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded without any concrete agreement to halt or de-escalate the war in Ukraine. The two leaders met for nearly three hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, marking their first face-to-face meeting since 2019.

The encounter was filled with warm gestures, including handshakes, smiles, and friendly exchanges, projecting a sense of camaraderie. However, behind the symbolic pageantry, the summit yielded no policy outcomes. Trump described the meeting as “productive” but added, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” offering no details on possible next steps.

Putin echoed Trump’s tone, praising the meeting and suggesting that the war in Ukraine might have been avoided if Trump had been in power earlier. He stressed that any resolution would need to address the “roots of the conflict” and Russia’s national interests, a reference to NATO expansion and Ukraine’s growing alignment with Western institutions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the summit as mere political theater, noting that Ukrainians continued to face shelling during the talks. Neither Trump nor Putin took questions from the press during their brief joint statements, limiting public scrutiny and leaving observers with few insights into the discussions.

The outcome dealt a setback to Trump’s image as a dealmaker, particularly after he had suggested he could bring a swift end to the war. Meanwhile, Putin emerged with a symbolic diplomatic victory, appearing on U.S. soil with the trappings of official ceremony, a boost to his global legitimacy without making substantive concessions.

Markets reacted cautiously, with analysts noting that dialogue between Washington and Moscow at least provided a measure of stability. Still, the absence of tangible progress disappointed those who had hoped for signs of de-escalation.

The Alaska meeting follows earlier encounters in Saudi Arabia this year, which also ended without agreements. While Trump hinted at possible future talks that could include Zelenskyy, no concrete plans have been announced.

For now, the summit stands as an exercise in optics, offering warm images but leaving the conflict in Ukraine unchanged.