For the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska. Even before the summit began, both the White House and the Kremlin outlined an expected scenario of events, but, as reported by Sky News, the outcomes turned out to be noticeably more modest.
Start of the summit:
Expectations: a personal face-to-face meeting between the two leaders with a photo session and the possibility of press questions at the start.
Reality: a 'three-on-three' format with high-ranking officials, only a brief photo session without any press questions.
Meeting in an expanded format:
Expectations: a working lunch with broader delegations from the USA and Russia.
Reality: the lunch was apparently canceled after the first round of negotiations.
Press conference:
Expectations: a joint briefing of the presidents with questions from global media.
Reality: separate statements from the two leaders lasting a total of 12 minutes, without the possibility of questions.
Second meeting with Zelensky:
Expectations: Trump was supposed to lay the groundwork for the next trilateral meeting with the participation of the President of Ukraine.
Reality: there was no public confirmation from Putin, although Trump later stated to Fox News that such a meeting is planned.
Ceasefire
Expectations: Trump stated that he would be dissatisfied if he did not achieve a ceasefire and promised 'serious consequences' if Putin refused.
Reality: no agreements were made, the word 'ceasefire' was not mentioned, and Trump refrained from threats against Russia.
During the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, the expectations regarding the format and content of the events were not fully justified. The meeting took place in a more modest format than anticipated and did not lead to any agreements, including on the issue of ceasefire in global conflicts.