‘Ukraine’s security must be ensured’, says Putin, but only if Russia’s concerns are met

Anchorage (Alaska):  Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he agreed with US President Donald Trump that Ukraine’s security “must be ensured”, but tied that commitment to addressing what he called Russia’s “fundamental security concerns”.

“I agree with President Trump that the security of Ukraine must be secured, and of course, we are ready to work on that,” Putin said during a press conference in Anchorage, Alaska.

He expressed hope that an agreement reached with Trump, which neither leader described in detail, would “pave the path towards peace in Ukraine”.

Putin stressed that the war could only end if “all the primary roots” of the conflict were addressed.

“The situation in Ukraine has to do with the fundamental threats to our security,” he said.

“To consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world… naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well,” Putin added.

The Russian leader did not elaborate on what eliminating those “roots” would mean, though in the past he has linked the phrase to demands Kyiv and its allies have rejected.

Trump told reporters after the summit that he planned to brief NATO leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “other appropriate officials” about the discussions.

“I’m going to start making a few phone calls and tell them what happened,” he said.

The leaders met for about three hours, far shorter than the six to seven hours Russian aides had anticipated.

They emerged claiming “progress” on unspecified issues but announced no ceasefire, offered no specifics, and took no questions.

Putin, on Friday, also thanked Trump for the “atmosphere of trust” at their meeting in Alaska, media reported.

“I would like to thank Trump for working together and maintaining a friendly and trustful atmosphere in the talks. The key thing is that both parties were determined to achieve results,” Putin said at a joint press conference with Trump following their meeting, Russian news agency TASS reported.

Putin described his talks with US President Donald Trump in Alaska as “positive and constructive”.

“Our talks were held in a respectful and constructive atmosphere. They were quite detailed and useful,” he said at a joint news conference.

Putin hopes that the agreements reached in Alaska will become a reference point for resolving the Ukrainian problem and restoring relations between Moscow and Washington.

The Russian President began remarks at the briefing by acknowledging that US-Russia relations have suffered in recent years. Usually when an American President hosts a foreign counterpart, a joint news conference would begin with remarks from the US leader followed by his guest.

“Our talks were held in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere,” Putin said after meeting Trump in Alaska, adding that he greeted Trump “as a neighbour” and had established “very good direct contacts” with him.

The Russian leader said the Ukraine conflict was one of the central topics, stressing that Russia has “always regarded, and still regards, the Ukrainian people as a brotherly people”.

He added, “All the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated. Ukraine’s security must, of course, be ensured, and we are ready to work on this.”

Russian state media quoted Ambassador to the US Alexander Darchiev as saying the atmosphere around the discussions was generally positive.

It has been seven years since Russian President Vladimir Putin stood alongside an American President to take questions. The last time was in Helsinki in 2018, during the now-infamous press conference where Donald Trump appeared to side with Russia over US intelligence agencies on election interference.

When Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in 2021, he chose not to hold a joint press conference, instead taking questions alone, a move aimed, in part, at denying Putin a platform to shape the narrative of their talks.

Trump and Putin concluded their three-on-three meeting after roughly three hours. The two leaders met behind closed doors, joined by their top advisers.

Speaking to Fox News aboard Air Force One on his way to Alaska, Trump said he wants to walk away from his meeting with Putin with a ceasefire in hand, and won’t be satisfied without it.

“I wouldn’t be thrilled if I didn’t get it,” Trump said, adding that some believe a halt to hostilities in Ukraine may only come after a second meeting.

“We’ll see what happens. I won’t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire.”

Putin, meanwhile, gave no indication of his position.

When reporters at the airport shouted questions, including whether he would “stop killing civilians,” the Russian leader smirked and gestured as if he could not hear.

Trump welcomed Putin to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday.

As the two leaders shook hands on the red carpet, F-22 fighters and B-2 stealth bombers flew overhead, aircraft designed during the 1970s and 1980s for a potential US-Soviet conflict, though they entered service only after the Cold War ended.

Their presence during the welcome may have been a pointed reminder of US military power as Trump and Putin prepared to begin talks on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

–IANS