In a surprising turn after a tense, nearly three-hour meeting in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to former US President Donald Trump to visit Moscow. The offer comes in the wake of high-stakes discussions on the ongoing war in Ukraine, which concluded without a formal agreement.
Trump responded to Putin’s suggestion with characteristic candor. “That is an interesting honour. I can see it possibly happening… I could get a little heat on that one,” he said, leaving the door open for a potential follow-up meeting.
No Deal After The Alaska Summit
Despite the lack of a formal agreement, both leaders signaled cautious optimism. Putin claimed he and Trump had reached an “understanding” on Ukraine and issued a warning to Europe against undermining the nascent progress. Meanwhile, Trump was careful to temper expectations.
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump emphasized. “We had an extremely productive meeting. Many points were agreed to. There are just a few that are left; some are not that significant, and one is probably the most significant. But we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn’t get there.”
Trump also indicated he would consult with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to brief them on the discussions, calling their input “ultimately” decisive for any resolution.
The summit ended abruptly, without a joint Q&A session, but the leaders’ statements hinted at future engagement. Putin closed the joint press conference with a pointed suggestion: “Next time in Moscow.” Trump, who has expressed interest in continuing talks, acknowledged the possibility, noting that such a move could provoke criticism.
#WATCH | Alaska, USA | “Next time in Moscow,” says Russian President Vladimir Putin as US President Trump thanks his counterpart for today’s meeting.
“… I could see it happening,” replies President Trump.
Source: The White House/ YouTube pic.twitter.com/N3U6Rygllj
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2025
Lowest Since The Cold War
The Alaska summit, the first Russian-American face-to-face in more than four years, marked a rare direct engagement between the two leaders. Putin acknowledged the strained state of bilateral relations, describing the past period as “very difficult” and asserting that ties had reached “the lowest point since the Cold War.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin called U.S.-Russia relations “the lowest point since the Cold War” and said a personal meeting between the leaders was long overdue. https://t.co/DDHH7T9W3l pic.twitter.com/P9CHNQyG1s
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 15, 2025
“As is known, Russian-American summits have not been held for more than four years. This is a long time. The past period was very difficult for bilateral relations… And this is not good for our countries, or the world as a whole,” Putin said, according to Reuters.
A Rare US-Russia Engagement
While no concrete steps toward ending the war were announced, both sides described the discussions as productive. The summit underscores the delicate balancing act in US-Russia relations, where dialogue continues even amid deep disagreements over Ukraine.
For context, the last sitting US president to visit Russia was Barack Obama, who attended the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg in 2013, highlighting how rare such face-to-face engagements have become.
