Trump hints at ‘big progress’ with Russia as Zelenskyy heads to US for crucial talks
Washington: A day after his high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump claimed “big progress” had been made in discussions with Moscow, though he offered no further explanation. Posting on his social media platform in all caps, Trump wrote, “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!”
The Alaska summit marked Putin’s first trip to the United States in over ten years. While the two leaders held extensive talks, little has been disclosed about what was agreed upon. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said following the meeting, while Putin asserted that both sides had reached an “understanding” on Ukraine and cautioned Europe not to disrupt what he described as initial progress.
Trump’s cryptic message comes just ahead of a critical White House meeting on Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader said he had already spoken at length with Trump after the Alaska summit, thanking him for the opportunity to meet in person. “We will discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war,” Zelenskyy noted.
European leaders are set to accompany Zelenskyy in Washington. According to officials, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will all stand alongside him in the Oval Office. Von der Leyen stated the move was intended to demonstrate unity and support for Kyiv.
Some of the first concrete details from the Alaska talks came from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who revealed that Putin had agreed to consider allowing Ukraine security guarantees akin to NATO’s Article 5. “We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection,” Witkoff told CNN. He described the agreement as “game-changing”.
Von der Leyen later welcomed the development, saying the European Union was prepared to contribute to such guarantees. Zelenskyy, however, stressed that while the signals were positive, the framework remained undefined. “We need security to work in practice like Article 5 of NATO,” he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that despite progress, “we’re not at the precipice of a peace agreement.” He added, “There remains some big areas of disagreement. So we’re still a long way off.”
