Trump says he and Putin ‘largely agreed’ on land swaps, security guarantees for Ukraine
Editor's note: This story is being updated.
Following his high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Aug. 15 that the two leaders had "largely agreed" on territorial swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine.
"I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on," Trump said in an interview with Fox News after the meeting.
"I think we're pretty close to a deal," he added. "Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say no."
The nearly three-hour meeting concluded without an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, which Trump had sought ahead of the talks.
Ahead of the Alaska meeting, Trump has suggested that any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia would require both sides to "swap" land, a stance that has raised alarm in Kyiv and across European capitals. What exactly is meant by "land swaps" was not specified.
A source in the Ukrainian Presidential Office earlier told the Kyiv Independent that Moscow's proposal would require Kyiv to withdraw from the Ukrainian-controlled parts of the partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in exchange for a Russian pullback from parts of Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.
Zelensky has firmly rejected the possibility of handing additional Ukrainian territory over to Russian occupation as part of a peace deal, insisting on establishing a ceasefire as the first step in any negotiations.
Asked by Fox News what advice he would give to Zelensky following Alaska talks, Trump responded, "Gotta make a deal."
"Look, Russia is a very big power, and they (Ukraine) are not," Trump said.
Trump set a ceasefire as the target for the meeting, saying while heading to Alaska he was hoping to reach it the same day.
Speaking at the press conference after meeting Putin, Trump said the talks were productive but the two leaders fell short of agreeing on several points, including a significant one.
When asked by Fox News about the obstacle that prevented the two from reaching a deal, Trump refused to give any details.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has pledged to broker a swift peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow — efforts that quickly stalled as Russia repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and pushed maximalist demands during peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.
Publicly, Putin has demanded a ban on Ukraine's NATO membership and a full Ukrainian withdrawal from partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, among other conditions.
Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, followed by parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts in 2022 after holding sham referenda.
