SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The red carpet rolled out and the world watching, President Trump welcomed Vladimir Putin to a U.S. military base in Anchorage, Alaska. They talked for hours yesterday, but no breakthroughs on the war in Ukraine. This morning, though, word of additional diplomatic efforts. As one of the few news organizations with correspondents in both Russia and Ukraine, we turn now to NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. Charles, thanks for being with us.
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Good morning.
SIMON: And NPR's Greg Myre in Kyiv. Greg, thank you.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
SIMON: And let's begin there in Kyiv, Greg. What's the view on the summit from there?
MYRE: Well, after this, you know, three-hour meeting, the leaders were expected to give a news conference in Alaska at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage. You know, Putin spoke first, and he mentioned the agreement we've reached, so it sounded like a possible breakthrough. And then Trump spoke, and it became clear there was no agreement.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: So there's no deal until there's a deal. I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate. And I'll, of course, call up President Zelenskyy and tell him about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them.
MYRE: So Trump spoke for just 3 1/2 minutes. He offered nothing concrete, and he didn't take any questions. Then both leaders got on their planes and headed home. So the summit itself was quite underwhelming, Scott.
SIMON: Trump did make the calls he mentioned, right? And we have additional news this morning.
MYRE: That's right. Trump called Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and extended the invitation as he flew back from Alaska to Washington. European leaders also joined the call. Zelenskyy wrote on social media that on Monday, they'll discuss, quote, all "the details regarding ending the killing and the war." Now, Trump said in his own social media post that it was best to go, quote, "directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war" rather than "a mere ceasefire," "which oftentimes do not hold up." But that's going to be a tall order. Trump has pushed for months without success to get a ceasefire. Ukraine favors this approach and has endorsed Trump's ceasefire call, while Russia's Putin has not signed on. So the key takeaway here is that Trump seems to be siding with Putin's position rather than Zelenskyy's.
SIMON: And Charles Maynes in Moscow, how did the summit look from there?
MAYNES: Yeah, sure, Scott. You know, for Russians, I think the moment that really mattered was this red carpet handshake, watching Putin and Trump meet, all smiles, and then sharing this ride together in Trump's presidential car, also known as The Beast. You know, those scenes are on loop on state television because it tells Russians Western efforts to isolate them have failed. You know, Putin went from an ostracized leader who Trump was threatening with massive sanctions if he didn't end the war to being given a presidential welcome on U.S. soil in the course of just one week. Nationalist voices here in Moscow are praising Putin's performance in the sense that he got the summit with Trump but seemingly gave nothing in return. You know, in essence, Putin got his photo op, Trump's revised threats of sanctions against Russia evaporated and Moscow's free to continue the war.
SIMON: President Trump did say he'd be disappointed if there was no ceasefire deal. Seems to raise the question, do we know how Vladimir Putin approaches talks with Donald Trump?
MAYNES: You know, Putin, like many world leaders, has learned that when it comes to Trump, flattery doesn't hurt. We've heard Putin not only talking about shared history yesterday in culture, in Alaska but also calling Trump his dear neighbor. He also went out of his way to embrace Trump's gripes about the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden, and in effect, blaming Biden for forcing Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. Let's listen.
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PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: (Through interpreter) Today, when President Trump saying that if he was the president back then, there would be no war. And I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so. I can confirm that.
MAYNES: You know, but Putin also tends to try and blur Trump's focus on the Ukraine issue by offering the possibility of all sorts of bilateral deals, whether it's mineral rights or investment in the Arctic, you know, even suggesting on the verge of the summit they engage in nuclear arms control talks, something that's worth noting that Biden failed to do because Putin wouldn't engage due to U.S. military support for Ukraine.
SIMON: Greg Myre in Kyiv. Ukraine had to stand by and watch as its future was discussed by two superpowers in another country. How's Ukraine responding today?
MYRE: So Ukraine's biggest fear was that Putin and Trump would reach some kind of deal behind closed doors, and then Ukraine would feel pressure to accept it. So that didn't happen, and Ukrainians will have some sense of relief that the summit hasn't weakened or undermined their position. Also Zelenskyy's visit to Washington on Monday will give him a chance to make Ukraine's case. So that's a positive development from Ukraine's perspective. But if Trump is siding with Putin and his desire for one big agreement to end the war, that suggests Ukraine may again be asked to make all sorts of compromises on territory and other issues that it has long been rejecting.
SIMON: And Charles Maynes in Moscow, any hint of compromise or concession in what you heard in the words of Vladimir Putin last night?
MAYNES: You know, not really. You know, he said what he often says, that Russia wants peace, but on its terms. Once again, we heard Putin talk about threats to Russia's security emanating from Ukraine, as well as this idea that the root causes of the conflict needed to be addressed for a lasting peace. You know, well, that's Kremlin code for Russian demands that Ukraine formally end its ambitions to join NATO, demilitarize and cede territory, including some areas still under the control of the Ukrainian army.
And yet, I have to say I was curious to hear Putin say he hoped that Ukraine and Europe wouldn't undermine the progress that he and Trump had made. The implication there being that Putin is clearly offering something, maybe not peace, but perhaps something Trump could take as a gesture in that direction. We'll have to see. You know, but whatever it is, it seems enough to keep Trump engaged, judging by this moment at the end of the evening.
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TRUMP: We'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon. Thank you very much, Vladimir.
PUTIN: Next time in Moscow.
TRUMP: Oh, that's an interesting one. I don't know, I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening. Thank you very much, Vladimir.
PUTIN: Thank you.
TRUMP: And thank you all.
MAYNES: So, Scott, we'll have to see just how hot it gets for the president.
SIMON: And Greg Myre in Kyiv, can you tell us now where things stand on the battlefield this weekend?
MYRE: Yeah, there was some pretty serious fighting this past week on the eastern front, the main frontline. Russian troops broke through Ukraine's frontline defenses near the town of Pokrovsk. Now, this is a town Russia has been trying to take for more than a year and suffered heavy casualties. Now, Ukraine says it has stabilized this area. But what it does do, Scott, is reflect Ukrainian vulnerability and its sort of lack of manpower shortages, which tend to keep cropping up. And Russia and Ukraine are both keeping up airstrikes. Russia fired nearly a hundred drones overnight. Ukraine keeps attacking deep inside Russia, often hitting oil refineries.
SIMON: Greg Myre in Kyiv and Charles Maynes in Moscow, we want to thank you both for your fine work on behalf of all of us. Thanks so much.
MYRE: Sure thing, Scott.
MAYNES: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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