One Year After Trump's Summit with Putin: The 'Spirit of Anchorage' Has Faded, Ukraine Resisted the Cartel of the Great Powers

A year after the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, the "spirit of Anchorage" has dissipated, and Ukraine has resisted the demands of the great powers. The exact agreements reached between Russia and the U.S. remain a mystery, but it is clear that neither side's calculations were fully realized. The attempt to impose a peace solution on Ukraine has failed.

Putin's primary objective upon arriving in Alaska on August 15, 2025, was to break out of diplomatic isolation and deepen Western divisions over Ukraine. Trump welcomed Putin with honors at Elmendorf Air Force Base, overlooking Russia's war crimes in Ukraine. Images of the two leaders smiling on the red carpet circulated globally, sparking fears in Ukraine and across Europe that a deal detrimental to Ukrainian and European security interests might be struck.

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A fantastic relationship

While "Anchorage" was not a decisive turning point, its impact remains difficult to assess due to contradictory and sparse statements from the participants. The joint press conference revealed no peace breakthrough, with Trump acknowledging the lack of progress despite praising his "fantastic relationship" with Putin. The brevity of the meeting, less than three hours, also suggested a failure. An anonymous source later told the Financial Times that Putin had bored Trump with lengthy historical disquisitions on Russian-Ukrainian unity.

Despite the lack of tangible results, the summit had unexpected repercussions. On his flight back to Washington, Trump announced a policy shift, retracting threats of "serious consequences" for Russia if a ceasefire was refused and downplaying planned economic sanctions. The next day, he declared via social media that he was no longer pursuing a ceasefire agreement for Ukraine, advocating instead for direct peace negotiations. This effectively meant abandoning immediate calls to end the fighting in favor of a protracted diplomatic process, a move that aligned with Moscow's desire to continue its ground offensives in Donbas and air attacks on Ukrainian cities without diplomatic hindrance.

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serious consequences