By Kenneth Tiven

US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska was less a summit and more a stage-managed photo opportunity. The encounter could be summed up in cricketing terms: USA “duck,” Russia “century.”

Four days after the brief get-together, sources say Trump has paused his diplomatic engagements, waiting for Ukraine and Russia to set up a bilateral presidential meeting—a prospect unlikely given Putin’s imperial vision to emulate Peter the Great’s domination of Europe.

Trump insists he will not play “matchmaker”, but has hinted he might seek a trilateral dialogue if such a meeting ever materializes. Speaking to a US talk show host, he said: “I just want to see what happens at the meeting. So they’re in the process of setting it up and we’re going to see what happens.”

Meanwhile, Russian missiles continue to strike Ukrainian maternity hospitals, and ground troops push further east. Putin, under international arrest warrants, relished the global spotlight in Alaska, aided by Trump’s extraordinary hospitality. At their joint press conference, Trump broke protocol by ceding the lead to Putin, who delivered a lecture to the West, while the US president offered little of substance. For Europe and the Baltics, it was confirmation that Trump’s America is retreating from its role as a global counterweight to Russian aggression.

Trump dismissed the absence of a joint communique, remarking: “There’s no agreement until there is an agreement.” US and EU journalists interpreted the event as proof of NATO’s waning credibility under Trump, while Russian media celebrated the moment as proof that America would not commit ground troops to Ukraine’s defense. Kremlin insiders declared Ukraine’s NATO membership application effectively dead.

Still, some pro-Trump voices offered a different spin. Conservative columnist Marc Theisen argued that Trump remains committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty. Citing Trump directly, he claimed: “We’re not talking about a two-year peace and then we end up in this mess again. We’re going to have a lasting peace.”

European leaders held a “post-mortem” meeting with Trump at the White House, where Zelenskyy cautiously called it their “best” exchange yet. Kremlin officials, however, avoided clarity on whether Putin would ever meet with Zelenskyy.

The contrast with Trump’s predecessor looms large. Joe Biden, after Russia’s 2021 invasion, provided major offensive and defensive weaponry to Ukraine. Trump’s transactional approach is evident in Europe’s recent agreement to finance Ukraine’s $90 billion purchase of US arms, a windfall for defense contractors. Zelenskyy even offered to sell Washington drones that have crippled Russia’s bomber fleet.

But Trump’s personal ambitions coloured the Alaska showpiece. At one point he boasted: “I’ve done six wars, I’ve ended six wars.” Journalist Lucien Truscott mocked this, noting Trump’s obsession with a Nobel Peace Prize: “He talks about land swaps like he’s buying air rights from a bodega owner in Manhattan.”

Looming over everything is the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Trump’s promise to release “Epstein files” electrified his base, but Republicans fled Washington early to avoid scrutiny as the DOJ stalled on subpoenas. Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer to a cushier federal facility fuelled speculation her sentence might soon be commuted.

Trump did get one reprieve: a New York appellate court overturned the $515 million penalty from his civil fraud trial. Though the court upheld injunctions limiting Trump’s business activity, it ruled the financial sanction an “excessive fine.” Attorney General Letitia James vowed to appeal, reminding Americans that multiple courts have found Trump guilty of fraud.

Trump’s Alaska “duck” may not have ended his innings, but it has left allies wary, adversaries emboldened, and Americans divided between spectacle and substance. 

—The writer has worked in senior positions at The Washington Post, NBC, ABC and CNN and also consults for several Indian channels

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