Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have just stepped out on stage together after holding about three hours of closed-door talks.
The press conference was opened by the Russian President. He said that the negotiations with the American side "took place in an atmosphere of constructiveness and mutual respect."
"We had very detailed negotiations that were quite useful," Putin said as he thanked Donald Trump for proposing the Alaska summit.
"Our countries are neighbors. When I got off the plane, I said 'good evening, neighbor'." We are separated by the Bering Strait, but we are neighbors. It is important that Alaska is related to the common US-Russian history. In Alaska, Russian history is alive with Russian churches. We thank the American government for taking care of the graves of Russian pilots. The two countries defeated common enemies together, and this legacy can help us in the new stage we are in," Putin initially declared.
He then focused on peace negotiations in Ukraine and the end of the war.
“US-Russian relations were at their worst. It was necessary to move forward and enter a phase of dialogue. This meeting was long overdue. President Trump and I have good direct contacts, and Special Envoy Witkoff has traveled to Russia many times. If Trump were President in 2022, there would be no war. I want to thank Trump for this meeting and the tone we maintained during the conversation, we are interested in the results. He understands that Russia also has its national interests. Today is a starting point for success and for the restoration of good relations between the two countries. In the last contact in 2022 with the US administration, I tried to convince my colleagues that the situation would not go to the point of no return. I am convinced that this is exactly how it would be. I hope that the agreement we reached will lead to peace and that the Europeans will not undermine this agreement. We have seen the Trump administration trying to resolve the Ukrainian issue. The situation "in Ukraine is related to security issues. We consider Ukrainians to be a fraternal nation, and what is happening is a deep wound. It is in Russia's interest to put an end to this. At the same time, we are convinced that in order to achieve a long-term solution, we must eliminate the causes of this conflict," Putin said, among other things.