The Russian leader Vladimir Putin made a rare, brief remark to Donald Trump in English after their much-anticipated Alaska meeting on Friday, August 15.
Both leaders gathered in Anchorage on Friday to engage in discussions regarding a peace agreement amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
After engaging in over three hours of dialogue, Putin and Trump faced the press in a 12-minute conference session.
No ceasefire or peace agreement resulted from their discussions, with Trump stating, “We didn’t get there but we have a very good chance of getting there.”
He added, “I’m going to start making a few phone calls and tell them what happened. But we had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to, and there are just a very few that are left.”
“Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant.”
At the conclusion of the press conference, Putin caught Trump off guard by delivering a comment in English.
“Next time in Moscow,” he invited Trump.
Surprised by the suggestion, Trump responded, “That’s an interesting one, I’ll get a little heat on that one.”
“But I could see it possibly happening.”
It has been since Barack Obama attended the G20 Summit in 2013 that a US president visited Russia.
Before the meeting, Trump was questioned about his ability to mediate peace between the two nations. He admitted uncertainty in that regard.
Trump remarked, “I’ll tell you what. I’ve had that conversation with him. I’ve had a lot of good conversations with him then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building, and people are laying dead in the streets.”
“So, I guess the answer to that is no, because I’ve had this conversation. I want to end the war. It’s Biden’s war, but I want to end it.”
“I’ll be very proud to end this war, along with the five other wars I ended. But, I guess the answer to that is probably no.”
While speaking to reporters on Air Force One prior to the meeting, Trump was questioned about the repercussions Russia might face if Putin showed reluctance to discuss ending the Ukrainian conflict.
“Economically severe. It will be very severe,” he asserted. “I’m not doing this for my health, okay, I don’t need it. I’d like to focus on our country, but I’m doing this to save a lot of lives.”
“Yeah, very severe.”