Putin Praises Trump’s Efforts to End Ukraine War as Leaders Prepare for High-Stakes Alaska Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday publicly commended U.S. President Donald Trump for what he described as “energetic and sincere efforts” to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow launched its invasion.

The rare note of praise from the Kremlin came just hours before the two leaders were set to meet in Anchorage, Alaska, for what is being billed as a pivotal U.S.–Russia summit.

Speaking after a high-level meeting with senior Russian government officials to prepare for the talks, Putin appeared in a short video released by the Kremlin saying that the Trump administration was working to “stop the hostilities” and “reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved.”

He also went beyond the Ukraine conflict, hinting that the summit could pave the way for a broader thaw in U.S.–Russia relations, including “long-term conditions of peace between our countries, and in Europe, and in the world as a whole,” contingent on a potential nuclear arms control agreement.

In Washington, Trump struck a more cautious tone, telling reporters there was a “25 per cent chance” the summit could fail. Still, he floated the idea that if the talks go well, he could invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Alaska for a follow-up three-way meeting with Putin.

“If we can get this done, we can change the course of history,” Trump said in a radio interview with Fox News, adding that he might extend his stay in Alaska “depending on what happens with Putin.”

The Alaska summit will be the highest-level face-to-face meeting between Washington and Moscow since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, an event that triggered the most severe East–West tensions since the Cold War. The conflict has left tens of thousands dead, displaced millions, and reshaped the geopolitical landscape of Europe. It also prompted sweeping U.S. and European sanctions against Russia, while Moscow deepened military and economic ties with China, Iran, and North Korea.

Trump’s willingness to personally meet Putin has drawn both praise and criticism. Supporters say direct dialogue is essential to ending the war, while critics warn it could reward Moscow without securing meaningful concessions. The former reality TV star turned president has long championed high-stakes personal diplomacy — from his meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to his repeated offers to mediate global conflicts — and appears to be approaching the Putin talks with the same style.

In Kyiv, Zelensky has maintained that no deal between the U.S. and Russia should come at Ukraine’s expense. Ukrainian officials, alongside other European leaders, have been working intensely in recent days to ensure their voices are heard in Anchorage. European diplomats are concerned that Washington and Moscow could strike a bargain, especially on arms control, that sidelines Ukraine’s territorial demands or weakens NATO’s united front.

The nuclear arms control element mentioned by Putin adds another layer of complexity to the summit. The last remaining U.S.–Russia arms reduction treaty, New START, is set to expire in 2026, and any talks to extend or replace it would need to be carefully balanced against ongoing hostilities in Ukraine. Geo-political analysts say that if Trump and Putin can use the Alaska meeting to link de-escalation in Ukraine with progress on nuclear arms limits, it would mark the most significant diplomatic breakthrough between the two powers in decades.

However, it is largely believed that both leaders are currently playing a calculated game of public messaging — Putin projecting optimism about U.S. sincerity, and Trump carefully managing expectations. Whether this meeting produces concrete results or ends in another chapter of diplomatic stalemate will likely be known within hours of the first handshake in Anchorage.