Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Trump administration was making “sincere” efforts toward ending the war in Ukraine, comments that came a day before the two leaders hold a highly anticipated summit in the US state of Alaska.
“The current American administration… is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict,” Putin said.
The Russian leader also suggested that the US and Russia could make progress on arms control if the talks go well, saying that in the next stages of “discussions” with the US, “we reach agreements in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons.”
Arms control between the US and Russia has crumbled in recent years, and Moscow recently announced that it was no longer bound by a moratorium on the deployment of missiles previously banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which the US withdrew from in 2019. Russia said it took the step in response to US deployments of missile systems once banned by the INF.
The last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia is the New START, which limits the number of nuclear warheads and launchers that either side can have deployed. Russia technically suspended its participation in the treaty in 2023, but both the US and Russia continue to abide by the limits set by the treaty. So far, there’s been no work to negotiate a replacement for the New START, which expires in February 2026.
A de-escalation in Ukraine is likely required for any progress on arms control, and it remains unclear if a deal can be reached. President Trump said on Thursday that there’s about a 75% chance that the meeting will be successful.
The White House has described the summit as a “feel-out meeting,” and Trump has said the plan is to get Russia’s terms for a peace deal and convey them to Ukraine and its European backers. Russia has reportedly offered to end the war if Ukraine withdraws from the territory it controls in the eastern Donetsk Oblast, and the frontlines are frozen, a climbdown from Russia’s previous demand for a full Ukrainian withdrawal from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
According to a report from POLITICO, Ukraine’s conditions include keeping the territory it controls, Russia paying for damages in Ukraine, and a security guarantee similar to NATO membership, which are all non-starters for Moscow.
