Xinhua Headlines: Trump-Putin Alaska summit ends, no deal reached

* Despite three hours of talks on Ukraine and bilateral relations, Trump and Putin made no concrete deals.

* Major disagreements remain over Ukraine, with Putin warning against interference and Trump admitting the conflict is harder to resolve than expected.

* Ukraine and EU leaders worry about being sidelined as the United States and Russia discuss peace terms without their direct involvement.

BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday wrapped up a high-stakes meeting in Anchorage, the U.S. state of Alaska, but no deal was reached.

The talks, which lasted about three hours, focused primarily on the Ukraine crisis, as well as on reshaping bilateral relations that have largely stalled in recent years.

Though Trump said progress was made during the meeting, no concrete deal was agreed upon, while Ukraine and other European countries voiced concerns about being marginalized.

NO DEAL REACHED

At a joint press conference following the meeting, Trump said "many points" had been agreed upon, noting "great progress" had been made, though no formal deal was reached.

Putin said he agreed that Ukraine's security should be ensured, adding that the understanding reached could help pave the way toward peace.

Russia is sincerely interested in ending the conflict, Putin said, stressing the need to address the "primary causes" of the conflict and warning Ukraine and European countries not to "throw a wrench in the works."

In an interview with Fox News after the meeting, Trump said it is up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to strike a ceasefire deal, while indicating that he and Putin had discussed land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and had "largely agreed".

The U.S. president also said a meeting involving Zelensky, Putin and himself would be arranged soon.

The meeting marked the first visit to the United States by a Russian head of state in nearly a decade and the first face-to-face meeting between the two countries' presidents since 2021.

In addition to the conflict, Putin also expressed hope that the meeting would serve as "a starting point" for restoring "business-like" and "pragmatic" relations between Russia and the United States, highlighting potential for Russia-U.S. cooperation in trade, high technology, space exploration and the Arctic.

The two leaders also left the door open for the next meeting, as Putin invited Trump to meet "next time in Moscow" during the press conference.

"I'll get a little heat on that one," Trump replied. "But I could see it possibly happening."

MANY DIFFERENCES REMAIN

Despite the moderately friendly atmosphere between the two leaders -- Trump welcomed Putin with a red carpet at the airport, which, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, drove Western media "insane" -- many differences still remain between the two sides.

The two leaders did not reach an agreement on "probably the most significant" aspect of their meeting. "We didn't get there," Trump told reporters before leaving the press conference room, without taking questions.

"For the man who likes to tout himself as a peacemaker and a dealmaker, it appears that Trump will leave Alaska with neither," according to a BBC report, noting that Putin and Trump still have major differences in opinion over the Ukraine crisis.

The U.S. president also admitted in the Fox News interview that he was wrong to think the conflict would be easily solved. "I thought this would be the easiest of them all, and it was the most difficult," Trump said.

The summit in Alaska was productive, and the U.S. side received the Russian side "very well," said Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's top economic envoy, on Telegram.

The two countries would continue building relations despite "resistance," Dmitriev said.

Putin's remarks at the press conference, especially his emphasis on the "primary causes" of the conflict and his warning to Ukraine and European countries not to disrupt the talks, were seen by some in the West as evidence of "the summit's lack of actual progress."

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide downplayed the meeting's "progress." "Too little concrete information has come out," he said.

WORRIES OF EUROPE

Similar to a virtual meeting held on Wednesday before the Alaska summit, Trump, on his return flight after the meeting, had phone conversations with Zelensky and several other European leaders to brief them on his talks with Putin.

Zelensky announced after the calls that he would visit the White House on Monday to discuss "all of the details" regarding ending the conflict.

The talks covered the possible establishment of a trilateral format between Ukraine, the United States and Russia, he said, voicing support for Trump's proposal for such a meeting.

Zelensky also underscored the importance of ensuring that European countries are involved in the peace process in order to provide Ukraine with reliable security guarantees together with Washington.

Worries about being marginalized have been growing across Europe in recent days, due to the absence of European voices at the Alaska summit.

In a joint statement following the phone call with Trump, leaders of the European Union (EU), France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Finland and Poland reiterated support for "ironclad security guarantees" for Ukraine and a trilateral summit "with European support."

"European leaders are able to inform Trump of their ideas, and the U.S. will brief them on the summit outcomes, but Europe is in the position that the Ukraine conflict outcomes are being negotiated over its head and the continent's leadership is essentially an observer," said Neil Melvin, director of International Security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, ahead of the meeting.

"While Moscow and Washington decide our fate, we're left out in the cold," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday, explaining why Hungary did not join a joint EU statement on Ukraine.

"It's simple really: sit at the table or you'll find yourself on the menu," he said.

(Video reporters: Hu Yousong, Xie'E, Xiong Maoling, Gao Shan, Tan Jingjing; Video editors: Zhang Mocheng, Zhao Xiaoqing, Liu Ruoshi)■