The world watched, holding its breath, as two of its most powerful leaders met on American soil to chart a path out of a brutal war.
But after a marathon meeting shrouded in secrecy, US President Donald Trump emerged not with a peace accord, but with a stark and unwavering message for Ukraine: the time has come to make a deal.
In a candid interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity following the summit, Trump declared his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin productive but revealed that a final agreement to end the war remained elusive.
Instead of applying pressure on Moscow, he pivoted, placing the ultimate responsibility for a resolution squarely on the shoulders of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“There’s one or two pretty significant items but I think they can be reached,” Trump said of his talks with Putin.
It’s really up to President Zelenskiy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it’s up to President Zelenskiy.
When asked what his advice to the Ukrainian leader would be, Trump was blunt: “make a deal, make the deal.”
A summit shrouded in secrecy
The directive to Kyiv capped a dramatic day that saw the two presidents hold their longest-ever face-to-face meeting.
Yet for all the time spent in discussion, both leaders were disciplined in their vagueness, a move almost certain to amplify anxiety in Kyiv and European capitals already fearful of a grand bargain being struck over their heads.
Standing alongside Putin at a post-summit event, Trump called their discussions “extremely productive” but immediately qualified the statement:
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
He admitted that while they agreed on most points, “a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite gotten there but we’ve made some headway.”
What those sticking points were, he refused to say, either at the press event or later with Hannity.
“I’d rather not. I guess somebody is going to go public with it. They’ll figure it out,” Trump said, deepening the mystery.
Putin, for his part, cast the talks as “useful” and held “in a constructive atmosphere,” hinting at unspecified agreements and pivoting to other potential areas of cooperation, from trade to space exploration.
A chorus of concern
The lack of transparency and the sudden pressure on Zelenskiy drew immediate and sharp condemnation. European allies had long feared Trump might concede too much to Putin or agree to territorial swaps without Kyiv’s consent.
Trump’s performance appeared to bring those fears to life.
“Once again Trump appears to have been played by Putin,” declared Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
He argued that Trump walked away without a ceasefire—a stated priority—and with “no near-term prospect of Trump applying threatened sanctions.”
“Putin got a meeting on US soil, Trump got flattered by Putin,” Van Hollen posted on X. “Advantage Putin. Shameful.”
This sentiment was echoed by policy experts. Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, described the event as “a lot of upbeat vibes with very little by way of specifics.”
The theater of power
The substance of the talks may have been secret, but the spectacle was on full display.
The day began with the stunning sight of Trump greeting Putin on American soil, a first in nearly a decade for the Russian leader who became an international pariah after his 2022 invasion.
The choreographed welcome included a warm handshake, a pat on the arm, and a US military flyover featuring a B-2 bomber.
Critically, the two leaders then departed together in the president’s own limousine, granting Putin a private audience with Trump, free from the prying ears of aides, before the formal sessions even began.
The summit concluded with another startling exchange. Putin, closing his remarks in English, suggested their next meeting should be in Moscow. Trump did not dismiss the idea.
“Oh, that’s an interesting one. I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening,” Trump replied, leaving the world to wonder what the next chapter in this high-stakes drama will be.
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