ANCHORAGE /Alaska/, August 16. /TASS/. The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska displayed warm and cordial ties between the two leaders, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Governors of the US branch of the International Sister Cities Association Bill Boerum told TASS.

"The cordiality and respect between the two Presidents was evident from the first handshake after they exited their aircraft. President Putin’s comments from the podium after the meeting continued the cordial tone indicating authentic appreciation for the meeting," he added. According to the expert, the presence of "a number of business representatives who accompanied President Putin indicated his expectation that immediate agreement could be reached on security issues, then matters could proceed to economic and business issues."

That said, the expert emphasized that "President Trump while agreeing about the ‘productiveness’ of the meeting was clear that there were matters not agreed to, including a ‘big one.’" "Trump did seem disappointed," Boerum stressed. "It may have been that the meetings between the Europeans and with Zelensky on Wednesday produced an understanding that Trump would not announce any specific points of agreement with Putin before conferring with them," he added. "My sense is that President Trump next will be negotiating with the Europeans and President Zelensky on an agreement with which he is not entirely satisfied," the expert believes.

He noted that "further to the less promising aspect of the meeting was President Trump’s reaction to President Putin’s invitation to a next meeting in Moscow." "Trump did not immediately accept" it, the expert pointed out.

On August 15, a summit between Russia and the US took place at a military base in Alaska. The talks lasted more than three hours and included several formats: one-on-one in the American leader's limousine en route to the main venue and in a small group of "three on three." The Russian delegation included Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while the US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Following the talks, Putin told the press that the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict was the main topic of the summit. The Russian leader also called for a new beginning in bilateral relations and a return to cooperation. He invited Trump to Moscow. For his part, the US president announced the progress achieved in the talks but noted that the two sides had not reached an agreement on everything.