BERLIN, August 16. /TASS/. The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump underscored a key message for Europe: it must prioritize its own security and rely primarily on its own resources. Norbert Roettgen, a prominent member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, expressed this viewpoint, stating, "The lesson of this meeting is clear for us Europeans. Essentially, we must take our security into our own hands. To do so, we need the US to remain our partner."

Roettgen also observed that President Putin "achieved significant gains at this summit." He noted that Putin "secured full diplomatic recognition from the US president without any reciprocal commitments," and managed to dissuade Trump from imposing sanctions - even as the US leader’s deadline for such measures had already passed. Similarly, Wolfgang Ischinger, former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, shared the view that Putin emerged victorious from the talks.

The summit took place on August 15 at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Alaska. Over approximately three hours, the leaders engaged in various discussions, including a private one-on-one conversation aboard Trump’s limousine en route to the main venue, followed by a small-group meeting with three participants from each side. The Russian delegation included Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the US team, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Following the talks, Putin stated that the main focus was the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. He called for a new chapter in bilateral relations - emphasizing the importance of renewed cooperation - and extended an invitation to Trump to visit Moscow. Trump, for his part, reported progress in the discussions but acknowledged that the two sides had not reached agreement on all issues.