NEW YORK. August 17. /TASS/. The most recent US-Russia summit in Alaska was definitely a step towards the normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington, but the United States still have to consider Russia’s concerns, Christopher Helali, human rights activist and American Communist Party member, told TASS.
"This was a very important moment for diplomacy and for the bilateral relations between the United States and the Russian Federation," Helali said. "Of course, we just went through four years of a tumultuous period in bilateral relations."
"Relations were worse than they have been since the Cold War period," the US expert continued. "… [It] is an important moment for the two largest nuclear powers to come together and to try to rebuild their relations."
The expert pointed out that "of course, we don't have an agreement yet on the main core issue, which is the special military operation, the conflict in Ukraine, and ultimately what the root causes are and how they will be addressed."
"The Americans have to take that into consideration and understand Russia's national security concerns, its strategic concerns, and ultimately what it hopes for a new reset in relations not only with Ukraine, but also with the West and the United States in particular," Helali added.
The New York Times reported earlier, citing sources, that following his meeting with Putin, the US leader proposed negotiating a peace deal under which Ukraine would give up the rest of the Donbass region to Russia, including areas not liberated by Russian troops, in a phone call with European leaders. A ceasefire in the rest of Ukraine at present-day battlefronts and security guarantees, both for Kiev and Europe, would be offered in return.
On August 15, Putin and Trump met at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Alaska. Their talks lasted approximately three hours, including a one-on-one conversation in the American leader’s limousine en route to the main negotiation venue, as well as a subsequent small-group discussion involving three participants on either side.
The Russian delegation included Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while the American side was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff. In a statement to the media following the talks, Putin said they mostly focused on resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Trump described his summit with Putin as "very productive." Later, he called Vladimir Zelensky, EU leaders, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. After the summit and the phone calls, Trump stated that Ukraine and Russia should go straight to agreeing on a final peace deal as he dropped his demand for a ceasefire.
Trump and Zelensky are due to have a meeting in the White House on August 18. The US leader said that if talks with Zelensky are a success, another meeting with Putin will be scheduled.