US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended nearly three hours of talks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, without a cease-fire or broader agreement to halt the war in Ukraine. Both leaders described the 15 Aug. meeting as “very” or “extremely” productive, with Trump adding, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” and conceding that the sides had not “quite gotten there” on the most significant issues. Trump said “many points were agreed to” and that “some headway” had been made, but he offered no specifics and, along with Putin, declined to take questions from reporters. Putin called the discussions constructive and urged Ukraine and European capitals not to “torpedo” the nascent progress, while reiterating that the conflict’s “root causes” must be addressed for any lasting settlement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—who was not invited to the Alaska summit—said Kyiv is counting on a strong US stance and confirmed that Trump intends to brief him and NATO leaders by phone. Trump indicated the next step could be a three-way meeting involving Zelenskyy, though no date or venue was announced. The encounter was the first in-person meeting between the two presidents since before Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a war that has left well over a million people dead or wounded, according to US estimates. While the face-to-face summit signaled a potential opening in diplomacy, the lack of concrete commitments leaves the timeline for any cease-fire or broader peace framework uncertain.