Threatens to quit and cancels lunch: Trump raises voice against Putin at Anchorage summit — FT

Share: During the summit in Alaska on August 15, US President Donald Trump hoped to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine, but he rejected the proposals and began a "historic" lecture. A stunned Trump raised his voice several times and threatened to leave. On October 17, the Financial Times wrote about the behind-the-scenes of the meeting between Putin and Trump in Anchorage, citing several people familiar with the negotiations.

According to insiders, behind closed doors, the negotiations were tense, and this summit became the lowest point in the relations between the presidents of the USA and the Russian Federation, which caused a change in Trump's position in favor of Ukraine. Trump greeted Putin in Alaska with a handshake and a big smile, but the warmth quickly faded during the closed-door portion of the talks. In the presence of several advisers, Putin rejected a U. S.

cease-fire offer in exchange for sanctions relief and insisted that the war could only be ended if Ukraine surrendered and most of the Donbas territory was handed over to Russia, insiders said.

After that, sources said, the Russian president launched into a lengthy "historical" speech from the time of medieval princes such as Rurik and Yaroslav the Wise, and mentioned several figures, including the 17th-century hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, to justify his claims that Ukrainians and Russians are supposedly "one nation. " A startled Trump raised his voice several times and at one point threatened to leave the summit, insiders said.

In the end, the US president broke off the talks and canceled a planned lunch where the delegations were supposed to discuss economic ties and further cooperation. Two sources familiar with the matter said that Donald Trump in Alaska declared his readiness to recognize Crimea, occupied in 2014, as Russian territory and to force Ukraine to withdraw from some advanced positions in the Donbass if the Russian Armed Forces cease hostilities.

However, Trump's position was unacceptable for Putin, as he wanted the complete surrender of Ukraine, the journalists noted. It will be recalled that after a telephone conversation with the leader of the Russian Federation on October 16, Trump announced a personal meeting with Putin in Budapest to discuss the end of the war in Ukraine. On the same day, Trump said that the long-range Tomahawk missiles that Kyiv is asking for are needed by the Americans themselves.