A first attempt at “decoding” the remarks made by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin after their almost three-hour meeting in Alaska is being made by Sky News and the BBC, focusing mainly on the absence of the word “ceasefire” from the vocabulary of both leaders.

As the Sky News U.S. correspondent notes, “it seems we are far from reaching a ceasefire in Ukraine, since neither president mentioned it.”

“If they had referred today to a truce, it would have changed the nature of the discussion. It seems we are far from that,” he adds, highlighting Putin’s remark that for any agreement to be sustainable, the “deeper causes” of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s ongoing concerns must be addressed.

Trump and Putin full news conference following Alaska summit

He further reminds: “This has been Russia’s starting point, and it was the sticking point throughout this process. The fact that Putin stood on the same podium with Trump and had the confidence to express it tells me it resonates with Trump. However, this position is unacceptable for Ukraine.”

Question of the implications for Ukraine

Regarding the U.S. president’s remarks, the British network comments: “While Trump spoke enthusiastically about the outcome of the meeting, he also said they have not yet reached an agreement. He stressed the positives, but there were also negatives.”

Closing
“I thought we saw two old friends reconnecting with mutual understanding and mutual respect. What the implications for Ukraine will be remains to be seen,” concludes the Sky News correspondent.

President Donald Trump: "There's no deal until there's a deal. I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate and I'll of course call up President Zelensky and tell him about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them." pic.twitter.com/ur3kxRIgM4

— CSPAN (@cspan) August 15, 2025

BBC: Trump left without the stamp of peacemaker or negotiator

Referring to Trump’s phrase “there is no deal until there is a deal,” the BBC assesses: “It was an indirect way of admitting that after several hours of talks, there is no agreement. No ceasefire. Nothing concrete to report.”

“The U.S. president said that he and Vladimir Putin spoke of ‘great progress,’ but without giving details of what that might be, leaving the world to speculate,” continues the BBC’s analysis.

“Trump traveled far only to deliver vague statements, even if America’s European allies and Ukrainian officials might have been relieved that he did not offer unilateral concessions or agreements that could undermine future negotiations. For a man who likes to present himself as a peacemaker and negotiator, it appears Trump will leave Alaska having achieved neither. There are also no signs that a summit involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will take place in the near future, despite Putin’s quip about ‘next time in Moscow’ regarding their next meeting,” the BBC analysis adds, concluding:

“Although Trump had less at stake than Ukraine or Russia during these negotiations, the failure of the meeting will damage his standing both domestically and internationally, after his earlier assurances that the summit had only a 25% chance of failing.”