Trump Hints at Major Russia Breakthrough After Putin Talks: ‘Big Progress, Stay Tuned’
Just one day after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, U.S. President Donald Trump shared a short, intriguing update on Truth Social, suggesting a key advancement involving Russia. “Big progress on Russia, stay tuned,” he posted, without elaborating further.
The message has sparked guesses that it could relate to potential security assurances for Ukraine, aligning with comments from Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, who said Putin indicated during the discussions a willingness to let the U.S. and European allies provide Ukraine with a security guarantee similar to NATO’s.
“We reached an understanding that the United States and other European countries could provide language akin to Article 5 for a security guarantee,” Witkoff explained, noting it was the first time Putin had expressed openness to this idea. The session between the two leaders ended without a deal to halt Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting European officials to explore additional ways to pressure the Kremlin.
The two presidents talked for three hours and identified some shared views, but no significant resolution emerged to conclude the war, which has led to tens of thousands of fatalities and extensive damage in Ukraine. This marked the initial occasion Putin set foot on Western territory since launching the invasion in February 2022.
Trump’s post arrived shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that the Trump-Putin meeting involved talks with promise for progressing toward an end to the Ukraine conflict.
“There were elements discussed in the Trump-Putin meeting that hold potential for breakthroughs to resolve the Ukraine war,” Rubio stated. He tempered expectations by saying, “I’m not saying we’re on the verge of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, but we saw enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with President Zelenskyy.”
Rubio also cautioned that without a peace accord, “there will have to be additional consequences for Russia.”
“If peace is not going to be possible here and this is just going to continue on as a war, people will continue to die by the thousands,” he added. “We may unfortunately wind up there, but we don’t want to wind up there.”
In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, joined by leaders from Britain, Germany, and France. The European figures intend to bolster Zelenskyy as Trump pushes for Ukraine to agree to a rapid peace settlement.
Rubio further affirmed that the U.S. will persist in efforts to conclude Russia’s war in Ukraine, though outcomes are not assured. During an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, he recognized the constraints of diplomacy in the present circumstances.
Sources cited by Reuters report that Trump and Putin reviewed a plan where Russia would relinquish minor areas of occupied Ukrainian land in exchange for Ukraine yielding a bigger portion of fortified eastern territory, with the remaining front lines held in place.
Prior to the Washington gathering, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met on Sunday to reinforce Zelenskyy’s stance. Their discussions centered on obtaining robust security commitments for Ukraine, potentially involving the U.S.
In Brussels on Sunday, Zelenskyy stated that peace negotiations should begin from the existing front lines in the Russia conflict. “We need real negotiations, which means we can start where the front line is now,” he said.
He advocated for a ceasefire as an essential precursor to finalizing any agreement, a position echoed by European leaders. “It’s important that Washington is with us,” the Ukrainian leader added.