Cancelled Trump-Putin lunch, short press conference show summit had no real agenda — journalist Portnikov

Journalist Vitaly Portnikov, speaking on Espreso TV, suggested that if there had been a specific topic for discussion, the U.S. and Russian leaders would have involved other members of their delegations.

“If Trump and Putin had other matters to discuss — the restoration of diplomatic missions, economic relations, or energy — they could have done so without difficulty,” he said.

According to Portnikov, the leaders might have simply acknowledged that they could not reach agreement on the Ukrainian issue, after which each could have made counterproposals.

“You know, if we agree on the Ukrainian issue, I offer you this, this, this, and this,” Portnikov imagined Trump saying. “And Putin to Trump: ‘And I’ll give you this, this, this, and this.’ Each of them showed their cards. They were going to talk for six hours, with lunch,” he added.

Journalist Vitaly Portnikov also shared his view on why the joint lunch was canceled.

“It was a lunch with an expanded delegation. It wasn’t just a meeting to eat. Putin brought the defense minister, he brought Dmitriev — they didn’t participate in the negotiations at all. Do you understand? There was no subject of conversation. And precisely because there was no subject of conversation, they canceled this lunch,” Portnikov explained.

He emphasized that Trump and Putin could have spent a couple of hours making proposals to each other that did not directly concern the war.

“Because if they had talked about the war, they would have held a longer press conference and there would have been a lunch. Instead, they simply exchanged proposals to ‘bribe’ each other, and were not satisfied. They left to think about it. That’s what Trump likes. He showed his cards to Putin, and Putin showed his cards in return. Both are ready, so to speak, to play with not entirely real cards, so they need time to consider. They left after this poker game. And Trump still keeps his poker face. It’s called a poker face. That’s it. And that’s how it looks in real politics,” he said.

According to the journalist, the canceled dinner reflects reality far more accurately than any other statements.

“If there had been a specific topic of conversation, if they had something to discuss, they would certainly have involved other members of the delegation. That’s the logic of bureaucracy. You’re not going to fly the Russian defense minister all the way from Moscow via Magadan to Alaska just so he can walk around Anchorage. But that’s what happened. And Dmitriev, who was brought in specifically to present his economic proposals, remained outside the meeting room,” Portnikov concluded.

Trump and Putin’s meeting in Alaska: background

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on the night of August 16 in a “3 on 3” format. The meeting lasted nearly three hours, marking their longest conversation to date. According to Trump, the summit was “productive,” and many issues were discussed, though not all of them were fully agreed upon, so there is no agreement yet.

The U.S. president said he would soon call NATO representatives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other leaders. He also noted that an agreement was nearly reached during the Alaska summit, and now a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin is planned with Trump’s participation.

On the morning of August 16, Trump spoke by phone with Zelenskyy, joined by several European leaders. During the conversation, Zelenskyy accepted Trump’s invitation to visit Washington on Monday, August 18.

Trump said that after his talks with Putin in Alaska, and following discussions with Zelenskyy and EU leaders, the parties concluded that the best way to end the war is to immediately conclude a peace agreement, skipping a temporary ceasefire.

Following the Alaska meeting, the leaders of Germany, France, Poland, Italy, and the United Kingdom, together with Zelenskyy, prepared a joint statement.