Putin praises Trump’s ‘sincere’ peace efforts, signals possible US-Russia nuclear deal

Ahead of his highly anticipated talks with President Donald Trump in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that he could be ready to reach a nuclear deal with the U.S.

On Thursday, Putin praised the U.S. for making “sincere efforts” to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has raged for over three years. He said on TV that the U.S. was “making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict,” according to Reuters.

The Russian leader also reportedly mentioned possible future “agreements in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons.”

Friday’s high-stakes meeting in Anchorage will be the first U.S.-Russia summit since June 2021, just eight months before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. It marks a crucial moment for Trump, who has been pushing for an end to the war.

Trump has threatened “very severe consequences” if Putin does not agree to peace with Ukraine, but he has not detailed what that could mean.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose relationship with Trump has been rocky, cast doubt on Russia’s readiness to end the war. On Wednesday, he wrote on X that he saw “no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war.” 

Zelenskyy has been working to bolster support among world leaders ahead of the Trump-Putin summit. This week, he met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street, and he traveled to Belin to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Starmer and Merz co-chaired Wednesday’s meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” — a gathering of nations that back Ukraine — alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. Vice President JD Vance and Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Gen. Keith Kellogg were also in attendance.