For President Donald Trump, a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine is his ultimate diplomatic white whale — an elusive goal on which he staked his reputation as a nonpareil deal-maker. And which, if accomplished, just might secure the Nobel Peace Prize he believes he’s been denied. It was a year ago, at a U.S. military base in Alaska, that Trump thought he could hammer out a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he considered a friend.Trump went in with hopes of brokering an immediate ceasefire. But he emerged from the face-to-face with nothing to show for it, at least not publicly.
The Russians had a different take on it. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 8. (Alex Brandon/AP; Washington Examiner)
They insist Trump committed to a secret Anchorage agreement that involved the U.S. agreeing to pressure Zelensky to give up territory in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region that Russian forces had been unable to capture. Along with a promise that the size of Ukraine’s military would be reduced and that Ukraine would never join NATO.In a Kremlin videoconference last month, Putin once again talked about how any settlement would have to be based on “modalities as discussed in Anchorage.”“There was no agreement in Alaska,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said two days later. “There was a proposal in Alaska, but there was no agreement in Alaska. If there had been an agreement, we would have had an end to the war.”At this month’s NATO Leaders summit in Turkey, Trump had to admit to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that a lot had changed since the February 2025 Oval Office dressing down. Where an angry Trump repeatedly berated Zelensky with the words, “You don’t have the cards.”“We’ve actually developed a good relationship. It’s hard to believe, right? From the Oval Office to now,” a smiling Trump told Zelensky at a media availability. “This is going to be the beginning, maybe,” he added in what might be as close to an apology as Zelensky will ever get from Trump.This year, the tide of battle began to turn as Ukraine’s domestic drone production increased exponentially. And its ability to strike oil refineries and supply routes deep into Russia and Crimea has played havoc with Russia’s already ailing economy.Trump, it seems, is beginning to view Zelensky as a winner. And Trump likes to back winners.“This has been going on for five — almost five years, right?” Trump mused at one point in their meeting. “Who would have thought it? I mean, it’s a tribute because [Russia’s] a bigger country, strong country, and it’s an amazing tribute.”“He’s done an amazing job,” Trump complimented Zelensky. “He’s been very effective.”Trump’s newfound confidence in Zelensky comes as his words of optimism echo the nearly identical upbeat predictions he made going into the failed 2025 summit with Putin.“I talk to President Putin a lot, and he wants to end the war,” Trump insists. “[Zelensky] wants to see a settlement, and I think President Putin wants to see a settlement. And usually, that means a settlement, but who knows? This is a tough one.”An upper hand for Ukraine?
