Putin seen as summit winner, German politicians assert after Alaska meeting
After U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska, several German politicians said they believe Putin emerged as the winner of the summit, DW reported on Aug. 16.
Representatives of Germany’s Christian Democratic and Christian Social unions (CDU/CSU) were among the first to comment on the outcome of the Alaska summit.
Norbert Röttgen, deputy head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, said Trump had sought a cease-fire in Ukraine, but Putin was not interested.
“He [Putin] wants to destroy Ukraine and believes he can achieve this by military means,” Röttgen added.
According to Röttgen, Putin “emerged from the summit as the winner,” having secured diplomatic support from Trump previously unimaginable and again persuading the U.S. president to forego new sanctions.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU/CSU member of the Bundestag foreign affairs committee, said the summit produced no positive results and resembled “Black Friday.” He noted that there were no serious agreements, only “an invitation from Trump to Moscow.”
He added that the Alaska summit allowed Putin to once again present himself as an equal to the U.S. on the international stage.
“Putin clearly succeeded. He seems rehabilitated, while the war continues,” Kiesewetter said.
German MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann criticized the summit, saying, “Western unity has been thrown in the trash.”
“On one side, we have Russia and other villains waging war, annexing, and killing with impunity. On the other, the U.S. under Trump, whose moral compass is completely off, pushing only his ego forward,” she said.
She added that Putin “once again finds himself on the red carpet of the international stage,” while Trump failed to deliver on his recent promises.
Green Party lawmaker Zara Nanni said the summit made Europe’s situation even more uncertain.
“Putin came out as the winner. Europe must understand: we need to find levers that work even if the Americans are no longer with us,” Nanni said.
The U.S.-Russia talks on Aug. 15 were held in a “three-on-three” format and lasted nearly three hours. On the U.S. side were Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Russia was represented by President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and aide Yuri Ushakov.
After the meeting, both leaders held a brief press conference. Trump called the talks “productive” but said no full agreement was reached on several “important issues.” No deal on Ukraine was concluded, although it was discussed, and he said Ukraine must “agree” to it, without specifying the details.
Putin repeated rhetoric about “brotherly peoples,” “root causes” of the war, and “desire” for peace, claiming talks with Trump could pave the way for peace and asserting his agreement with the notion of Ukraine’s security needs.
On Aug. 16, Trump held a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, saying all agreed the war in Ukraine should end with a peace agreement rather than a temporary truce.
Zelenskyy and Trump are scheduled to meet at the White House on Aug. 18, after which a possible Ukraine-Russia leaders’ meeting could take place.
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