The greatly anticipated meeting at the highest levels between the presidents of the United States and Russia failed to reach a conclusion regarding a ceasefire between Ukraine and the world’s largest country by landmass.
Nevertheless, Trump said both parties made some good progress on a few points, while Putin categorized the meeting as a “starting point.”
This was the first time in almost a decade that the Russian leader set foot on US soil when he attended the UN General Assembly in New York City and met then-President Obama.
“There were many, many points that we agreed on … I would say a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite got there, but we’ve made some headway,” Trump said at a joint press conference.
Putin said the relationship between the two Great Powers has deteriorated to the “lowest point since the Cold War,” but noted that these talks can be considered a “starting point” for improving it.
Before the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment that his country would not be represented, as many feared that a potential deal could compromise its sovereignty.
“Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to bring the war to an end, and we count on a strong position from America … A meeting of leaders is needed – at the very least, Ukraine, America, and the Russian side.”
Given the potential significance of the meeting, many experts anticipated a volatile crypto market, especially since it took place after Wall Street had closed for the day.
However, this wasn’t the case. Bitcoin’s price had slipped ahead of the meeting to just under $117,000 but stopped its nosedive even as both parties failed to reach a peace conclusion. As of press time, BTC has neared $118,000 once again.
