Russian President Vladimir Putin said his “very frank and substantive” summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska has brought Moscow closer to making a key decision on the Ukraine war.

Briefing his Cabinet on Saturday, Putin noted that both he and Trump share the goal of ending the conflict swiftly. “We respect the US administration’s position, which wants hostilities to stop as soon as possible. So do we, and we would like to move forward by peaceful means,” he said.

While the Kremlin released only an incomplete transcript of the meeting, Putin suggested that discussions moved toward a possible peace framework rather than a temporary ceasefire. This aligns with Trump’s new stance favoring a direct peace deal over fragile ceasefire agreements.

Trump, who met Putin at Elmendorf-Richardson base in Alaska on Friday, described the three-hour talks as “very productive.” He later briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, stressing that “the best way to end the horrific war is to go directly to a Peace Agreement.”

Putin acknowledged the talks also covered broader US-Russia relations. “We had a chance to convey our position in a calm and detailed manner,” he said, marking their first high-level meeting since his last summit with a US president in 2021.

Analysts noted Trump hinted that territorial concessions by Ukraine may be central to any agreement. Russian expert Malek Dudakov told Tass that the US leader’s position “likely will not favor Ukraine.”

The Alaska venue carried symbolic weight, as the territory once belonged to Russia before being sold to the US in 1867. After the summit, Putin visited WWII graves and met members of Alaska’s Russian Orthodox community.