The meeting in Alaska carries significant weight on a global scale.

The President of the Russian Federation said:

Dear Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, our negotiations took place in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere, were very thorough and useful.

I would like to once again thank my American colleague for the invitation to come to Alaska. It is quite logical to meet here, because although our countries are separated by oceans, we are in fact close neighbors. And when we met and stepped off the planes, I said: "Good afternoon, dear neighbor, it is very nice to see you in good health and alive." And it sounds very neighborly, in my opinion, very kind. Only the Bering Strait separates us, and even then, there are two islands there, with just 4 kilometers between the Russian and American islands—we are close neighbors, that is a fact. It is also important that Alaska is tied to a significant part of the shared history of Russia and the U.S., many positive events. For example, to this day, a vast cultural heritage from the era of Russian America remains here. Orthodox churches, over 700 geographical names of Russian origin. During World War II, it was in Alaska that the legendary air route for delivering combat aircraft and other equipment under the Lend-Lease agreement began. It was a dangerous, difficult route over vast icy expanses, but the pilots and specialists of both countries did everything to bring victory closer. They took risks, gave their lives for the common victory. Just recently, I was in the city of Magadan in Russia, where there is a monument to Russian and American pilots. And the monument bears both the Russian and American flags. I know that here, too, there is a similar monument. At the military cemetery just a few kilometers from here, Soviet pilots who died during that heroic mission are buried. We are grateful to the American authorities and citizens for their careful preservation of their memory. It looks dignified and noble. We will always remember other historical examples when our countries fought together against common enemies in the spirit of comradeship and alliance, providing each other with assistance and support. This legacy, I am sure, will help us restore and build mutually beneficial, equal relations at this new stage, even under the most difficult conditions.

As is known, Russian-American summits have not been held for over 4 years—that is a long time. The past period has been very difficult for bilateral relations, and, let's be frank, they have sunk to their lowest point since the Cold War, which benefits neither our countries nor the world as a whole. It is obvious that sooner or later the situation had to be corrected, moving from confrontation to dialogue, and in this regard, a personal meeting between the heads of the two states was long overdue. Of course, on the condition of serious and meticulous preparation, such work was generally carried out. President Trump and I have established very good direct contacts. We have spoken frankly on the phone multiple times. As you know, the U.S. President's Special Representative, Mr. Whitkoff, visited Russia several times. Our aides and, most importantly, our foreign policy agencies have been in regular contact.

As you well know and understand, one of the central issues was the situation around Ukraine. We see the desire of the U.S. administration and President Trump personally to facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. His desire to delve into its essence and understand its roots. I have said many times that for Russia, the events in Ukraine are tied to fundamental threats to our national security. Moreover, we have always considered and continue to consider the Ukrainian people, as I have said repeatedly, to be fraternal—however strange that may sound under today's circumstances. We share the same roots, and everything happening there is a tragedy, a deep pain for us. Therefore, our country is sincerely interested in putting an end to it. But at the same time, we are convinced that for a Ukrainian settlement to be stable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis, which have been discussed repeatedly, must be eliminated. All of Russia's legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the sphere of security in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored. I agree with President Trump, who spoke about this today, that Ukraine's security must undoubtedly be ensured as well. Of course, we are ready to work on this. I hope that the understandings we have reached will bring us closer to this goal and open the path to peace in Ukraine. We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will take all this constructively and will not create any obstacles. They will not attempt to sabotage the emerging progress through provocations or behind-the-scenes intrigues.

By the way, with the arrival of the new U.S. administration, our bilateral trade turnover has begun to grow. So far, this is largely symbolic, but still a +20% increase. I am saying that we have many interesting areas for joint work. It is obvious that Russian-American business and investment partnership has enormous potential. Russia and the U.S. have much to offer each other in trade, energy, the digital sphere, high technology, and space exploration. Cooperation in the Arctic, the resumption of interregional contacts, including between our Far East and the American West Coast, also seems relevant.

In general, it is important and necessary for our countries to turn the page and return to cooperation. It is symbolic that nearby, on the border between Russia and the U.S., as I have already mentioned, lies the so-called International Date Line, where one can literally step from "yesterday" into "tomorrow," and I hope that this will happen in the political sphere as well.

I would like to thank President Trump for the joint work, for the amicable and trusting tone of our conversation. Most importantly, both sides were focused on achieving results. We see that the U.S. President has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve, sincerely cares about the prosperity of his country, and at the same time shows understanding of Russia's national interests. I hope that today's agreements will serve as a foundation not only for resolving the Ukrainian problem but also for launching businesslike, pragmatic relations between Russia and the U.S.

In conclusion, I would like to add the following. I remember that in 2022, during my last contacts with the previous administration, I tried to convince my former American colleague that we should not allow a situation to arise that could lead to severe consequences, including hostilities, and I said directly at the time that it would be a big mistake. And today we hear President Trump say that if he had been president, there would have been no war. I think that is indeed what would have happened. I confirm this because, overall, President Trump and I have established a very good businesslike, trusting relationship, and I have every reason to believe that by following this path, we can reach—and the sooner, the better—an end to the conflict in Ukraine. Thank you for your attention.