Former National Security Council chief of staff Fred Fleitz told Newsmax on Friday that despite them being “very vague,” he believes President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “made substantial progress” toward a peace deal.
Further, Fleitz told “Rob Schmitt Tonight” that Friday’s joint press conference between between the world leaders in Anchorage, Alaska, was notable both for what was said and for what wasn’t.
Fleitz said the very fact that Trump agreed to appear alongside Putin to make remarks after their talks was “interesting” and suggested “they did make some significant progress today.”
Fleitz noted that the two leaders were “very vague” about the substance of their discussions and “didn’t reveal what had been agreed to.” He also pointed out that they did not take questions from the press, predicting that “whatever was agreed to … is going to leak over the next hour.”
While details remain unclear, Fleitz said the talks likely produced the framework of a deal that still requires buy-in from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to Fleitz, Putin may be seeking concessions from Europe, such as the lifting of his indictment by the International Criminal Court and the removal of certain European sanctions against Russia. But he expressed doubt that Trump would have agreed to any land grab by Russia, giving territory that Ukraine controls.
“If Putin asks for that, Trump would have walked away,” Fleitz said. “I don’t think that’s the kind of thing Trump was going to agree to.”
Instead, Fleitz suspects Putin asked for freezing the conflict along current battle lines — without forcing Ukraine to surrender territory it presently controls.
Although the precise terms remain under wraps, Fleitz said the tone and structure of the press conference point to “substantial progress toward an agreement” — an outcome that could mark a pivotal moment in efforts to end the war.
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