Anchorage, Alaska, 16 August 2025 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump on Friday said a deal to end the war in Ukraine could be within reach following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

"I think we are pretty close to a deal. Now look, Ukraine has to agree to it," Trump told Fox News in an interview after the meeting. "Ukraine has to agree. I mean, you know, President [Volodymyr] Zelensky has to agree," he added.

It was initially unclear whether Trump had already briefed Zelensky on the results of the talks at the time of the interview.

When asked what advice he would give Zelensky after the Alaska summit, he replied: "Make a deal." The US president described Russia as "a very big power" and Ukraine as not.

On how close a deal might be, Trump said: "I always say, if I'm really close, I say 50:50, because so many things can happen. But I think President Putin would like to solve the problem."

The US president repeated several assessments he had made at a brief joint appearance with Putin after the almost three-hour summit. At that appearance, Trump said the two leaders agreed on many points but had not yet reached a shared objective.

Journalists were not allowed to ask questions and no details of the discussions or any written agreement were released.

Photo: EPA