Last month's Alaska summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin played out like a carefully staged Cold War-era reenactment. Images of handshakes and optimistic soundbites—promising “new opportunities”—weren’t matched by substance. Russia pressed for Ukraine to cede territory in return for vague security assurances, while the U.S. stood firm against deploying troops or combat assets, signaling there’s no appetite for escalation—even as Russian officials spun the summit as a path to peace.
