The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, could perfectly be described as another summit no hamburgerThree hours of meeting, lots of photos and a red carpet, but no agreement to stop the war in Ukraine. In English political jargon, the expression nothingburger It describes a situation that seems important or media-fueled, but in reality lacks substance or real consequences. It literally means "a nothing burger," that is, with the appearance of meat but without meat or flavor. The term is attributed to the 1950s Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons, but it became especially popular after the 2016 presidential campaign, the one that brought Donald Trump to the White House.
The two leaders did not reveal any specific details of their conversation. They only described the session as "productive" and avoided answering questions from journalists. Although not much was expected from the meeting, as the Trump administration had lowered expectations in recent days, what was clear is that Putin comes out strengthened and has bought time in Ukraine. The Russian president has managed to return to the world stage after more than a decade as an international pariah, facing sanctions, financial blockades, and exclusion from summits like the G-7 following his annexation of Crimea in 2014 and his full invasion of Ukraine in 2022. And he has done so without giving anything away.
In fact, Trump not only failed to reproach Putin for starting a war that has already left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, but he also allowed him to present his version of the start of the conflict, implicitly reinforcing his narrative. Furthermore, he allowed himself to be fooled when Putin told him that if he had won in 2020, he would not have invaded Ukraine.
The improvised and short meeting was intended to overcome the deadlock that has paralyzed Trump's mediation in Ukraine. But from what little is known, for now, it has only provided a diplomatic respite and renewed legitimacy to Putin, who has also been able to moderate Trump's belligerent tone of recent weeks. The Republican president had made public calls for increased support for Ukraine and warned of new sanctions if Russia did not show flexibility. "I want to see a temporary ceasefire soon," he told reporters on Air Force One before flying to Alaska. "I don't know if it's going to be today. But I won't be happy if it's not today."
It didn't happen on Friday, and it doesn't seem like it will happen in the near future. At the press conference, or rather during his statements before the cameras and reporters, Trump's veiled threats completely disappeared, replaced by an atmosphere of cordiality and mutual praise.
However, For Ukraine and its European neighbors, the failure to reach an agreement in the negotiations brought some relief, given that There were fears that Trump would give in to some of Putin's territorial demands. and force Zelensky to accept a significant loss of territory. This has been averted, at least for now, but without a tangible commitment to an end to the conflict or a temporary truce. In this context, the meeting is a clear example of how stage diplomacy can have real effects on international perception without generating immediate changes on the ground.
Symbolic effect
The meeting evokes the various summits between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trumpp, starting with Singapore in 2018, followed by Hanoi in 2019 and the brief symbolic meeting at the Demilitarized Zone the same year. These meetings marked the first time a US president met with a North Korean leader, with grand promises of nuclear disarmament and spectacular gestures of reconciliation. However, none of these summits produced substantial progress: Pyongyang continued to develop its nuclear capabilities, and there were no verifiable commitments.
In this sense, the Alaska summit fits into a clear pattern: rushed meetings, without adequate preparation and with vague objectives, which end up having a symbolic rather than a practical effect. Foreign policy becomes a theatrical stage, where cameras and ceremonial gestures outweigh firm commitments. Trump did not end the war in a day, and it is clear that, with meetings like this, it will be difficult to see real progress towards ending the conflict. It is necessary that the next summit include all the actors involved, especially the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, so that the harsh reality of the summits without hamburgers This is it: lots of smoke, little content and an uncertain future.
