World News for Students of English

19-08-2025 07:00

A highly anticipated summit took place in Anchorage, Alaska, where President Trump and President Putin met for almost three hours.

Many had hoped for a breakthrough on Ukraine, and Trump even stood in front of a banner reading ‘Pursuing Peace.’ However, when the meeting ended, Trump gave no details and ignored reporters. This vague message suggested some progress, but nothing concrete had been achieved.

For Putin, simply sitting with the US president was already a success. Since the war began in 2022, Western governments have tried to isolate him. This meeting broke that image and showed Russia was still part of global diplomacy. At the same time, the US signaled strength with a bomber flyover during the leaders’ walk. Trump later said he wouldn’t sanction Russia directly but would pressure its buyers, such as India and China, to keep influence.

In the end, Trump told Zelensky to make a deal, showing he sees Ukraine as weaker. The summit gave Putin a symbolic victory but left Ukraine uncertain.

Difficult words: vague (unclear, not definite), concrete (clear, specific), signal (to show something, often without words).

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