President Donald Trump wasn't the only one shrugging off his high-stakes summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with observers also noting it sounded like a big "nothing burger."
Trump met Friday afternoon with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss ending the invasion of Ukraine. Putin claimed he and Trump came to an agreement to "pave the path to peace in Ukraine," but didn't reveal what the agreement entails.
Trump appeared less rosy about the outcome, adding: “We haven’t quite got there, but we’ve got some headway. There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
After a short press conference in which no questions were taken, Trump shrugged off CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins and gave a half-smile when she flashed him a "thumbs-up" signal.
"Clearly not the expectation that President Trump was hoping for when he came here," she concluded.
The internet seemed to come to the same conclusion.
Max Seddon, Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times, wrote on X, "Wow – Trump and Putin made short statements, then left without taking any questions. Wasn't expecting that. Not unusual for Putin but very out of character for Trump."
Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator for Financial Times, wrote on X, "Sounds like no ceasefire and no deal. A nothinburger? Could be a lot worse."
Shashank Joshi, defense editor at The Economist, said he found it "notable that Putin was the one who felt the need to play up the firmness of the deal, and that Trump, who is ordinarily desperate to be liked & to be seen to have won, played it down."
"Doesn’t mean that pressure on Russia is coming, of course," added Joshi.
Stephen Sestanovich, senior fellow for Russian and Eurasian studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on X, "Big question about a nothing burger is whether it’s followed by more US pressure on Russia or more US pressure on Ukraine. Or by nothing—the 'good luck' that Trump said would be his way of washing his hands of the problem?"
Bryan Dean Wright, a former CIA operations officer, wrote on X: "Trump / Putin upshot: Phase One as expected… A public demonstration that peace is on the table. Early terms of a ceasefire negotiated. Ultimate foundation of final peace deal considered. Now, Phase Two… Europe reacts, counters. Then we see if peace talks are real or delay tactic."
Julia Davis, columnist for the Daily Beast, questioned on X, "So, will there be 'severe consequences'? Of course not."
She slammed a White House social media post calling the meeting "historic."
"Only for Putin," Davis hit back.