Fox News host Howard Kurtz delivered a scathing assessment of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, declaring that despite upbeat talk from the administration, “it was clear not much was accomplished” during the August 15, 2025 summit in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Media Buzz host criticized the nearly three-hour meeting on his Sunday morning show, noting there was no ceasefire, no details provided, and no questions taken from the press. Kurtz observed that the leaders offered only vague assurances that progress was made without explaining what that progress entailed.
The summit, which marked the first time the Russian leader had set foot on U.S. soil in a decade, failed to produce the peace deal Trump had been pursuing for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Trump welcomed Putin on a red carpet upon his arrival, but the meeting ended earlier than planned with no concrete achievements.
During a joint press conference following the meeting, Trump remained ambiguous about the outcomes, stating that many points were agreed to while conceding he didn’t achieve the peace deal he had been pushing for. The press conference notably did not include questions from journalists, despite initially being billed as a news conference.
Kurtz acknowledged that Trump, to his credit, didn’t oversell what happened during the summit. He noted that the White House had made efforts to dramatically lower expectations in the days leading up to the meeting as it became clear Trump would not be able to negotiate a deal both Russia and Ukraine would agree to. The meeting proceeded without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s participation.
The Fox News host highlighted the varied media reaction to the Alaska session, describing much of it as negative. He questioned guest Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of the conservative National Review, about whether he viewed the summit as a setback for Trump. Lowry suggested that Putin had managed to move the ball slightly in his direction by postponing ceasefire discussions and getting Trump to abandon threats of secondary sanctions and harsher measures.
Trump responded to the negative coverage with a series of furious posts on Truth Social on Sunday, August 17, declaring that fake news violently distorts the truth when it comes to him. He maintained that he had a great meeting in Alaska and criticized the media coverage of the summit.
Kurtz noted that Fox News had confirmed Trump was going along with a Putin plan that includes several costly concessions, including abandoning a ceasefire and potentially ceding the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on these reports, stating that such arrangements would need Ukrainian agreement.
Former Biden aide Meghan Hays, appearing as a guest on Kurtz’s show, criticized Trump for allowing Putin to have the red carpet treatment both metaphorically and literally. She argued that the U.S. had effectively validated Putin and positioned itself as an ally of Russia rather than Ukraine and NATO allies.
The summit’s lack of concrete results was underscored by Putin’s continued bombardment of Ukraine following the meeting, with attacks killing 10 people. Putin left the summit with no new sanctions imposed on his country, despite Trump having threatened such measures for months beforehand.
Even other Fox News personalities noted the summit’s shortcomings. Senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported that the atmosphere in the room was not good and that it appeared Putin had steamrolled Trump, getting his photo opportunity with the president before departing.
The criticism from Kurtz represents a notable departure from typical Fox News coverage of Trump’s diplomatic efforts. The host’s frank assessment of the summit’s failures and his willingness to question the administration’s claims about progress made during the Putin meeting highlighted the challenges Trump faces in achieving his promised peace deal for Ukraine.