Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker told Newsmax that Russian President Vladimir Putin walked away from Friday’s summit with President Donald Trump having achieved his goal: buying more time without facing new consequences.

Appearing during special coverage of the historic meeting, Volker said: “Putin got what he came for. He bought time. He did not agree to a ceasefire. He did not even agree to a meeting with [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy.”

Instead, Volker said, Putin “kicked everything down the road and is going home happy,” having avoided secondary sanctions, tariffs, or fresh pressure from the United States.

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