A day after Vladimir Putin delivered a clear and forceful threat against the West from China, U.S. President Donald Trump responded with a notably restrained and non-confrontational message—raising questions about the true effectiveness of their much-touted Alaska summit bonhomie. While Putin suggested in his SCO address that Russia holds leverage and the U.S. is now “listening” to Russian demands on Ukraine, Trump offered only vague assurances about “making progress”.