The former British Ambassador to Russia said Saturday that the high-stakes meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a diplomatic victory for Russia.

The summit in Alaska “produced nothing for Mr. Trump and gave Mr. Putin most of what he was looking for," said Laurie Bristow, British Ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Bristow said Putin has “broken out of international isolation," appeared on the world stage as one of two global leaders and “wasn’t in the least challenged” by Trump who also ignored an arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court.

Bristow added that Trump seemed to think of Putin as someone with whom he can do a business deal but that is a “fundamental error,."

“Putin is a KGB operative” and he is not looking for a deal, “he’s looking to win,” he said.

Although Putin flattered Trump “absolutely shamelessly,” during their joint press statements, there did appear to be some “trolling,” he said.

That included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appearing to wear a sweater with USSR emblazoned on it in Russian and Putin being greeted with a fly-past of B2 bombers – most recently used in strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

That could be read as a mark of “respect,” Bristow said, but it could also be a pointed message to Putin reminding him of “who is the more powerful partner here,” as Russia does not have similar capabilities.

The meeting followed a week of intense European diplomacy in which leaders tried to convince Trump not to sell-out Ukraine.

That likely worked, Bristow said, adding that the outcome of the meeting “could have been a lot worse.”

The question now, he said, is how to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when Putin doesn’t want one.

Trump has repeatedly threatened Moscow with more economic pressure but has largely refrained from taking additional sanctions steps.

Trump needs to “turn on the tap” to Ukraine with military support and and double down on Moscow with economic pressure, Bristow said.

“Unless Mr. Putin is absolutely convinced that he cannot win militarily, the fighting is not going to stop. That's the big takeaway from the Anchorage summit,” Bristow told AP.