U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin convened in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday for a high-stakes summit aimed at negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. The meeting, held at Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base, marks the first face-to-face interaction between the two leaders since Trump began his second term and the first since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The two presidents were greeted with a red carpet on the tarmac, where they exchanged handshakes and what appeared to be a friendly, animated conversation before sharing a limousine to the meeting venue. The warm reception on U.S. soil is a significant moment for Putin, who has faced widespread international condemnation and an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, including the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
Initial plans for a one-on-one discussion were altered, with the summit commencing as a three-on-three meeting. President Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. President Putin was accompanied by veteran diplomats Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. The backdrop for the talks featured the slogan, “Pursuing Peace,” signaling an optimistic tone from the organizers.
This summit is the latest chapter in a complex relationship between the two leaders. Their interactions date back to Trump’s first term, with meetings at the G20 summit in Germany in 2017, a formal summit in Helsinki in 2018, and another G20 meeting in Japan in 2019. In the months leading up to the Alaska talks, the presidents held numerous phone calls, with Trump expressing his desire to broker a peace deal. His approach to the conflict has been described as unconventional, shifting from criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to blasting Putin for escalating attacks after a U.S.-proposed ceasefire failed to hold earlier in the year.
President Zelensky was not invited to the summit. In a statement, he said Ukraine is “counting on America” but noted there is “no indication” Russia is preparing to end the war. The exclusion of Ukrainian officials has drawn criticism, and protests in support of Ukraine have been held on the sidelines of the summit in Anchorage. Residents in Kyiv have expressed skepticism about the potential outcome of the talks, highlighting the vast gap between the peace terms sought by Ukraine and Russia.
President Trump has described the meeting as a “feel-out” opportunity to determine if a ceasefire is possible, predicting he could make that assessment within the first two minutes. However, the path to a resolution is fraught with challenges. White House envoy Steve Witkoff has faced criticism for his diplomatic inexperience, particularly after reports of confusion over preliminary agreements discussed with Putin last week. Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Darchiev stated that Moscow holds “no over-inflated expectations” for the summit but hopes for “constant and gradual progress.”
The meeting also placed Putin in an unfamiliar media environment. As the leaders posed for photos, they were met with a barrage of questions from independent journalists, a stark contrast to the Kremlin-controlled press corps. Reporters shouted questions such as, “When will you stop killing civilians?” and “Why should Trump trust your words?” It was unclear if Putin heard the specific questions, but the dynamic underscored the intense global scrutiny surrounding his actions and the ongoing conflict.
