Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as they arrive in Alaska for a pivotal meeting on Ukraine and nuclear arms | Credit: @geiger_capital/on X
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin de-boarded their respective aircraft, shook hands, and stood on a stage with “ALASKA 2025” emblazoned on the front as the world’s press captured the moment.
When Trump was leading Putin toward a stage set up for a formal welcome, a B-2 stealth bomber flanked by two US fighter jets overflew them both, prompting Putin to turn his eyes toward the sky to see the display of military prowess. The impressive flyover can be seen in this video posted on X by Geiger Capital. On his way to Alaska on board Air Force One, Trump was asked what success in this meeting would look like. His first reaction to the question was to say, “I can’t tell you that.”
‘I want to see a ceasefire’
And he then went on to say, “There’s nothing set in stone. I want certain things. I want to see a ceasefire. This has nothing to do with Europe. Europe is not telling me what to do. But they will be involved in the process, obviously, as well as Zelensky.” He then reiterated, “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. I don’t know if it’s going to be today. But I am not going to be happy if it is not today. Everyone has said it can’t be today, but I am just saying I want the killing to stop. I’m in this to stop the killing. We are not putting up any money. We are making money. They are buying our weapons (EU countries to send to Ukraine and for NATO defence), but I don’t care about that.” And he could not let the opportunity pass without bashing his predecessor and making an inflated estimate of how much Joe Biden sent to Ukraine. “He sent $350 billion in exchange for nothing. But what I do care about is that they lost last week 7,011 people (in Ukraine). Almost all soldiers,” he told reporters in front of him on his plane. “Thirty-six people in a town that got hit by a missile. It’s crazy.”
Trump treats Putin better than Zelensky
Putin has received a starkly different reception than Zelensky did when he visited the White House earlier this year, the BBC criticised. It was an extraordinary scene we saw in February when Zelensky was subject to an absolute onslaught by Trump at the White House. You could see Putin smiling as he sat with Trump inside the presidential vehicle, The Beast. Before a word has been said, this is a win for him. Trump has not accomplished anything just by getting Putin here. But Putin has already achieved a good deal just by getting out of the plane, walking down that red carpet, and getting in The Beast, the BBC noted pointedly.
“This is a man who has been an international pariah,” the British news outlet commented.
The meeting begins
Officially, the meeting began at 11:32 ET time in Alaska (21:32 CST, 20:32 BST. About 40 minutes after the meeting began, CNN reported that Putin had not responded to reporters’ questions about the war in Ukraine as his meeting with his American counterpart was set to start.
Putin appeared to look confused as multiple journalists began shouting questions. He was asked whether he would agree to a ceasefire, if he would commit to not killing more civilians, and why Trump should trust his word now. Putin was then seen mouthing and shouting something in the direction of the press, but it’s unclear what he said, CNN added.
Meeting could take 6-7 hours
The one-on-one meeting became a three-on-three. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff are alongside Trump, while Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov are with Putin. This meeting could be a long one. Earlier today, the Kremlin said it could take as long as six or seven hours.
All of this will take place out of view of the public. The pool of reporters who travelled with Trump from Washington this morning are seated in an outdoor tent along with those media representatives who were at the location days before the meeting. At some point, news media representatives are expecting to be told to prepare for a post-meeting joint press conference in a nearby ballroom. It is at that point that the world will learn what, if anything, has come from these talks.
Zelensky comments from the sidelines
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Russia to “end the war that it itself has started and has been dragging out for years. The killings must stop.” The Ukrainian leader says that the duo’s meeting “is needed” – but reiterates Kyiv must also be included in negotiations to ensure “effective decisions” are made. Zelensky was not invited to participate in today’s meeting in Anchorage. “Security guarantees are needed. Lasting peace is needed,” he writes on X. “Everyone knows the key objectives. I want to thank everyone who is helping to achieve real results.”
He later posted another statement on X, saying, “On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well. And that speaks volumes. Recently, weʼve discussed with the U.S. and Europeans what can truly work. Everyone needs a just end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to bring the war to an end, and we count on a strong position from America.
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