MIKEY SMITH: 11 unhinged Donald Trump moments as he gets absolutely played by Putin at Ukraine summit
Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska last night, and the Russian dictator appears to have played him like an extremely cheap fiddle.
The stage was set, there were logos on the backdrop, serving US military officers got on their knees to roll a red carpet all the way to the war criminal's plane - though not quite to the President's
But at the end of it all, there was no ceasefire.
Putin got everything he wanted: Legitimacy, airtime, a chance to shower Trump with flattery while smirking at him, and a chance to discuss things other than Ukraine with a western world leader as if he wasn't an international pariah.
And Trump, as far as we can tell, got nothing.
The thing about Donald Trump is that for all the bluster, he's much better at setting up a meeting than he is at getting something out of it.
He's not so much a master dealmaker as an average hotelier.
Heres everything that happened at the Alaska summit that you need to know about. Buckle up.
1. Vlad's red carpet was longer than Trump's
In an ominous signal of what was to come, Putin got a lit more red carpet than Trump did.
The pair were supposed to walk to the podium from their respective aircraft down an L-shaped red carpet.
But either through a lack of length, or the inept parking of Air Force One, Trump had to walk for quite some time on the air base tarmac before his feet found felt.
All the while Putin's limpy feet enjoyed the plush fibres.
2. The applause, the shrugs, the smirks
Trump weirdly applauded the ruthless Russian dictator who has ordered the deaths of countless people, undoubtedly committed war crimes, not to mention using banned nerve agents for assassinations on British soil.
Upon reaching the podium, a waiting pool reporter shouted the not unreasonable question: "Are you going to stop killing civilians?"
Putin pointed to his ear and shrugged, either indicating he couldn't hear properly, or didn't understand the language.
Putin speaks English.
He was asked the same question again at the top of the meeting, but again made a funny facial expression and said nothing.
3. They drove off together...alone
There was a big fuss in Trump's first term about him having a short meeting with Putin where only the two leaders and Putin's interpreter - and nobody else on the American side - were there.
It was quite a relief when the details of the meeting were switched up to a three-on-three, with envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio sitting in on Trump's end.
But then Trump ushered Putin into his car, where they were alone for several minutes on the drive to the meeting - so Putin had a chance to get in Trump's ear alone after all.
4. The meeting setup was weird
Normally if you're negotiating a peace treaty, everyone sits around a big table, with documents and officials and a big bit of wood to thump if things get heated.
The setup in last night's meeting was much more formal. Like the bilateral meetings that happen at a G7 summit or foreign visit. Two leaders either side of a low table with their entourages flanking on each side.
Almost like it was set up for a photo op rather than an actual negotiation.
5. The "press conference" at the end was even weirder
After an about 3 hours of meetings, Trump and Putin walked out onto a nearby stage for a weird and stilted press conference. Sort of.
Putin spoke first, which in itself is odd for a visiting world leader.
And oddly for Trump, they walked off at the end without taking amy questions.
6. Putin laid it on Trump pretty thick - and thanked him for making him look less like a murderer
Putin thanked Trump for the "friendly" tone of the conversation they had on Friday and said Russia and the United States should "turn the page and go back to cooperation."
He praised Trump as someone who "has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve and sincerely cares about the prosperity of his country, and at the same time shows understanding that Russia's has its own national interests."
"I expect that today's agreements will become a reference point not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also mark the beginning of the restoration of businesslike, pragmatic relations between Russia and the U.S.," Putin said.
Trump said there are "just a very few" issues to resolve concerning the war in Ukraine, without providing any sense of what those issues might be.
"Some are not that significant," Trump said. "One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there."
The president said he's "always had a fantastic relationship" with **Putin**. He referenced the U.S. government investigations into Russia's support for his 2016 presidential campaign and repeated his claims of the U.S. economy being the "hottest" in the world.
7. Putin made it clear he still thinks Ukraine is part of Russia
**Putin** repeated Moscow's long-held position that it is "sincerely interested in putting an end" to the war in Ukraine, but for that to happen, "all the root causes of the crisis ... must be eliminated."
What he means by that, as he explained in a rambling essay shortly after the invasion three years ago, is that Ukraine isn't a real country, and it breaking away from mother Russia is the root cause of the war.
"All of Russia's legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored," Putin said.
8. 'Next time in Moscow'
At the end of the "press conference", Trump said to Putin: "Thank you Vladimir, I will probably see you again very soon."
Putin ominously replied (in English): "Next time in Moscow..."
Trump made a weird "oooooh" sound, then admitted he might "get a little heat for that one."
9. Trump thinks everything went very well indeed, thankyou
In an interview with (who else?) Fox News' Sean Hannity after the summit, Trump said he was "very happy to hear [Putin] say that if I was president that war would have never happened."
It's been one of Trump's least plausible talking points since taking office.
Hannity, to his credit, asked if Putin had given any specifics as to why that was the case.
Trump replied: "It did. It doesn't matter at this point.'
The President also claimed Putin had said: "I've never seen anybody do so much so fast...your country is, like, hot as a pistol," curiously echoing another of Trump's talking points.
"A lot of points were agreed on," Trump said of progress towards a deal.
"There's not that much. There's one or two pretty significant items. But I think they can be reached."
In the end, Trump sort of shrugged and said: "Now it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done."
We haven't seen what, if anything, was agreed with Putin yet, but we can probably take from this that if he objects to anything, it'll be another Oval Office showdown...
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10. Putin told Trump he agreed with him on mail-in voting
Vladimir Putin, someone you would always go to for an expert opinion on free and fair elections, says Trump was right about 2020 being rigged.
Trump said to Hannity: "Vladimir Putin said something - one of the most interesting things. He said 'your election was rigged because you have mail in voting.'
"He said, 'mail in voting, every election - no country has mail in voting. It's impossible to have mail in voting and have honest elections.'
"And he said that to me because we talked about 2020. He said, 'you won that election by so much.'"
11. After lengthy calls with world leaders, Zelensky will meet Trump on Monday
There were reportedly lengthy calls between Trump and world leaders on Air Force One on his way back to Washington DC.
He spoke with Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Mr Starmer is due to speak again with European leaders this morning.
Mr Zelensky said the call began as a one-on-one between him and the US president, before European Nato leaders joined them.
The Ukrainian leader also suggested he would travel to Washington DC at the start of next week to continue talks.
Writing on social media, the Ukrainian president said: "We support President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this.
"On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington DC, to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation."
European allies must be "involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America", he added.
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Times
30 minutes ago
- Times
Trump gave Putin the spotlight and left us all guessing
There was a rare sight on Friday: Donald Trump playing second fiddle. The US president seemed a little out of character as he shared a stage in Alaska with Vladimir Putin following three hours of talks. Rather than his usual bombastic self, Trump appeared rather demure, even a little shy, as he let Putin go first. As a Fox News anchor put it shortly after: 'There were a few things that were very unusual. You had Putin come out and address the press first. We are on US soil here.' Putin set the tone, switching to English to suggest that next time they met, they took the show to Mother Russia. The next thing: no questions. Usually, Trump cannot stop talking to the travelling press pack about anything and everything: world peace, Joe Biden, Jeffrey Epstein's staffing arrangements. But in the 12-minute press conference, and again later on Air Force One, he declined to stop for a group chat. Hacks had been told that if things went well, there would be an opportunity for a Q&A. Instead, 300 journalists travelled to Alaska to hear an uninterrupted history lesson from Putin. Trump wanted a breakthrough. Putin wanted a show. In the end, it seems it was Putin who got what he came for. The question is why Trump suddenly became camera-shy. Did he feel unprepared after the talks were cut short (closer to three hours than the planned six) and failed to lead to a breakthrough of a ceasefire? Or is this something else altogether: a new, more mature Trump who wanted to keep his cards close to his chest until he had spoken to President Zelensky and others? It was after he had left Alaska that Trump started to return to type. In a Truth Social post, he explained that after 'a great and very successful day' in Alaska he no longer wanted a ceasefire, despite talking about the need for one only a few hours before. Instead, he decided the bigger prize is Putin's own preference: a comprehensive peace deal. This is not, of course, the first time Trump has moved the goalposts or torn up a deadline. He has previously taken the view that US foreign policy ought to be unpredictable, leaving opponents guessing. But all the same, some of his closest allies are now guessing as to how this will all pan out. 'I took it as a display of strength towards a resolution,' says one Republican. While the public comments from European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, have been positive, there is growing pessimism about what that resolution may look like. 'The fear is that warm words on a security guarantee will be used to bully Zelensky into giving Putin what he wants,' says one figure close to the negotiations. 'Putin is currently claiming land that he has taken, plus more.' The audience that matters most to Trump politically is the one back home. Although there is less concern in the United States than in Europe about carving up Ukraine, Trump wants to show that he is a winner and a dealmaker. On that front, the trip was not immediately helpful. Even the usually friendly right-wing media have raised questions about the optics of gladhanding Putin — on a red carpet — while getting nothing material in the process. At least, not yet. 'This was the single worst American-Russian meeting in living memory,' says Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state in the Obama administration. 'It was a far cry from summits of the past. It began as two equals and ended as a lopsided affair where the target coming in' — namely Putin — 'was the victor. The world now has no idea what Donald Trump wants. And apparently, neither does he.' A senior Republican is more positive: 'This outcome is the best, as we didn't go backwards on our commitment to Ukraine. Now let's see how hard Putin hits Ukraine this week and how Trump reacts.' Trump eventually declared it a successful meeting (a 'ten') where they agreed to 'go directly to a peace agreement' rather than 'a mere ceasefire agreement'. He sees himself as a peacemaker. 'President Trump has brokered, on average, about one peace deal or ceasefire per month during his six months in office,' said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, last month. 'It's well past time that President Trump was awarded the Nobel peace prize.' JD Vance, the vice-president, has long opposed funding the Ukraine conflict and led opposition in Congress under Biden. His views have not changed, even if he has softened his tone when dealing with European counterparts. This was very in tune with the Maga base, which explains why they were the most enthusiastic audience for the Trump-Putin meeting, sharing pictures of four F-35s and a B-2 Spirit bomber over Putin's head when he stepped on to American soil. 'He displayed military power. 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44 minutes ago
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