Ukrainians watched in disbelief as America rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin
gave Russian president
Vladimir Putin
a warm welcome to US soil as they begin a critical summit on the war in Ukraine.
Both leaders disembarked their planes at 11.08am local time at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a cold war-era air force base on the outskirts of Anchorage, Alaska.
The friendly, tactile body language that followed offered a stark contrast to Trump's shakedown of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in the Oval Office in February.
Ukrainians
watching from afar immediately noticed that the US had literally rolled out a red carpet for the Russian president, who is an indicted war criminal charged with
kidnapping Ukrainian children
from Russian-occupied regions of their country.
Mustafa Nayyem, a Ukrainian journalist-turned-politician, posted an image of US soldiers kneeling to secure the red carpet laid at the foot of Putin's plane before the Russian president emerged with the caption: 'Make Kneeling Great Again'.
US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin stand on a platform announcing their summit in Alaska at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Presidents Trump and Putin walk down from the 'Alaska 2025' platform towards their waiting car ahead of talks focused on peace in Ukraine. Photograph:Trump and Putin walked down the red carpets, which had been rolled up to their respective planes. Both leaders met where the carpets came to a T, with Trump arriving first and clapping as Putin approached.
The men shared a warm handshake and what appeared to be some lighthearted banter. Trump gave Putin a friendly tap on the arm. Putin grinned and pointed skyward while their hands were still clasped.
They walked together towards a platform bearing a sign that read 'Alaska 2025″ as B-2s and F-22s – military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the cold war – flew over to mark the moment.
Trump and Putin stood looking towards the media but did not respond to shouted questions including: 'President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?' The Russian president, who is wanted by the international criminal court, appeared to shrug.
Putin then joined Trump in the presidential limousine nicknamed 'the Beast' – a rare privilege for allies and adversaries alike – and could be seen laughing with glee.
The men then sat together in a conference room with their respective delegations, seated to the side in front of a blue backdrop that had the words 'Pursuing Peace' printed on it several times. Trump was joined by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Putin was joined by his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet during a US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
US president Donald Trump extends his hand to greet Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the previously planned one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin is now a three-on-three negotiation. That is a shift from a 2018 meeting in Helsinki, when Trump and Putin first met privately just with their interpreters for two hours.
It was anticipated that the meeting could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders were not invited. The war has caused heavy losses on both sides since Russia's invasion in February, 2022.
Critics say that, by bringing Putin on to US soil for the first time in a decade, the president is giving him the legitimacy he craves after he became a global pariah following his invasion of Ukraine.
European allies fear that the notoriously mercurial Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict with Russia and recognising – if only informally – Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine.
Trump sought to assuage such concerns earlier, as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. 'I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get them at a table,' he said.
Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: 'I want to see a ceasefire rapidly . . . I'm not going to be happy if it's not today . . . I want the killing to stop.'
On his way to Alaska, Trump sat for an interview on Air Force One with Fox News Channel's Bret Baier. In a clip posted online, he said he thought the meeting would 'work out very well – and if it doesn't, I'm going to head back home real fast.'
'I would walk, yeah,' he added, after a follow-up question.
Protesters hold up Ukrainian flags outside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. Photograph: Bastien Inzaurralde/AFP via Getty Images
Supporters of US president Donald Trump gather in Anchorage, Alaska, as he meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Photograph: Ash Adams/The New York Times
Any success is far from assured because Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace. Putin has long resisted any temporary ceasefire, linking it to a halt in eastern arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine's mobilisation efforts, which are conditions rejected by Kyiv and its western allies.
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Trump previously characterised the summit as 'really a feel-out meeting'. But he has also warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin does not agree to end the war.
The US president said earlier in the week there was a 25 per cent chance that the summit would fail but also floated the idea that, if the meeting succeeds, he could bring Zelenskiy to Alaska for a subsequent three-way meeting.
European allies also have concerns that Trump could be tempted by economic incentives and potential deals. On Friday, the Reuters news agency reported that the US has had internal discussions on using Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels to support the development of gas and LNG projects in Alaska.
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