Will the Alaska summit rekindle the Trump-Putin bromance?

First Post

a day ago

Donald Trump has referred to Vladimir Putin as a 'genius' in the past. Now, he's warning the Russian president of 'severe consequences'. As they sit down for their first face-to-face in seven years, will the Alaska summit help or hurt their ties?
Face masks depicting US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hang for sale at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia ahead of their scheduled meeting in Alaska on August 15. AP
Alaska.
What's so special about it? Nothing except for the fact that it will host, perhaps, this year's most important meeting between world leaders — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin — today (August 15). The two strongmen, as they like to portray themselves, will meet at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson - a US military installation in Anchorage, to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.
As Trump, Europe, Ukraine, and the world prepare for this high-stakes, high-risk meeting in Alaska, many wonder if 'wheeling-dealing Don' will be able to get the former KGB spy to agree to some kind of a deal. After all, the US president has held a myriad of positions when it comes to the Russian leader. For Trump, Putin has been a 'genius', a 'strong man', and even 'absolutely crazy'.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
But in recent times, his affinity for the Russian has waned. Reflecting on his first meeting with Putin in seven years — they last met in Helsinki — Trump said to reporters, 'I got along well with Putin.'
But how did they get to this point? What does the history of Trump and Putin's relationship actually look like? And what have the two said about each other?
Trump sours on Putin
Just 48 hours before their scheduled meet in Alaska, Trump took a hard stance against Putin, warning that there would be ' very severe consequences' if the Russian president didn't agree to stop the Ukraine war.
When asked if he is confident he could get Putin to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine, Trump said, he has had 'good conversations' with Putin, but then goes home and sees that 'a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the street.'
'So I guess the answer to that is no, because I've had this conversation.'
But this isn't it. Trump's bromance with Putin has been on the rocks for a while — in May, he rebuked the Russian leader after it launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine. Speaking to reporters then, Trump said, 'I'm not happy with what Putin's doing. He's killing a lot of people, and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time, always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all.'
An artist displays his latest painting depicting President Trump, Russian President Putin and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy, outside Downing Street, in London. In recent times, Trump has been critical of Putin – a shift from his previous stance. AP
Trump heightened his criticisms of the Russian leader in a post on social media later that night: 'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely crazy!' Trump wrote.
'He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I've always said that he wants all of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
When asked about Trump's 'crazy' comment about Putin, a Kremlin spokesperson cited ' emotional overload' as potentially having played a role.
Notably, Trump's strong reaction to Putin came just days after he held a telephonic conversation with the Russian president, calling the '[t]he tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent.'
Putin's portrait gift to Trump
However, before the harsh comments and Trump's rebuke, things were going well between the US and Russian leaders. This was evident as Putin sent Trump a commissioned portrait of the American president as a gift.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff shake hands during their meeting in Moscow. File image/AP
The portrait was given to Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff by the Russian leader while Witkoff was in Moscow to meet with Putin in March. Witkoff described the painting as 'beautiful' and said that Trump was 'clearly touched' by it during an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
It was later revealed that the Kremlin's gift portrait was inspired by the iconic image of then candidate Trump with fist raised and face bloodied, moments after the assassination attempt on him in July 2024 at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump sharpens his knife against Zelenskyy
In the early months of his presidency, Trump went hard against Ukraine, favouring Russia when it came to the war. In February, Trump pinned the blame of the Russia-Ukraine war on Kyiv. 'You should have never started it,' Trump said about Ukraine's responsibility for the war. 'You could have made a deal.'
This was a significant moment — many called it a dramatic turning point in US foreign policy as Trump shifted away from Ukraine and towards Russia. And that wasn't the end of it. Trump further escalated tensions with his comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
US President Donald Trump admonishes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. File image/AFP
' A dictator without elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left,' Trump wrote on social media, adding that Ukraine's leader 'has done a terrible job.'
Trump took it even further in late February when Zelenskyy arrived for a meeting in Washington. What was meant to be a visit to discuss Ukraine's future became a shouting match with Trump berating his Ukrainian counterpart.
He was castigated for not demonstrating enough gratitude for American support and was even accused of standing in the way of a peace agreement with Russia. Later, he was essentially kicked out of the White House and departed with a grim look on his face.
Trump terms Putin a 'genius'
When Putin ordered for his troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022, the world was aghast and shocked. But Trump didn't share these feelings.
In March 2022, he praised President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine as 'genius' and 'savvy,'. 'I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that's wonderful,' Trump said in a radio interview with The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting Trump and Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. File image/AFP
'He used the word 'independent' and 'we're gonna go out and we're gonna go in and we're gonna help keep peace.' You gotta say that's pretty savvy.'
He further added, 'By the way, this never would have happened with us. Had I been in office, not even thinkable. This would never have happened.'
Trump's friendly ties in first term
After becoming president the first time in 2016, the two leaders first met as presidents at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
However, their Helsinki summit in 2018 was the one that made big headlines. In fact, it came amid special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential elections.
US President Donald Trump receives a football from Russian President Vladimir Putin as they hold a joint news conference after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland in 2018. File image/Reuters
Trump appeared to side with his Russian counterpart rather than his own intelligence agency. He accept Putin's denials of interference — a direct contradiction to the FBI and CIA's assessment that Moscow had, in fact, meddled with the elections.
The two leaders also appeared to share warm interactions at the summit. They spent their first two hours speaking alone, joined only by their interpreters, and Trump was seen winking at Putin at least twice during their various meetings.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
When Trump met Putin as a businessman
But before all of this, Trump claims he met Putin when he was a business tycoon. In October 2013, Trump mentioned knowing Putin in an interview with David Letterman. 'I've done a lot of business with the Russians,' Trump said, adding that they're 'smart' and 'tough.' He went on to say about meeting Putin, 'He's a tough guy. I met him once,' though he never clarified when this first meeting was.
Also, in 2007 after Time magazine named Putin its person of the year, Trump reportedly sent a gushing note of congratulations, writing, 'I am a big fan of yours!'
Now, it's left to be seen — will Alaska help in reigniting the bromance or is it all over between Trump and Putin?
With inputs from agencies