Trump-Putin latest: US president's surprise nuke warning to Vlad as Russian tyrant lands on US soil for historic talks
SHOW OF STRENGTH Trump-Putin latest: US president's surprise nuke warning to Vlad as Russian tyrant lands on US soil for historic talks
DONALD Trump welcomed Vladimir Putin to US soil with a jaw-dropping show of American military might.
A B-2 stealth bomber flanked by four F-35 fighter jets thundered over as the two leaders shook hands on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
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Putin looks up as US jets fly over the Anchorage airport
Credit: Getty
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A B-2 bomber (C) and four F-35 fighter jets fly overhead
Credit: AFP
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Trump and Putin meet during a US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska
Credit: AFP
Putin looked on as the nuclear-capable aircraft swept overhead, a clear signal from Washington that the US president was meeting the Russian leader on his own terms — and with overwhelming firepower in the skies.
Trump's runway walk also took Putin through four parked F-22 Raptor stealth fighters - the opening scene to a high-stakes summit billed as a potential turning point in the Ukraine war.
Trump's Air Force One touched down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson just 20 minutes before the Kremlin's presidential jet carrying Putin arrived.
The US president was seen clapping at the Russian tyrant as he approached - while a beaming Vlad gave him a thumbs-up.
They then had a moment in Trump's limo - nicknamed The Beast - ahead of closed-door talks about ending the war in Ukraine.
And Don's motorcade took the Russian president slowly down a line of more F-22 Raptor jets and Apache attack helicopters.
It's the first time in almost a decade that Putin had set foot on US soil - despite being a wanted war criminal.
Trump, instead of a previously planned one-on-one meeting, is now being flanked by Rubio and Witkoff during his chat with Putin, White House.
Putin, on the other hand, will bring in Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.
Volodymyr Zelensky said he is "counting on America" as Trump and Putin prepare to meet for crunch talks.
Trump says tyrant Putin's need to kill 'might be in his genes' but onslaught 'hurts his negotiations' as leaders head to Alaska for Ukraine peace summit
He said he hopes the peace summit between the two leaders leads to a trilateral meeting to get Ukraine involved in the peacemaking process.
It comes after Trump blasted Vladimir Putin for continuing to attack Ukraine and said his urge to kill "might be in his genes".
The high-stakes talks could last up to seven hours, the Kremlin said earlier.
Meanwhile, people in Anchorage have been protesting about Putin being allowed to set foot on US soil due to him facing an arrest warrant over war crime allegations.
Many are demanding that the conflict in Ukraine come to an end due to the barbaric killing of innocent civilians every day.
Trump echoed some of the protesters' thoughts as he spoke to reporters ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with Putin in six years.
He said: "In [Putin's] mind, it helps him make a better deal if they can continue the killing.
"Maybe it's a part of the world, maybe it's a part of his fabric, his genes, his genetics, but he thinks it gives him strength in negotiating.
"I think it hurts him."
Trump also warned that Russia faces "very severe" consequences if Putin doesn't appear interested in agreeing to a peace deal during the summit.
Don had voiced concerns earlier about how Putin might behave during the talks already - comparing it to a game of chess.
Trump reiterated these thoughts as he took to Truth Social shortly before he left Washington to simply say: "HIGH STAKES!!!"
Read our live blog for the latest on the Trump and Putin peace talks...
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