Putin's bizarre reaction to 'when will you stop killing' question before Trump meeting
Putin and Trump then met on the carpet, shook hands, before getting into the US president's limousine. The two leaders made no statements and took no questions as they sat side by side. At the time of writing this story, a meeting is underway.
Putin and Trump are expected to hold a joint press conference at the end of the summit.
However, the Russian president's 'shrug' became a talking point ahead of the meeting.
'A REPORTER ASKED IF PUTIN WOULD STOP KILLING CHILDREN AND HE F*****G SHRUGGED,' one person pointed out on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
'When asked by a reporter if he will 'stop killing civilians', Putin shrugs,' another one tweeted. Both users attached a video to their posts.
Three-on-three meeting
Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the previously planned one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin is now a three-on-three meeting. The American leader is joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff while his counterpart is accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.
"HIGH STAKES!!!" Trump posted shortly before he boarded Air Force One on Friday. The 79-year-old told reporters that his talks with Putin will include Russia's demands from Ukraine and a potential peace deal between the two countries.
'I've got to let Ukraine make that decision. And I think they'll make a proper decision,' he said.
The president further added that there is a 'possibility' of the US offering Ukraine security guarantees alongside European powers, 'but not in the form of NATO'.
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