Trump-Putin latest: Vlad gives Don thumbs-up as US president greets tyrant with handshake in Alaska ahead of peace talks
WAR TALKS Trump-Putin latest: Vlad gives Don thumbs-up as US president greets tyrant with handshake in Alaska ahead of peace talks
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DONALD Trump and Vladimir Putin shook hands and smiled at each other as they landed in Alaska for a historic peace summit.
The Russian president looked relaxed as he walked down a red carpet towards Trump - giving the US leader a thumbs-up before greeting him with a warm handshake.
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Trump shakes hands with Putin on the tarmac
Credit: AFP
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Putin gave Trump a thumbs-up as he walked down the red carpet in Alaska
Credit: Sky News
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Trump salutes as he walks down the red carpet with Putin by his side
Credit: Reuters
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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
Trump was seen giving Putin a round of applause after the pair touched down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
The US president flew a B2 stealth bomber over Putin head as they greeted each other before having a moment alone in Trump's limo - nicknamed The Beast.
It was the first time in almost a decade that Putin had set foot on US soil - despite being a wanted war criminal.
During a photo op, Putin was heckled by journalists over whether he was 'ready to stop killing civilians' - and Trump dodged questions on how he could trust Putin.
The pair met moments after the White House revealed the summit would be a three-on-three meeting - with Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff joining Trump.
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.
He said he hopes the peace summit between the two leaders leads to a trilateral meeting to get Ukraine involved in the peacemaking process.
In a lengthy post on X, wrote: "The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side.
"It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America.
"We are ready, as always, to work as productively as possible."
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
It comes after Trump blasted 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 - and will be followed by a press conference.
Before the summit kicked off, residents in Anchorage held protests about Putin being allowed to set foot on US soil due to him facing an arrest warrant over war crime allegations.
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 voiced concerns about how Putin might behave during the talks - comparing the summit to a chess game.
Read our live blog for the latest on the Trump and Putin peace talks...
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Daily Mirror
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
MIKEY SMITH: 11 unhinged Donald Trump moments as he gets absolutely played by Putin at Ukraine summit
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. But while Putin got everything he wanted - Trump not so much 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 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. 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BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ukrainecast What did we learn from the Trump-Putin summit?
The first face to face meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin since the war in Ukraine started is over, with Donald Trump saying 'we didn't get there' on a Ukraine deal, or a ceasefire. The meeting lasted three hours, with the US president insisting progress was made, and Putin saying he is 'sincerely interested' in ending the war, but without giving details. The two leaders both addressed the media at the end of the summit, but didn't take questions. In a special collaboration, Victoria and Vitaly were joined by Americast's Sarah Smith in Alaska and Adam Fleming from Newscast. The producers were Purvee Pattni and Cai Pigliucci. The technical producer was Antonio Fernandes. The social producer was Grace Braddock. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@ with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480 You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast's Discord server here:
