Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shake hands on arrival for Ukraine war talks
The leaders greeted each other on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where officials erected a special stage with a large 'Alaska 2025' sign flanked by parked fighter jets and red carpets.
Uniformed military members stood at attention nearby.
B-2s and F-22s — military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the Cold War — were flying over to mark the moment.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin have shared closely watched handshakes before, but their latest one will be as scrutinised as any, as will their body language or hints about how each is feeling.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the previously planned one-on-one meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin is now a three-on-three meeting that will include US secretary of state Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The change indicates that the White House is taking a more guarded approach than it did during a 2018 meeting in Helsinki, when Mr Trump and Mr Putin first met privately just with their interpreters for two hours.
The Kremlin says the summit will also include the two delegations meeting and talks continuing over lunch.
The pair are expected to hold a joint press conference.
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Putin gave Trump nothing, but still got everything he wanted 'It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,' Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. All in all, the view from Moscow is that Putin appears to have gained the upper hand. 'Putin gave Trump nothing, but still got everything he wanted. Trump finally listened to his demands,' said a member of the Russian foreign policy establishment, speaking on condition of anonymity. In his remarks after the meeting in Alaska, Putin gave little indication of softening his stance, repeating that Moscow wanted the 'root causes' of the conflict addressed – Kremlin shorthand for demands to demilitarise Ukraine, restrict its domestic politics and block its path to Nato. 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