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India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
No red carpet, no B2 bombers: Trump courts Putin, cools on Zelenskyy
US President Donald Trump's August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin captivated global audiences, not just for its unlikely venue in Alaska, but for its sheer theatricality. Against the dramatic backdrop of B-2 stealth bombers and F-22 Raptors roaring overhead, the two leaders strolled a short red carpet, exchanged handshakes, and posed for the cameras in a moment rich with symbolism. For the first time in nearly six years, the former adversaries shared the spotlight, culminating in a surprising gesture: Trump hitching a ride with Putin in the same limousine. advertisementBut if the Putin visit was marked by spectacle and stagecraft, the meeting that followed, between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was striking for its austerity. There were no jets, no red carpet, no ceremonial honours, no fanfare. Zelenskyy's arrival in Washington was quiet, even sombre. The absence of symbolism was Trump welcomes President Zelenskyy to the White House Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) August 18, 2025For Zelenskyy, this trip carried the weight of both history and humiliation. At Trump's request, the Ukrainian president wore a formal suit, seemingly a gesture of diplomacy, after a prior visit drew criticism when Zelenskyy arrived in plane T-shirt, leaving US journalists questioning if he even owns a suit. That meeting, now infamous, ended with Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly berating the Ukrainian leader over the war's direction. Trump had waved him off with the curt remark: 'Come back when you're ready for peace.' Six months later, Zelenskyy returned. And while this latest meeting was decidedly calmer, the contrast with the Putin summit was unmistakable. Trump, in a moment of rare praise, complimented Zelenskyy's attire and noted that 'both sides want to end the war,' though he added pointedly, 'it's not the end of the road yet.'The optics of Trump's diplomacy remain as unpredictable as ever. Just days before the Putin meeting, he was publicly condemning the Russian leader, calling him 'crazy' for escalating bombings in Ukraine and even threatening sanctions. But by the time Putin landed in Alaska, Trump had reversed course, welcoming him with military fanfare and personal is this volatility that defines Trump's approach: he doesn't so much pick sides as pick moments. On one day, he accuses Putin of madness. On another, he shares a limousine with him. For Ukraine, and for much of the world, this inconsistency is less strategy than spectacle, and one with real Trump, the motive seems clear: he wants to claim credit for ending all the wars that exist or could have existed in the world and then boast about them on his own social media platform, Truth Social, to beg for a Nobel Prize for Peace. Just today, Trump repeated thrice that he has stopped six wars in six months. But for the seventh one, the Russia-Ukraine war, he had no concrete answer despite the back-to-back has been eager to add another feather to his cap by ending the four-year-long war, but his ambitions are routinely undermined by the realities on the ground: both sides continue bombing each other, often within hours of ceasefire claims. Trump has repeatedly claimed he's on the verge of brokering an end to the conflict. But each time he leaps onto Truth Social to proclaim a ceasefire, the situation on the ground lurches in the opposite direction: missile strikes resume, cities burn, and any illusions of progress are reduced to pledging during his campaign that he would end the war before even setting foot back in the White House, eight months into his term, little has changed. While Trump insists that 'great progress' is being made, what the world continues to see are charred buildings, civilian casualties, and explosions happening in the two countries and on social now, Trump's diplomacy remains more spectacle than substance. The stagecraft may grab attention, but the war rages on.- Ends advertisement
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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Alaska summit: Putin wins hands down as Trump gifts him time
The Alaska summit proved that neither Trump knows Putin nor can guarantee a ceasefire or peace It was the typical high-voltage Donald Trump pomp and power show at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. A B-2 Spirit Bomber escorted by four F-35 Lightnings conducted a flyover as a desperate Trump tried to persuade Vladimir Putin to reciprocate his unrequited love. They shook hands on the red carpet and later posed on a blue stage emblazoned with 'ALASKA 2025' amid parked F-22 Raptors. However, hours before, Putin, in his subtle yet powerful style, had already delivered his message loud and clear: Make USSR Great Again (MUGA). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Harking back to the Soviet Union's superpower days of global dominance during the Cold War, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arrived at a hotel where Trump and Putin later met sporting an unusual dress breaking the diplomatic protocol. A black jacket over a white sweatshirt emblazoned with 'CCCP'—Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—and light blue denims. Lavrov's dress wasn't merely symbolic; it conveyed two messages. First, Putin's longing for the USSR's lost greatness and anger at its disintegration, which the Russian president had termed 'the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century'. Second, Russia's immense confidence in being back in the diplomatic fold after being declared a pariah by the West since Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The stage was set. The performers were ready. Trump was accompanied by Marco Rubio (secretary of state), John Ratcliffe (CIA director), Steve Witkoff (special envoy to Ukraine and the Middle East). Scott Bessent (treasury secretary) and Howard Lutnick (commerce secretary). Putin's entourage comprised Lavrov, Yuri Ushakov (foreign policy adviser), Andrei Belousov (defence minister), Kirill Dmitriev (Russian Direct Investment Fund chief) and Anton Siluanov (finance minister). The audience expected to be spellbound by a scintillating performance by the brilliant cast. However, the most-anticipated drama was a big flop for the American audience and international media. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Neither Trump nor Putin took questions from a quote-famished media as reporters jostled to get even one comment. Both made their statements and left the media disappointed. Antagonist Putin turns protagonist The Russian president came, he saw and he conquered. Putin was brimming with confidence from the moment he agreed to take a ride on The Beast, Trump's armoured limousine, at the latter's request. He was a virtuoso, an artiste who had crafted and polished his skills in dealing with five American presidents—Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Trump (six times in his first term).After the summit ended, Putin was the first to address the media as Trump stood silent by his side. Putin got what he eagerly sought—that too on American soil. Despite being shunned by the West, especially the Joe Biden administration, and having an ICC arrest warrant for committing war crimes in Ukraine, his performance was excellent. First, Putin, whose troops occupy around 18 per cent of Ukraine, including Crimea, 70 per cent of Donetsk and almost all of Luhansk (Donbas) and two-thirds of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, came out with the biggest gain. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Putin has time till November-end to capture more Ukrainian territory and to negotiate with both Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from a more powerful position. By December, Ukraine's harsh winter would set in, making fighting extremely difficult. The Russian advance in eastern Ukraine has been incremental but continues. Putin has around three months to turn these slow gains into strategic wins. Moreover, neither Trump nor Putin announced the venue and date of another meeting. Putin wants to freeze the gains and the conquered areas in Russia's fold and Zelensky to drop his goal of joining NATO. The Ukrainian president rejects both demands. Before and after the summit, Trump said that a tri-lateral meeting between Putin, Zelensky and him would be the best option to reach peace. The Alaska summit was held months after Trump showed a willingness to meet Putin. Convincing Putin and Zelensky to meet face-to-face will require intensive diplomatic efforts and hectic parleys between the three countries. That will allow Putin to buy more time to advance further inside Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Zelensky was quick to highlight how Putin will use the opportunity. '… we anticipate that in the coming days the Russian Army may try to increase pressure and strikes against Ukrainian positions in order to create more favourable political circumstances for talks with global actors', he wrote on Telegram. Second, Putin re-established diplomatic ties with the US amid a grand welcome in a country that led Nato against him without the Russian leader taking one step back. 'The past period was very difficult for bilateral relations. And, let's be honest. They have slid to the lowest point since the Cold War. … Obviously, sooner or later, it was necessary to correct the situation—to move from confrontation to dialogue. And in this regard, a personal meeting of the heads of the two states was really overdue,' he said with Trump by his side. Third, the much-touted summit hinged on a territorial swap between Russia and Ukraine—rejected by Zelensky—to reach a peace deal and end Europe's bloodiest war since WWII. That's what Trump had been chiming before the summit to the shock of European allies. However, during a virtual call with European leaders later, he said that any territorial concession should be decided by Ukraine. There was no discussion about a territorial swap at the meeting. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Fourth, Putin didn't even agree to a ceasefire—forget a peace deal. Earlier too, he never agreed to a ceasefire and continued with the onslaught despite several attempts by Trump and Witkoff, who had met Putin four times in over two months. Despite praising Trump and his administration for facilitating 'the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict', Putin didn't indicate ending the conflict. Fifth, he again blamed Ukraine, as did Trump during Zelensky's White House visit in February, for starting the war and repeated how Russia's security is under threat. 'I have said more than once that for Russia, the events in Ukraine are associated with fundamental threats to our national security.' On the other hand, Putin, using his trademark tactics, terming Ukrainians 'brotherly no matter how strange that may sound in today's conditions'. 'We have the same roots and everything that is happening for us is a tragedy and a great pain.' Putin put the ball in Trump's court while conflating Russia's 'legitimate concerns' and the 'root causes of the crisis' with a ceasefire and Ukraine's security. 'Therefore, our country is sincerely interested in putting an end to this. But at the same time, we are convinced that for the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Putin was referring to Nato's eastward expansion and Ukraine's ambition to be part of the military bloc. Though Ukraine's security 'must, without a doubt, be ensured' and 'I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine', Russia's 'legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored'. Putin said. Sixth, he massaged Trump's ego without conceding anything. 'Overall, we have established a very good business-like and trusting contact with President Trump,' he said knowing well how Trump gloats in self-praise and all the more when patted on the back by an adversary like him. 'And I have every reason to believe that by moving along this path, we can—the quicker the better—reach an end to the conflict in Ukraine,' Putin said without mentioning a timeline to end the war or even a ceasefire. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Putin's best shot was slamming Joe Biden and praising Trump for saying that the war would have never happened if he were the US president. 'And in the end, I would like to add one more thing. I'd like to remind you that in 2022, during the last contact with the previous administration, I tried to convince my previous American colleague that the situation should not be brought to the point of no return when it would come to hostilities and accept it quite directly back then—that is a big mistake,' he said of Biden without naming him. In the biggest boost to the US president's ego, he said that if Trump were the president in 2022, the war wouldn't have started, as claimed by him during the 2024 US election campaign. 'Today, when President Trump is saying that if he were the president back then, there would be no war, and I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so. I can confirm that,' Putin said. He even invited Trump to Moscow for another meeting—if it is held at all—in a rare public use of English. 'Next time in Moscow?' he said as the joint presser ended triggering an expected reaction from Trump, who said, 'Ooh! That's an interesting one. I don't know. I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening. Thank you very much, Vladimir.' Trump was never in control of the plot Trump looked visibly exhausted. The American president expected to mesmerise the audience—but his performance was below average. There was no ceasefire or peace deal, contrary to his boastful claims of one in the offing, as Russia continued to attack Ukraine during the around-three-hour meeting. Inviting Putin to the US was Trump's first mistake. The cringeworthy display of military power play and posing with Putin, flanked by Raptors, was the second mistake. The big, hollow claims and threats made by Trump in the months and days leading up to the summit were his third and biggest blundTrump is all bluster and no bite whenever he confronts an equally dominating and powerful adversary like Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump wrote the Alaska summit script, but Putin controlled the plot. The Russian leader pulled the strings and his American counterpart danced all along—even in the months before the summit. Trump, like his predecessors, has failed miserably to read the former KGB agent, despite meeting him five times and talking to him over the phone nine times in his first presidency, seven calls after office and another six calls in his second term. Russian leaders have always outsmarted their American counterparts. Two months after America's failed Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba, John F Kennedy met Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at a summit in Vienna in 1961. In 1962, Khrushchev deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba, jolting Kennedy and bringing the world to the precipice of Armageddon. 'Kennedy allowed himself to be bullied by Khrushchev [in Vienna] and he regretted it,' according to award-winning journalist Evan Thomas, who authored the book Being Nixon: A Man Divided. 'Some scholars think that Khrushchev felt like he could push Kennedy around. And that made him, perhaps, more likely to put the missiles into Cuba.' Trump failed like Kennedy. From his campaign trail's hollow claim to end the war in 24 hours if he returned to power to cajoling and coercing Putin, Trump's blustering narrative of how he could influence the Russian leader to sign a peace deal fell flat and exposed his flaws. When Putin rejected his ceasefire offers, Trump threatened sanctions. The Russian president was unrelenting. Soon, Trump's frustration with him was public. He was visibly 'very angry' and 'pissed off' at the 'bullshit' thrown by 'crazy' Putin. Finally, he gave Putin a 50-day deadline to end the war or face more sanctions and secondary sanctions on top buyers of Russian crude oil (China and India). He failed. Then Trump reduced the deadline to 10-12 days. He failed again. Trump had also boasted that he would know exactly in 'the first two minutes' of the meeting whether a deal could be made', and also vowed to 'walk' away from the table if the talks remained inconclusive. In the end, it boiled down to a no-show with Trump's blow-hot-and-cold attitude resulting in a mockery. Trump's 'two-minute' boast fizzled out as the meeting lasted for more than two-and-a-half hours—neither did he walk away from the unproductive talks as pledged earlier. In his statement, shorter than that of Putin's, Trump's usual strategy of fake claims regarding the war and his one-sided bromance with Putin were on display. '…I believe we had a very productive meeting. There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say,' he said despite Putin not agreeing to even a ceasefire. 'There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there,' he added. Aware that he had achieved nothing but zilch, Trump admitted that there were 'a couple of big ones [points] that we haven't quite gotten there, but we've made some headway. So, there's no deal until there's a deal'. Sensing that he would be pilloried by the media for failing to squeeze even one ounce of concession from Putin, Trump conveniently put the onus on NATO and Zelensky. 'It's ultimately up to them. They're going to have to agree with what Marco and Steve.' Finally, he was back to his admiration for Putin, who has always manipulated him. Claiming that Putin and he 'really made some great progress today', Trump said, 'I've always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin—with Vladimir. We had many, many tough meetings, good meetings.'To please Putin further, Trump reiterated that the Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election was a 'hoax'. 'We were interfered with by the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. It made it a little bit tougher to deal with, but he [Putin] understood it. I think he's probably seen things like that during the course of his career. He's seen—he's seen it all. But we had to put up with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. He knew it was a hoax, and I knew it was a hoax.' Trump's statement was a redux of his meeting with Putin in Helsinki in July 2108 when he sided with Russia against US intelligence agencies and denied any election interference. In another feat of imagination, Trump concluded by saying that both were on the same page about stopping the killing of Ukrainians. 'We had some good meetings over the years, right? … Let's do the most productive one right now. We're going to stop, really, 5, 6, 7 thousand, 1000s of people a week from being killed, and President Putin wants to see that as much as I do.' Post-summit comments show who's winner A few days before the summit, the White House was careful not to portray it as a Trump show that could guarantee a ceasefire or a peace deal. However, Trump was back to his boisterous ways claiming that Putin wants a peace deal, not to occupy the whole of Ukraine, because of their rapport. 'I think he [Putin] has wanted the whole thing,' he told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade's radio show. 'But because of a certain relationship that he has with me running this country, I believe now he's convinced that he's going to make a deal. He's going to make a deal. I think he's going to.' Later, he doubled down on his claim at the White House. 'I think President Putin will make peace.' Trump's claim sounded very stale. In February, he made the same claim. 'I mean, I know him very well. Yeah, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn't.' The Alaska summit proved that neither Trump knows Putin nor can guarantee a ceasefire or peace. Putin didn't concede anything while Trump gave away everything. The post-summit comments proved how Putin had outmanoeuvred Trump. In his first comments after the summit, all Putin had to say was a few words of praise for Trump and how they 'talked about a possible resolution of the Ukrainian crisis on a fair basis'. 'The visit was timely and very useful. We discussed practically all areas of our cooperation,' he said without providing any details about the points of cooperation, a ceasefire or peace. 'We naturally respect the position of the US administration, which sees the need for an immediate end to hostilities, and we would also like to see this happen. We would like to move towards resolving all issues by peaceful means. No indication of a ceasefire, an end to the conflict or even a trilateral meeting with Trump and Zelensky. On the other hand, Trump granted Putin's wish. 'I wouldn't be thrilled if I didn't get it [a deal],' he told Fox News on the way to Alaska. 'Everyone says, 'You're not going to get a ceasefire. It'll take place in the second meeting.' But I'm not going to be happy with that.' Several hours later, Trump made a predictable U-turn realising that he had returned empty-handed—no ceasefire but only a peace deal. In the event, there was no agreement on a ceasefire, and Trump downplayed its importance in a post on Truth Social as he returned to Washington. '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 do not hold up,' he posted on Truth Social after returning to Washington. It's obvious that Putin didn't agree to a ceasefire and called for a peace deal so that he could buy more time to continue his assault and seize more Ukrainian territory. That's the reason both presidents refused to interact with the media at Anchorage. If Trump had revealed what transpired at the meeting and how he agreed to Putin's insistence on a peace deal, not a ceasefire, he would have faced a barrage of questions. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and a former president, summed it up precisely how Putin got what he wished for without preconditions. 'Important fact. The meeting has demonstrated that negotiations are possible without preconditions while the Special Military Operation continues,' he wrote. The writer is a freelance journalist with more than two decades of experience and comments primarily on foreign affairs. He tweets as @FightTheBigots. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
The Alaska Report Card: First assessment of who won what, and how
The first face-to-face conversation between the leaders of the United States and Russia since the war in Ukraine broke out almost three and half years ago, was significant in itself — even though the three-hour discussion in Alaska did not lead to a ceasefire 'deal'. Details of the outcome of the meeting are sketchy. Both President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin gave vaguely-worded statements to the media, with no specifics or details, and refused to answer any questions. That was especially odd for President Trump, who loves to give long, impromptu press conferences every day. The stage in Alaska's US military base was set with 'Pursuing Peace' as the backdrop, but it did not, it seems, lead to any immediate concrete outcome. Trump, however, said that he would talk to leaders of NATO countries, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and others and brief them on his conversation with Putin. So, in the absence of many details, and based on the statements of the two leaders and their import, this is how the summit in Alaska may be read. For Putin, this was a win from the start. His swagger on the red carpet that awaited him, and the handshake with the US President at a US military base on US soil said it all. He had won the first battle of perception — that he was no longer a global outcast, shunned and sanctioned for invading Ukraine, and terrorising Europe about what he plans to do next. He got a US Air Force welcome with a B-2 bomber and F-22 Raptors, and was honoured by Trump as an equal, a peer, a fellow head of state, and not somebody who is accused of war crimes in the middle of a bloody ongoing war. Putin was clear in his objective: he wanted the sanctions on Russia lifted. And he came prepared with a delegation of businessmen and advisers who deal with the business dealings of the Russian state. While the circle of advisors in the meeting was small, the Russian leader underlined the trade and business component very clearly in his remarks. He said that Russia-US trade had started to grow under Trump, even though the growth rate was not high currently. 'Our trade started to grow after the new US administration came to power. So far, it's merely symbolic, but it's still a rise of 20%. I mean that we have a lot of promising areas for joint work,' he said. Putin also said that Russia and the US have a lot to offer each other in various areas of cooperation. 'Russia-US business and investment cooperation clearly has a lot of potential. Russia and the US have a lot to offer each other in trade, the energy sector, the digital industry, high technology and space exploration. Arctic cooperation also looks relevant, as well as the resumption of interregional ties, particularly between Russia's Far East and the US West Coast.' This was a clear indication of what he wants from the negotiations with the US, as his priority number 1. Putin's other important objective is 'security', and he underlined that as well in his comments. He said that Russia was ready to work to ensure Ukraine's security as well: 'I agree with President Trump — he has spoken about it today — that Ukraine's security also needs to be ensured. We are certainly ready to work on that.' What Putin did not say — and what he obviously meant — was that Ukraine's security umbrella should be with Moscow's approval, and that implied its membership of NATO, or the presence of any NATO troops in Ukraine's periphery, was ruled out. For Trump, the meeting in Alaska was supposed to be the biggest stage for his self-acclaimed deal-making, and he wanted to be seen before the world as the ultimate peacemaker that he believes himself to be. What he did achieve was to get the Russian President to the table to talk about ending the war. That was an incremental step forward for the American President — Putin announced that Russia was interested in putting an end to the crisis: 'Our country is sincerely interested in ending it all.' But Trump got no guarantees beyond that — not in public statements, at least. If he had hoped to close a straight deal on ending the war, that did not happen. To be fair, the US President had moderated expectations ahead of the summit, saying that it would be a 'feel-out meeting' with Russia's leader. It was possibly the other way around though — it was Putin who 'felt out' and took a measure of Trump. In an interview given to Fox News' Sean Hannity, the President said that the meeting was a '10' — even though the vibes and the statements in Alaska did not give others the confidence of that high score. Fox News reporters, who are mostly aligned closely with Trump's agenda and voice, talked down the meeting. The planned luncheon after the discussions — the officials had rationed about 6 to 7 hours — was cancelled, and both Presidents made quick exits from Alaska, which was another indication that the result was not a win for the US. The leaders of Europe and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will now be waiting for a briefing from the US President and his aides. They would be counting on the fact that their own pre-briefing and their warnings that Putin was not serious about 'pursuing peace', would have become clear to the US President. Trump had warned that Russia would face 'very severe consequences' if he determined during the summit that Russia's leader was not serious about ending the war. Zelenskyy will certainly remind Trump of that statement. For India, it was a night on the edge. South Block tracked the meeting closely, and Indian interlocutors will be reaching out to their American and Russian counterparts to get a sense of what happened behind closed doors. India faces a 50 per cent tariff — 25 per cent as 'penalty' for buying Russian oil — and therefore has a clear stake on the outcome of the meeting. Trump, after all, seems to believe that his squeezing of India by slapping the 25 per cent tariff brought Russia to the table. US officials, including the Treasury Secretary, have warned that in case there is no deal, an even higher penalty might be imposed. But a glimmer of hope did seem to appear in Putin's statement that the agreements reached in Alaska 'will be the starting point for resolving the Ukraine issue' and improving Russia-US relations. Trump himself described the meeting as 'productive'. But he acknowledged that the two leaders fell short, at least for now. 'We haven't quite got there, but we've made some headway…There's no deal until there's a deal,' he said. For New Delhi, this little headway is important — and offers some hope of the pressure easing.
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
B-2 Bomber Soars Overhead As Trump Shows Off Military Strength While Greeting Putin
Trump and Putin exchanged a warm handshake and smiles in Alaska, ahead of their high-stakes meeting on the Ukraine conflict. The summit yielded no breakthrough. Russian President Vladimir Putin received a warm welcome from US President Donald Trump at the red carpet in Anchorage, Alaska, with a handshake and smiles, which set the tone for their three-hour discussion on the future of the Ukraine conflict. As the two leaders met at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage under a banner reading 'Pursuing Peace", B-2 bombers and F-22 Raptors roared past overhead, a likely show of American military power. Observers say the bomber was intended to remind Putin of US military power. Trump deboarded Air Force One and waited for Putin, who walked towards the US President after getting off his plane. The two leaders shook hands and walked towards the stage with 'Alaska 2025" written on it as the fleet of B-2 Bomber and F-22 Raptors soared above. Trump just flew a B-2 stealth bomber over Putin's head…Absolutely incredible. — Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) August 15, 2025 The leaders ignored the questions shouted by the reporters. When a reporter asked Putin if he would stop killing civilians, Putin smirked and pointed to his ear. Both leaders left in President Trump's 'Beast'. It is unusual to see the leaders of two superpowers — in this case adversaries — ride in the same limousine. What Are B-2 Bombers? The B-2 Spirit, commonly known as the B-2 stealth bomber, is a groundbreaking aircraft that has served as a cornerstone of American airpower and stealth technology for more than 30 years. First taking to the skies in 1989, the B-2 remains one of the most formidable and survivable strategic bombers in the world. The aircraft was specifically engineered to penetrate dense and sophisticated enemy air defense systems, allowing it to strike heavily fortified targets with minimal detection risk. It can fly up to 6,000 nautical miles without refueling, and its range can be further extended through aerial refueling, enabling long-duration missions deep into hostile territory. The B-2 Bombers were recently used when the US military launched an unprecedented attack on Iran's nuclear sites in June, as Tehran was embroiled in a conflict with Israel. The strike team of seven B-2 bombers completed a non-stop 37-hour round trip to strike Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, and returned safely to Missouri. Putin-Trump Talks Trump and Putin held talks over the Ukraine conflict for nearly three hours, but it produced no agreement to halt the ongoing war but ended with an unexpected invitation for Trump to continue discussions in Moscow. The meeting was a sign of renewed US-Russia talks after years of tensions, particularly during Joe Biden's term. Putin publicly stated that the Ukraine war would not have happened if Trump was the president in 2022, instead of Joe Biden. Trump said he would now consult Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as NATO leaders, who have voiced unease about the US leader's outreach to Putin. view comments Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: August 16, 2025, 08:46 IST News world B-2 Bomber Soars Overhead As Trump Shows Off Military Strength While Greeting Putin | Watch Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
B-2 stealth bomber roars overhead as Trump, Putin arrive at Alaska base; internet debates whether it was a show of honor or a veiled warning
Synopsis Presidents Trump and Putin were greeted by a dramatic B-2 stealth bomber flyover, accompanied by F-22 Raptors, upon arrival in Alaska for a high-stakes summit. The display, featuring the B-2 known for its nuclear capabilities, sparked debate online, with some viewing it as a high honor and others as a provocative power play. AP President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) A dramatic flyover by a US B-2 stealth bomber, flanked by four F-22 Raptor fighters, greeted Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as they stepped off their planes at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, August 15. As per ABC, the Pentagon confirmed two B-2s had been flown into the base ahead of the high-stakes summit, the same aircraft type used in June's Operation Midnight Hammer to strike Iran's nuclear sites. The scene, complete with a red carpet and F-22 Raptors lined along the tarmac, is the B-2's status as a symbol of US military might, capable of flying around the world without refueling and delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. But the flyover sparked a split online. Some saw it as an extraordinary diplomatic salute. 'B-2 flyover is absolutely the highest honor. I cannot think of a visiting leader who got one of those in recent years,' posted a user, Old Lion, on X. Others called it provocative. 'Stupid provocation, likely breaking security protocol for summit. USA can't be trusted is the message,' wrote jjunio007. 'Was that a compliment or a warning?' wondered another, while one user summed up the other side of the argument: '0% power play, 100% honor.'Alaska Summit News First posted on X that, 'With jets flying overhead, Trump turns to Putin and says, 'This is for you.'The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber ranks among the most expensive aircraft ever made, with each unit costing over $2 billion when factoring in 1997 to Britannica, the development program for 21 aircraft totaled around $44 billion, and maintaining one costs roughly $40 million annually. By comparison, as per SlashGear, the F-22 Raptor, prized for its stealth and air-superiority capabilities, has a unit cost of about $143 million and annual operating costs exceeding $10 million per jet.
