2 days ago
Trump gives interview after Putin meeting — live
Trump said that the US and Russia were the most powerful nations in terms of nuclear weapons but it was dangerous to sabre-rattle.
'It could be the end of the world,' he said.
Trump again touted his record on ending wars since he returned to office and was particularly proud of his strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Trump said 'they're going to set up a meeting' between Zelensky and Putin. He gave his meeting with Putin a 'ten' on a scale of one to ten 'in the sense that we got along great'.
Trump said he spoke 'very sincerely' one-on-one with Putin following the press conference.'I think he wants to see it done,' Trump said, referring to the war.
The US president declined to give specifics over what was and was not agreed upon between the two sides.
Trump said that Zelensky has to agree to any deal.
Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News in his first interview after the summit, Trump said he and Putin would have done 'great things together' as he praised Russia's natural resources.
He blamed the 'Russia hoax' for poor relations between Washington and Moscow.
'We'll see,' Trump said of the outcome of the summit, adding that 'we had a very good meeting today'.
Trump said he was happy that Putin announced the war would not have happened had he been in office in 2022 and not Joe Biden.
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska who has previously clashed with Trump, said she is 'cautiously optimistic' following the summit.
She said that it seemed 'some level of progress was made'.
Murkowski added: 'It was also encouraging to hear both presidents reference future meetings, which I hope will include Ukraine. Ukraine must be part of any negotiated settlement and must freely agree to its terms as we seek an end to the violent, unlawful war being waged against it.'
From Marc Bennetts
Russian opposition figures were dismayed by the outcome of the briefer-than-expected summit in Alaska.
'Putin has achieved his primary goal: he is no longer an outcast,' wrote Yevgenia Albats, an exiled Russian journalist. 'Putin will return to Moscow a victor, having made a fool of the president of the most powerful country in the world.'
Alexander Nevzorov, another well-known Kremlin critic, was equally as downbeat, saying that Putin has managed to 'buy time' for his war in Ukraine and evade the fresh sanctions that Trump had threatened unless he agreed to a ceasefire by August 8. The Russian leader, he said, would be 'happy' as he returned to Moscow.
While many pundits have determined that the summit was inconclusive, Trump is attempting to put a positive spin on the meeting.
He has conducted an interview with the Fox News host Sean Hannity scheduled to be broadcast in primetime. Trump sat for the interview before departing Anchorage.
Aishah Hasnie, a Fox reporter, said Trump told Hannity he would rate the meeting with Putin a 'ten' on a scale of one to ten.
President Trump boarded Air Force One at 4.10pm local time without stopping to talk to reporters, according to the White House pool.
He waved at the top of the steps. Trump was in Alaska for about six hours.
Putin's plane was taxiing a short way away from Air Force One on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
President Putin waved after climbing the stairs back on to his official plane as the Russian delegation prepared to leave Alaska.
Trump should be getting back on to Air Force One soon. CNN reported that he would phone Zelensky on his way back to Washington DC.
From George Grylls
By inviting Trump to Moscow, Putin has established how negotiations will proceed. He wants to exclude President Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president cannot go to Moscow. He would risk humiliation and — potentially given the way Putin tends to deal with his enemies — assassination.
By deftly switching to English with his final words, Putin has gained the upper hand in ceasefire talks, leaving Trump unsure what to say and the US president's plans for a second summit in doubt.
'Thank you very much, Vladimir,' he eventually concluded.
From George Grylls
Putin rarely speaks English in public. But at the end of the press conference with Trump, he suddenly switched.
As Trump addressed the crucial question of whether or not there would be another summit — one where a ceasefire might actually be agreed — Putin interjected. 'Next time in Moscow?' he said, adopting the expression of someone making a good-natured joke.
Trump appeared caught off guard: 'Oh, that's an interesting one. I don't know. I'd get a little heat on that one. I could see it possibly happening.'
Nothing Putin said was unscripted and his remarks, however offhand he made them appear, were clearly calculated.
A fluent German speaker, he is a proficient linguist and has a good level of English comprehension. His avoidance of English is generally seen as a negotiating tactic. His decision to embarrass Trump with a final request was a way of setting the terms for what comes next.
A former Obama administration official called on President Trump to ratchet up the economic and military pressure on Putin after failing to agree a ceasefire in the summit.
Evelyn Farkas, deputy assistant secretary of defence covering Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia under Obama, said: 'Putin was always just stalling. Looks like cold water tossed on the US ideas. Putin doesn't want peace, won't compromise.
'Time to arm up Ukraine fast, slap on some more sanctions. Russia must be defeated militarily for Kremlin to negotiate.'
Philip Breedlove, Nato's former supreme allied commander in Europe, told Times Radio that the talks between Trump and Putin were a 'nothing burger' and a 'swing and a miss'.
He said that the two leaders did not take questions from reporters 'tells me nothing good happened in that meeting'.
Breedlove added: 'Trump went into that meeting saying, 'no ceasefire, no second meeting'. He came out and said 'no ceasefire and maybe a second meeting'.'
The Russian ambassador to Washington said there were 'no major breakthroughs' from the meeting between Trump and Putin, according to the Interfax news agency.
'We are trying, we are working. So far there have been no major breakthroughs and, apparently, there cannot be any,' Alexander Darchiev said, according to a translation of his comments.
Two issues remain stumbling blocks, he said — including Russian diplomatic properties that were 'confiscated' by the Obama administration.
The other issue is direct air travel between the US and Russia, which was stopped after the invasion of Ukraine.
From Katy Balls
There were no questions in Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's joint press conference. In fact, the short joint appearance raised more questions than it answered. The one thing it was big on was praise for one another.
The Russian president complimented his US counterpart several times and spoke about co-operation. Trump spoke about their fantastic relationship and suggested progress has been made and it has been a very productive meeting. However, there was nothing in the way of detail of what had been agreed.
Trump did say a few issues remained unsolved — adding 'one is probably the most significant… We didn't get there'. The one thing that did seem to be confirmed as very likely was a second meeting.
However, even then the location remains up in the air. Putin suggested it could take place in Russia but the president was non-committal. If that meeting is meant to include Ukraine's Zelensky, such a location could prove very problematic indeed.
Trump said 'many points were agreed to' and 'just a very few were left' following the almost three-hour sit-down.
One of the remaining points is 'probably the most significant', Trump said. He thanked Putin who replied, 'Next time in Moscow?'
Trump joked he would receive 'heat' for travelling to Russia before the men shook hands and left the stage.
Trump described the meeting as 'very productive' and said 'we've made some headway'.
However 'there's no deal until there's a deal,' Trump said, adding that there are 'a couple of big' areas where disagreement remains.
The US president said he would call Nato leaders and President Zelensky of Ukraine. 'We've made some great progress today,' Trump said.
Putin said he believes there would not have been a war had Trump been in power in 2022.
Putin said relations between the US and Russia had fallen to their lowest point since the Cold War in recent years, a state of affairs he described as bad for the world.
'Sooner or later we had to mend the situation,' Putin said, adding that the meeting with Trump was 'long overdue'.
Putin said the 'situation in Ukraine' involved threats to Russian security and lamented that his country was at war with a 'brotherly nation'.
He repeated a claim he has made before and said for a lasting peace Russia's concerns had to be addressed. Putin said he hoped the 'agreement' from today would 'pave the path towards' peace.
Putin added that he hoped Kyiv and European capitals would not 'throw a spanner in the works'.
President Putin opened the press conference and described negotiations as 'constructive' and held 'in an atmosphere of mutual respect'.
He said that he greeted Trump after departing his plane by saying 'good afternoon dear neighbour, very good to see you'.
Putin described the greeting as 'kind words' and 'very neighbourly'.
Hundreds of journalists from around the world are packed into the press room waiting for Trump and Putin to take to the stage.
The Kremlin confirmed on Telegram that Putin would speak. The wall behind the lecterns reads 'Pursuing Peace'.
It will be the first time the American and Russian presidents have appeared together for a full news conference since a 2018 summit in Helsinki.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, ignored questions from journalists as he walked into the press room and sat down.
Two lecterns with microphones have been set up on stage and a Russian translator has performed a sound check, suggesting Putin will join Trump at the press conference.
Reporters have also been given translation headsets and the Russian press corps is in the room.
The meeting between Trump and Putin has ended after almost three hours, Fox News said.
Reporters covering the summit have been called into the press conference room and preparations are under way for a briefing to begin.
From Marc Bennetts
Russia's religious leaders have urged believers to pray for a successful summit meeting between President Putin and President Trump.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the powerful Russian Orthodox Church, said at a service in Moscow: 'Let us turn to the Lord with sincere prayer, that the Lord will show His mercy, so that He would facilitate this interaction between the leaders of the two most powerful countries on the planet.'
Kirill has been a vocal supporter of the war in Ukraine, which he has portrayed as a holy war against 'dark forces'.
The Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia also organised 'collective prayers in support of Putin and the success of the Russia-US talks in Alaska' at mosques across the country on Friday, Russia's RBC media outlet said.
From Marc Bennetts
The sight of Putin bring greeted by Trump on the runway in Alaska has sparked a spot of trademark trolling from Moscow.
'Western media are in a state that can be called frenzy, turning into complete madness: for three years they talked about Russia's isolation, and today they saw a red carpet that greeted the Russian president in the United States,' said Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman.
Ukrainian sources have been critical of the red-carpet welcome that greeted Putin when he exited his plane at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
Olga Rudenko, editor of the Kyiv Independent, posted an image to X showing soldiers, apparently American, preparing the carpet at the bottom of steps leading to the Russian plane, which had the country's name painted on the side.
'This is Putin's new phone wallpaper,' Rudenko said. 'American soldiers kneeling under the big letters reading RUSSIA. To fix the red carpet. For a war criminal.'
The make-or-break summit between Presidents Trump and Putin has been under way for two hours, with little indication of how the talks are going.
Before sitting down with the Russian leader Trump said he would know within minutes if it was going to be a 'good meeting or a bad meeting'.
'If it's a bad meeting, it'll end very quickly, and if it's a good meeting, we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future,' Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Optimists may view the fact that the meeting did not end immediately as a good sign.
Putin appeared to nod in the affirmative when asked by a Russian-speaking journalist if he was ready for a three-way meeting with Zelensky and Trump before the bilateral talks began.
Putin said last week that 'certain conditions' would have to be met before he would be ready to sit down for talks with the Ukrainian leader. 'Unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions,' he said.
The Russian president was treated to a red-carpet welcome, a ride in the presidential limousine and military flyover by a B-2 bomber and four F-35 fighter jets as he arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson a few hours ago.
In June, seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers conducted a bombing raid on nuclear facilities in Iran.
The bombers flew in a co-ordinated 18-hour mission from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, refuelling in mid-air, before dropping 14 massive ordnance penetrator (MOP) bombs on Fordow and Natanz which were designed for deep penetration of fortified underground structures.
At the time, Putin said the US strikes on Russia's close military ally were unjustified, and pushed the world towards great danger.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special economic envoy, posted a video to X of an encounter with a black bear hours before the summit began.
'Hopefully a good sign,' Dmitriev wrote.
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The bear is widely recognised as a symbol of Russia, and has been depicted in cartoons, articles and dramatic plays since the 16th century.
A moose and a black bear were also spotted roaming the grounds outside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Friday. It's far from an uncommon site in Anchorage; the city is home to about 1,500 moose and as many as 350 black bears.
The Trump administration is considering sanctions against the Russian energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire, according to Bloomberg.
The report, which cites unnamed sources, noted that measures aimed at squeezing the Russian energy sector may be implemented gradually. US officials have largely avoided targeting Russia's oil sector over fears that doing so could raise domestic energy prices.
Fox News has released a brief clip of an interview with Trump conducted by its chief political anchor Bret Baier on board Air Force One. 'Hillary Clinton said that if you got this deal done and not capitulate to Putin, she would nominate you for the Nobel peace prize,' Baier said.
Trump responded: 'Well that was very nice. I may have to start liking her again.'
• How Trump hopes to win the Nobel peace prize
Trump and Putin appeared to engage in a friendly discussion on their way to the summit without the presence of interpreters, leading many to wonder about the Russian leader's proficiency in the English language.
Putin rarely speaks English in public, but world leaders including George W Bush and Tony Blair have remarked that he is capable of holding informal conversations. There are clips online of the Russian leader greeting people, making jokes and giving brief remarks in English.
During a series of interviews in 2017 with the American film-maker Oliver Stone, Putin used English and Russian interchangeably. In 2021 his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, claimed he was so proficient that he often corrected his own interpreters.
Putin is fluent in German, having been stationed in Dresden, East Germany, from 1985 to 1990 while serving as a KGB officer.
1: Yury Ushakov, a top foreign policy aide in the Kremlin
2: Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister
3: An unidentified translator
4: President Putin
5: President Trump
6: A second unidentified translator
7: Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state
8: Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy
The two sides are in a room and talking about the war in Ukraine. Here are five things they are likely to be discussing — and one they almost certainly won't be.
The two leaders have arrived at a building on the military base where they will hold a three-on-three meeting.
As they took their seats in front of a blue backdrop with the words 'Pursuing Peace', US reporters shouted questions at Putin, asking: 'Mr Putin, will you commit to not killing any more civilians?' and 'President Putin, why should President Trump trust your word now?'
Putin made an inaudible comment, and put his hands round his mouth in a gesture that appeared to indicate he could not hear what was being said.
'Thank you very much,' Trump said, before the press was ushered out of the room.
Despite assurances from the White House that the two leaders would not hold one-on-one talks, the two men drove off accompanied only by Secret Service agents. Putin could be seen smiling in the backseat of the US president's armoured limousine, known as the Beast.
Trump said earlier today that he would know within a few minutes of meeting Putin if the meeting would be a success.
The two leaders disembarked from their respective planes and walked down a red carpet on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Trump applauded his Russian counterpart before shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries. The two leaders stood on a stage marked 'Alaska 2025', as Putin ignored reporters' questions whether he would agree to a ceasefire. The two leaders then entered a US presidential limousine.
Putin's plane has just landed at Elmendorf-Richardson base in Anchorage, a few minutes ahead of schedule.
Trump is yet to emerge from Air Force One, and has apparently been waiting for Putin's arrival. The US president has been meeting on board the aircraft with Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, Alaska's Republican senators, as well as Mike Dunleavy, the state governor, according to Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.
What does the Russian leader want from these talks? Marc Bennetts analyses his motivations, from land deals to history lessons — and why he is already at an advantage.
Shortly before Trump arrived in Alaska to meet his Russian counterpart, President Zelensky released a videotaped statement in which he reiterated that Russian military strikes were continuing across Ukraine.
'On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well. And that speaks volumes,' he said. 'Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to bring the war to an end, and we count on a strong position from America. Everything will depend on this.'
Trump will no longer have a one-on-one meeting with President Putin, the White House has said. Instead, the US president will be accompanied by Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio for a three-on-three meeting. The two Russians joining Putin will be Sergey Lavrov, his foreign minister, and Yury Ushakov, his top foreign policy aide.
This meeting will be followed by a working lunch at which Trump, Witkoff and Rubio will be joined by Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary and Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff.
Trump has landed in Anchorage for his summit with Putin. Air Force One touched down at 10.25am local time (7.25pm BST).
Two podiums are set up in a ballroom on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in front of the words 'Pursuing Peace' (David Charter writes in Anchorage).
The arrangement suggests a joint press conference will take place later with both Trump and Putin. About 300 journalists, photographers and TV camera crews crammed into a media tent next door awaiting the arrival of Air Force One. One half of the room is for 'US Press', including international media based in the United States, and one half for 'RU Press'.
The day began for media members covering the summit with a 5am local time meet up in a shopping centre car park on the edge of Anchorage to load into buses for the short drive into the base. After a few hours of delays and a thorough screening with security wands, bag searches and sniffer dogs, we arrived in the media tent at 9.45am local time (6.45pm BST).
Trump made a series of comments about the summit earlier today as he took questions from reporters on Air Force One. Here is a summary:
On a ceasefire: 'I want to see a ceasefire. This has nothing to do with Europe, Europe's not telling me what to do. But they're going to be involved in the process obviously, as well as Zelensky. I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. I don't know if it's going to be today, but I'm not going to be happy if it's not today. Everyone said it can't be today, but I'm just saying I want the killing to stop.
On territorial concessions: The president said these would be discussed at the meeting but would have to be approved by Ukraine. 'I have to let Ukraine make that decision,' Trump said. 'I think they'll make a proper decision, but I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I'm here to get them at a table.'
On security guarantees for Ukraine: 'Along with Europe and other countries, not in the form of Nato. Because that's not going to, you know, there are certain things that aren't going to happen. But yeah, along with Europe, there's possibility [of security guarantees].'
On continuing Russian drone strikes: '[Putin] is trying to set a stage. In his mind, it helps him make a better deal. It actually hurts him,' Trump said. 'But in his mind that helps him make a better deal if they can continue the killing. Maybe it's a part of the world, maybe it's just his fabric, his genes, his genetics. I'll be talking to him about it.'
On 'economic incentives': 'I notice he's bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that's good. I like that because they want to do business, but we're not doing business until we get the war settled. We have the hottest country on Earth. We have the hottest economy on Earth.
'He wants a piece of that, because his country is not hot economically. In fact its the opposite. I want everybody to do well. But the war's got to stop and the killing's got to stop.'
Putin and Trump arrived in Alaska with several key members of their administrations in tow. The US contingent is full of familiar faces.
The delegation from the Kremlin, however, may surprise — it includes a poet, Harvard student and sanctions-buster, as Marc Bennetts explains.
