Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Alaska for high-stakes talks Friday with President Donald Trump, who hopes to in the end negotiate a ceasefire in Russia’s conflict towards Ukraine.
Trump met Putin on the tarmac of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage shortly after the Russian chief’s aircraft landed at round 10:50 a.m. native time. Trump arrived earlier.
Each males deplaned on the similar time and walked down respective pink carpets towards one another, assembly the place these carpets intersected. Trump clapped as Putin approached him.
They greeted one another with obvious heat, smiling, exchanging phrases, and patting every others’ arms whereas shaking arms. They then walked to a riser to observe a flyover of navy plane.
U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they meet to barter for an finish to the conflict in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
The 2 leaders then acquired into Trump’s armored automobile, “The Beast,” and drove off. They didn’t reply to reporters’ shouted questions earlier than departing.
The talks come as Europe — together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited — watches with bated breath.
Rubio, Witkoff becoming a member of Trump
Trump and Putin, who have been initially anticipated to fulfill one-on-one, will now every be accompanied by two senior officers for his or her assembly, a White Home official confirmed earlier Friday.
Trump will likely be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, the president’s particular envoy to the Center East.
There’ll then be a working lunch for each delegations, earlier than the presidents maintain a joint information convention to summarize their talks.
Trump will likely be joined on the lunch by Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and White Home chief of employees Susie Wiles, in addition to Rubio and Witkoff, a White Home official mentioned.
Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, informed Russian state media earlier Friday that the complete summit may final “no less than” six or seven hours.
Zelenskyy: ‘Certainly, excessive stakes’
The presser will undoubtedly be one of the crucial carefully watched occasions of this yr, revealing simply how close to, or far, the tip of the conflict in Ukraine is — a battle that has spanned greater than 3½ years.
“The president desires to exhaust all choices to attempt to carry this conflict to a peaceable decision,” the White Home said forward of the Alaska summit.
It stays to be seen whether or not these “choices” will in the end be good or dangerous for Ukraine.
Whereas on Air Pressure One, Trump steered his yardstick for the summit’s success is whether or not or not he can safe a ceasefire.
“I wish to see a ceasefire quickly, I do not know if it should be right this moment, however I am not going to be comfortable if it is not right this moment,” he mentioned.
On the similar time, Trump gave the impression to be tempering expectations. “I can not let you know that. I do not know. It is – there’s nothing set in stone,” he mentioned.
That noncommittal language echoes how Trump has talked concerning the assembly within the days main as much as it.
As an illustration, Trump steered earlier this week that the summit would merely be a “feel-out assembly,” earlier than later warning that Russia would face “extreme penalties” if he determines that Putin doesn’t plan to finish the conflict.
Not solely is a ceasefire at stake — if Trump can persuade Putin to agree to 1 — however so too are Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Europe’s safety, Russia’s economic system and geopolitical alliances.
Zelenskyy, who has a checkered relationship with Trump, will likely be nervous because the talks get underway.
“Certainly, excessive stakes,” Zelenskyy wrote on X earlier Friday forward of the Alaska summit.
“The important thing factor is that this assembly ought to open up an actual path towards a simply peace and a substantive dialogue between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the US, and the Russian facet.”
“It’s time to finish the conflict, and the mandatory steps have to be taken by Russia. We’re relying on America,” he added.
The dangers for Ukraine and Europe
Each he and his European allies concern the U.S. chief may capitulate to expert negotiator Putin’s seemingly calls for for Moscow to retain occupied Ukrainian territory and minimize quick Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations, in return for halting its navy offensive.
As he headed off to Alaska on Air Pressure One, Trump informed reporters that “one thing goes to come back of it [the meeting].” When requested about Russia’s ongoing assaults on Ukraine, the president mentioned Putin “thinks that offers him energy in talks, I feel it hurts him,” in feedback reported by Reuters.
Trump additionally insisted that Ukraine has to resolve about its territory and that safety ensures have been “doable together with Europe,” with out giving additional particulars.
Russia’s delegation consists of solely a number of members of Putin’s internal circle, with International Minister Sergey Lavrov, Protection Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s funding and commerce envoy, in addition to Ushakov.
Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov seems to be on, subsequent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they anticipate the US-Russia summit on the Villa La Grange, in Geneva on June 16, 2021.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Photographs
The presidential aide commented that “it’s apparent to everybody that the central subject would be the settlement of the Ukrainian disaster,” together with the “broader duties of guaranteeing peace and safety,” in addition to urgent worldwide and regional points.
Signaling that Russia will likely be trying to extol the financial advantages of a rapprochement with the U.S., Ushakov added that “an alternate of views is predicted relating to the additional growth of bilateral cooperation, together with within the commerce and financial space,” noting that “this cooperation has monumental and, sadly, untapped potential.”
