U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday for a high-stakes summit to explore potential steps toward ending the over three-year war in Ukraine. It marked their first standalone meeting since their 2018 encounter in Helsinki, Finland.
The leaders arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to a red-carpet welcome before departing together in the U.S. presidential limousine. Initially planned as a private one-on-one session, the meeting was later expanded to include senior aides. The White House confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff would join Trump for the talks.
Before the discussions, Trump told reporters his aim was to bring Putin “back to the negotiating table,” not to negotiate a settlement on Ukraine’s behalf. He refrained from promising security guarantees for Kyiv but said, “If this summit goes well, I would consider a trilateral meeting with President Zelensky.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is not attending, said his country would be “counting on America” for support.
Putin did not answer questions from the press before the closed-door session began. Reporters had asked if he would agree to a ceasefire, stop civilian casualties, and explain why Trump should trust him. The Russian president appeared puzzled as multiple questions were shouted at once and was later seen mouthing and shouting something toward the journalists, though his words were inaudible.
CNN
