The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage was a tightly choreographed encounter. The two leaders greeted each other with extended handshakes on a red carpet, shared the US presidential limousine known as “The Beast,” and watched B-2 stealth bombers and fighter jets fly overhead. After roughly two-and-a-half hours of talks with senior aides present, they gave brief joint remarks to cameras but took no questions from reporters.Despite the warm gestures, the summit produced no concrete agreement. Trump said, “We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,” but later acknowledged, “We didn’t get there,” adding, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.” Former national security adviser John Bolton judged the balance plainly: “Trump did not lose, but Putin clearly won,” and that “Trump didn’t come away with anything, except more meetings.” Putin, for his part, spoke of an “understanding” and suggested further contact between the two leaders.
Putin back on the global stage
After years of diplomatic isolation following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s visit to US soil and his public meeting with the US president marked a visible return to prominence.The coverage noted that it had been about a decade since Putin last visited the United States for a major presidential summit. On arrival, he received ceremonial honours, applause and staged optics that Russian outlets used to show him standing beside the American president.The event gave Moscow material to present at home that Putin was again a central actor in global affairs, even though many European capitals remain cautious or opposed to his policies.
No deal reached
Both presidents described the meeting in positive terms, but no formal agreement or signed deal emerged. Trump said: “We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,” and later added, “We didn’t get there.” He also told reporters, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”Putin said he and Trump had reached an “understanding” on Ukraine and that they “hope that the understanding we have reached will… pave the way for peace in Ukraine,” but neither side announced concrete, binding measures at the summit.
Red carpet reception and military flyovers
Putin was greeted with a red carpet, and US military aircraft flew overhead as the two presidents arrived at the tarmac. Reporters described a B-2 stealth bomber and F-22s or F-35s passing as the leaders processed, images that were emphasised in the coverage. Trump applauded as Putin emerged, and the staged arrival — motorcades, flags and a formal welcome at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson — underscored the ceremony surrounding the encounter.
Friends reunited?
On the tarmac and in public remarks the two men projected warmth. Trump said: “The meeting was a very warm meeting between two very important countries — and it’s very good when they get along. I think we’re pretty close to a deal. Now look, Ukraine has to agree to it.” Also read: How reporters put Putin on the spot with tough questions in AlaskaThe pair exchanged extended handshakes, smiles and informal conversation on camera, with Putin at one point offering, in English, “next time in Moscow,” to which Trump replied that “that’s an interesting one” and that “I could see it possibly happening.”
A shift from normal protocol
The summit was arranged and shaped quickly; officials acknowledged a different pace from usual summit diplomacy. Trump had suggested the meeting was something of “a feel-out meeting” and had said he might walk out quickly if it went poorly, but he did not. With aides present rather than a traditional, heavily prepared two-party negotiation, the encounter departed from the multimonth planning that normally precedes meetings between heads of state.A planned one-on-one encounter did not materialise. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the previously planned one-on-one would instead be “a three-on-three discussion including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.” Putin attended with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov. The late alterations to who would be in the room and on stage were part of the summit’s improvised character and were widely reported in the run-up to the leaders’ meeting.
A swipe at Biden
Putin claimed that he would not have invaded Ukraine if Donald Trump had been in office, a pointed remark made after their nearly three-hour summit in Alaska. “That’s a big mistake today, when President Trump is saying that if he was the president back then, there will be no war — and I’m quite sure that it would indeed be, so I can confirm that,” Putin said. He added, “I think that, overall, me and President Trump have built a very good business-like [relationship].”Trump, who has long argued the war began under President Biden’s watch, did not directly respond to Putin’s comment but reiterated his stance: “This isn’t my war. This is Biden’s war. Biden screwed this up…”
Speaking time was lopsided
In the joint appearance Putin spoke for about eight minutes and thirty seconds, while Trump spoke for just under four minutes. Putin used his time to outline Russia’s messaging and to thank Trump for the “friendly” tone of their conversation; Trump’s shorter remarks reiterated his view of constructive dialogue and his hope for progress that would include Ukraine’s agreement.
Tariff relief in sight?
Before his meeting with Putin, Trump said that he might consider imposing tariffs on countries buying Russian oil—though not immediately.“Well, because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “Now, I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now. I think, you know, the meeting went very well,” he added.Trump claimed that earlier tariffs on India’s Russian oil imports influenced Moscow’s decision to engage. “When you lose your second largest customer, and you’re probably going to lose your first largest customer, I think that probably has a role,” he said.India, however, denied halting oil purchases and criticised U.S. tariffs as “unjustified and unreasonable.”
Ukraine excluded from the summit process
Ukraine did not participate in the talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in advance and after the meeting that Kyiv was excluded and urged strong US support: “It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America.” He added in later remarks that “Everyone wants an honest end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to end the war,” and warned: “The war continues and it continues precisely because there is no order, nor any signals from Moscow, that it is preparing to end this war.”
What’s next?
Both presidents signalled further contact. Trump closed his remarks saying, “we’ll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon.” Putin had offered “next time in Moscow.” In a post-summit interview Trump said he would call Zelenskyy and European leaders to brief them and noted he was holding off on immediate new sanctions: “Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now,” though he added he “may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something.”
