Trump’s ‘high-stakes’ meeting with Putin ends after three-hour huddle in Alaska

Earlier, Putin was welcomed by a show of U.S. military might as two B-2 bombers, similar to the jets used to strike Iran’s nuclear sites in Operation Midnight Hammer, were flown into the base.

Trump arrived first in Alaska and waited aboard Air Force One to deplane until Putin touched down in his own aircraft. At 11:08 a.m. local time, the pair stepped down onto separate red carpets rolled out on the tarmac to a T-intersection, where they extended a warm greeting of a prolonged handshake and smiles to one another.

Trump and Putin then walked down another red carpet to a podium that read “Alaska 2025” as a flyover of military planes — B-2s, F-22s, and F-35s — passed overhead. As they stood side-by-side for photographs, Putin pretended not to hear a reporter’s question about whether he would commit to no longer killing civilians, tapping his ear and shrugging his shoulders instead.

The presidents departed together in Trump’s presidential limousine, The Beast, which had only a driver and a U.S. Secret Service agent — no staff — for the meeting site.

The Friday meeting was poised to be expanded for lunch before the prospect of a press conference in the afternoon. The previously planned one-on-one meeting became a three-on-three meeting as Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Putin by foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“HIGH STAKES!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social before leaving the White House after spending the week trying to manage expectations.

Trump even told Fox News Radio on Thursday that there was a 25% chance that his meeting with Putin would be unsuccessful.

Aboard Air Force One en route to Alaska, Trump told reporters he would discuss Russia-Ukraine land swaps with Putin despite telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies this week during a series of phone calls that he would prioritize talk of a ceasefire as he positions himself for a Nobel Peace Prize. Zelensky has appeared open to a conversation about territory exchanges along the current contact line, but not areas Putin has allegedly annexed.

“They’ll be discussed, but I’ve got to let Ukraine make that decision,” Trump said. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I’m here to get them at a table.”

Trump also provided more information regarding his approach to security guarantees, which Ukraine has advocated, considering Russia’s record of not respecting ceasefires.

“Not in the form of NATO because there are certain things that aren’t going to happen — but along with Europe, there’s a possibility of that,” Trump said. 

He quipped, “I’m not doing this for my health. I don’t need it. I’d like to focus on our country — but I’m doing this to save a lot of lives.”

Aside from Ukraine, Putin has been accompanied to the United States, his first trip here since 2015, by business leaders as the Russians posture concerning a possible minerals deal in response to Trump’s repeated threats of “very severe consequences,” including primary and secondary sanctions, if Putin does not pursue peace. In addition, Putin hopes to raise a new nuclear arms treaty with Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump has indicated he may mention Russia’s hack of a U.S. federal court database after accusations that Putin meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried told the Washington Examiner that Putin could distract Trump from a peace deal with Ukraine with an economic agreement with Russia.

“Well, he could try,” the Atlantic Council distinguished fellow and former State Department coordinator for sanctions policy said. “If you’re coming up with a list of things to throw out there to distract Trump, that would be one of them. And then the question is, ‘Will Trump be focused enough to brush that aside and shake up Putin?’ If he does that, this could be a success, but it’s a big if.”

On Air Force One, Trump downplayed the importance of an economic deal, contending, “We’re not doing business until we get the war settled,” particularly with Russia’s recent advances on the battlefield.

“He thinks it gives him strength in negotiating,” he said. “I think it hurts him. But I’ll be talking to him about it later.”

A White House official told the Washington Examiner, “POTUS will determine what is possible in the meeting.”

Friday’s meeting represents a pivotal moment in the war as Zelensky deals with a U.S. that has been less supportive than in the past, especially after the clash between him, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office in February, though Trump last month reversed a decision to stop deploying military aid to Ukraine.

Zelensky himself is under pressure at home related to the war and government transparency reforms, recently experiencing protests for the first time during his presidency.

For Peter Slezkine, the Stimson Center’s Russia program director, there is “nothing magical or mysterious” about Trump and Putin’s relationship.

“They’ve always seemed to get along fairly well — on the phone and in person,” Slezkine told the Washington Examiner. “But as we’ve seen in the past, compatibility between their worldviews is not sufficient, on its own, to overcome the conflict between their two countries.”

Slezkine suggested there is a “chance” that Putin might agree to pause airstrikes on Ukraine if Zelensky agrees to the same with Russia, which “Trump could sell this as a first step toward an eventual peace.”

“If Trump takes a ceasefire-or-else approach, then the meeting might turn into a fiasco,” he said. “Putin will not accept an immediate unconditional ceasefire. He believes that he possesses the military advantage and will not surrender it unless he gains something substantial in return.”

The threat of additional U.S. sanctions is unlikely to change this calculus, according to Slezkine.

“Russia believes that American leverage against China and India is limited, and the Kremlin remains confident in its ability to find markets for its energy and sources of key inputs,” Slezkine said. “A failed American ultimatum in Alaska may lead to a long-lasting war — or a Ukrainian collapse.”

He added, “An amicable meeting that ends with an anodyne declaration of both sides’ desire for peace should be considered a success if it leads to further contact at the working group level. The best-case scenario would be a compromise between the two sides that could then be ironed out and implemented in a subsequent trilateral meeting with Zelensky.”

Read more from the Washington Examiner on the Trump-Putin meeting: