United States President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin shook hands warmly at the start of their Alaska summit on Friday before heading into hours of discussions that could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington.
The leaders greeted each other on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where officials erected a special stage, with a large “Alaska 2025” sign flanked by parked fighter jets and red carpets. Uniformed military members stood at attention nearby.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump
(Photo: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
B-2s and F-22s — military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the Cold War — were flying over to mark the moment.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the previously planned one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin is now a three-on-three meeting that will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Putin will be joined by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov. The change indicates that the White House is taking a more guarded approach than it did during a 2018 meeting in Helsinki, when Trump and Putin first met privately just with their interpreters for two hours.
Putin and Trump are expected to hold a joint press conference at the end of the summit.
The sit-down gives Trump a chance to prove to the world that he is both a master dealmaker and a global peacemaker. He and his allies have cast him as a heavyweight negotiator who can find a way to bring the slaughter to a close — something he used to boast he could do quickly.
For Putin, a summit with Trump offers a long-sought opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia’s gains, block Kyiv’s bid to join the NATO military alliance, and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow’s orbit. Despite having so much at stake, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders aren’t invited.
First published: 22:22, 08.15.25