President Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, where the two leaders are meeting for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — President Trump has landed in Alaska, where he is meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for a high-stakes summit on American soil with a leader isolated by the West over his invasion of Ukraine.
Flying with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump projected confidence ahead of the summit while also trying to temper expectations.
“I want to see a ceasefire — rapidly,” Trump said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be today, but I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today. … I’m in this to stop the killing.”
The two leaders shook hands on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, on the outskirts of Anchorage, where they walked onto a small podium flanked by fighter jets.
Trump, who pledged a quick end to the war in Ukraine during his 2024 presidential campaign, touted that his long relationship with Putin would help him in discussions.
“He’s a smart guy, been doing it for a long time, but so have I,” Trump said. “We get along. It’s a good respect level on both sides. And I think, you know, something’s going to come up.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for talks with President Trump.
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Trump said he was willing to talk about business and trade with Putin but made clear on Friday that he was not ready to expand commercial ties unless fighting stops in Ukraine. “They want to do business, but they’re not doing business until we get the war solved,” he said.
Trump also warned of “severe consequences” for Putin if progress is not made on ending the war. “I’m not doing this for my health, OK,” Trump said. “I don’t need it. I’d like to focus on our country, but I’m doing this to save a lot of lives.”
European leaders who have backed Ukraine in its fight against Russia spoke with Trump on Wednesday, saying Putin must agree to a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine before any peace talks begin.
On Friday, Trump said he was open to providing security guarantees for Ukraine “along with Europe and other countries” but emphasized that this would not involve Ukraine becoming a part of NATO.
Expectations are not high for a breakthrough
Analysts who follow Russia have low expectations for a major breakthrough and largely see the summit as a win for Putin, who gets a long-sought-after meeting with the president of the United States without having to agree to Trump’s demands for a ceasefire.
But Samuel Charap, who was a top Russia adviser in the Obama administration, says it’s also in Putin’s interest to help Trump.
“I think it is certainly plausible that something will come out of this, in part because Putin will want to ensure that Trump sees this meeting as a success,” said Charap, who is now a senior political scientist at the Rand Corporation. “So that he keeps on Trump’s good side and avoids any potential increased pressure from the United States via sanctions or increased military assistance to the Ukrainians.
Charap says a best-case outcome, in addition to some kind of ceasefire, would be the leaders agreeing to a road map for future discussions, including objectives and a timeline. And he pushed back on criticism that Trump should not have agreed to the meeting.
“This is not the textbook way of going about a negotiation process to end a war,” Charap said. “But Trump doesn’t do things the usual way. So I think it’s, it’s basically we’ll only know whether it was the right decision based on the outcomes.”
President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the start of talks in Anchorage.
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Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Ahead of the summit, Trump had talked about the possibility of a “land swap” between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has strongly opposed ceding territory, noting that doing so would violate his country’s constitution.
On the flight, Trump acknowledged that he and Putin would talk about land being exchanged — but said it was up to Ukraine. He has said he sees Friday’s meeting as a prelude to broader talks between Putin and Zelenskyy.
“I’ve got to let Ukraine make that decision. And I think they’ll make a proper decision. But I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I’m here to get them at a table,” he said.
As Trump and Putin were arriving in Alaska, Zelenskyy took to social media to criticize Russia for ongoing attacks on Ukraine.
“On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well. And that speaks volumes,” Zelenskyy said. “Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to bring the war to an end, and we count on a strong position from America. Everything will depend on this – the Russians factor in American strength. Make no mistake – strength.”