President Donald Trump gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a warm welcome in Alaska, including a military flyover, a red carpet on the tarmac, a brief ride in his presidential limousine, and friendly handshakes.
It was a startling welcome for a leader who has been viewed as a worldwide outcast since his invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and whom Trump has been growing more irritated with in recent months due to his opposition to Trump’s attempts to broker peace. The first picture of a beaming Putin driving away in Trump’s limousine may cause anxiety in Ukraine and Europe, where officials have urged Trump to maintain a firm stance with the Russian leader, whom many believe is trying to buy time by patching up his relationship with Trump but is unwilling to end the war.
Shortly after the White House declared that the two leaders would be sitting down with a few of their top aides rather than alone, the private meeting without aides in the back of the limousine took place.
The White House reports that Trump and Putin will also participate in a larger bilateral lunch meeting with chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
