ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — On Friday, Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, for a high-stakes summit to talk about the ongoing war in Ukraine. The meeting lasted more than two and a half hours and ended with a joint news conference. Both leaders hinted to a breakthrough but didn’t give any details.
When Putin got there, media bombarded him with questions. Someone asked him, “When will you stop killing innocent people?” and “Why should Trump believe you?” At one point, the Russian president put his palm to his ear as if he couldn’t hear the questions. US officials promptly cut off the press engagement.
A Unclear Way to Peace and a Nod to Trump
After their meeting, both leaders were hopeful. Putin said, “The deal we made together will help us get closer to that goal, and we will clear the way for peace in Ukraine.” But neither leader gave any information about what they had agreed on.
Putin also took a jab at former US President Joe Biden at the news conference without mentioning him. He said that the war would not have happened if Trump had been in government in 2022. “Today, President Trump says that if he had been president back then, there would have been no conflict… I’m pretty sure that’s how it would be. “Yes, I can confirm that,” Putin answered. He ended by claiming that their “very good, business-like, and trustworthy contact” makes him sure that they can stop the war “the sooner the better.”
The two leaders had not met in six years before this meeting. After saying hello on the red carpet, Trump and Putin rode together in the presidential vehicle, “The Beast,” to the meeting place. Putin was smiling a lot during the trip, which was very different from how he had been acting with the press earlier.