Trump-Putin Alaska Meet Live Updates: Us president Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin kicked off their Alaska summit with a warm handshake on Friday, greeting each other like old friends before heading into hours of discussions that could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington.
Both Trump and Putin are seeking wins from the meeting, which marks the first time Putin will set foot on foreign soil since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Trump, who casts the war as a risky "bloodbath", is pressing for a ceasefire in the war that would cement his image as a global peacemaker. For Putin, the summit is already a big win as it allows him to say that Western efforts to isolate Russia over the years have failed.
Trump said that while there are 25 per cent chances of the talks failing, their success could allow him to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for a second three-way meeting. Zelensky's exclusion from the summit is a setback for the West's policy of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" and raises the possibility that Trump could agree to a deal that is unfavourable to Ukraine.
While enroute to Alaska's Anchorage, Trump fired barbs mid-air from the Air Force One, warning of more severe sanctions if the talks aren't fruitful. "I noticed he's bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that's good. I like that because they want to do business, but they're not doing business until we get to war settled," he said.
Live Updates From Trump-Putin's Alaska Meeting:
Watch: Putin Shakes Hands With Trump Ahead Of High-Level Alaska Meeting
Russia President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump 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.
Russia To Test New Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile To Boost Leverage: Ukraine
Russia is preparing to test its new nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered cruise missile and if successful, plans to use the results to bolster its negotiating position with the West, Ukrainian military intelligence said on Friday.
Putin Lands At US Base In Alaska For Summit With Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at a military base in Alaska on Friday for a summit with his US counterpart Donald Trump on the conflict in Ukraine.
The meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will be the Kremlin leader's first on Western soil since before February 2022, when Russia launched its devastating full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Trump To Meet With Putin Joined By Aides, Not Alone, Says White House
US President Donald Trump no longer plans to meet alone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday and instead will be joined by top aides throughout, the White House said.
Trump, instead of a previously planned one-on-one meeting, will be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff before a larger meeting over lunch that will include other officials, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Air Force One, news agency AFP reported.
Trump Lands In Alaska, Key Meeting With Putin Expected To Begin Soon
US President Donald Trump arrived in Alaska's Anchorage for a "high-stakes" meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that could not only shape the future of Moscow's three-year war with Ukraine, but also have consequences for European security.
A Look At Past Meetings Between Putin And His American Counterparts
Bilateral meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterparts were a regular occurrence early in his 25-year tenure.
But as tensions mounted between Moscow and the West following the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and allegations of meddling with the 2016 US elections, those meetings became increasingly less frequent, and their tone appeared less friendly. Read here
Analysis: Trump-Putin Meet Could Determine The Trajectory Of Russia-Ukraine War
US President Donald Trump is meeting face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for a "high-stakes" summit that could determine not only the trajectory of the war in Ukraine but also the fate of European security.
The sit-down offers 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.
Hotels, Cabs Booked Out, Temporary Curbs On Flights Ahead Of Trump-Putin Alaska Summit
The summit is set to take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska's largest military installation and a Cold War base for surveillance of the Soviet Union.
Mr Putin will step onto Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to sources, the city is abuzz with several activities, with hotels in the vicinity entirely booked and cab services to and fro from the site hard to avail.
The federal administration, the sources said, has also placed temporary flight restrictions - likely from 9.30 am local time to 6.45 am local time - on Friday. These curbs, however, are unlikely to have any major impact on commercial flights. Read here
Putin-Trump Summit To Last 'Minimum 6-7 Hours', Says Kremlin
The Kremlin said Friday it expected the Alaska summit between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to last at least six to seven hours, Russian state TV reported Friday.
"You can expect that it will take up a minimum of six to seven hours," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia's Channel One state TV ahead of the summit, adding that Moscow anticipated a "productive" meeting.
Watch: Trump Says He "Won't Be Happy" If Ceasefire Doesn't Happen Today
With less than a few hours to go until he is expected to land in Alaska's Anchorage, Trump has been speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.
"I want to see a ceasefire - rapidly. 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," Trump said.
"Will Head Home Real Fast," Says Trump If Meeting With Putin Goes Poorly
US President Donald Trump said if the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't go well, he is going to "head home real fast."
"I think it's going to work out very well, and if it doesn't, I'm going to head back home real fast," CNN quoted Trump as saying in a brief clip of an interview that will air later on Fox News.
"If it doesn't, you walk?" anchor Bret Baier asked.
"I would walk, yeah," Trump said.
Yesterday, on Fox Radio, Trump said that if the meeting goes well, he will call Ukrainian President Zelensky as well as the European Leaders.
"If it's a bad meeting, I'm not calling anybody - I'm going home. ... But if it's a good meeting, I'm going to call President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and the European leaders," he said.
Moscow Still 'Killing People' On Day Of Putin-Trump Summit, Says Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Moscow was still killing people and not showing that it wanted to end the war, hours before the start of a US-Russia summit in Alaska.
"There is no order, nor any signals from Moscow that it is preparing to end this war... they are also killing on the day of the negotiations," Zelensky said in a video address posted on social media.
Zelensky Says Alaska Summit Should Open Path To Ukraine-Russia-US Talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was important that Friday's Russia-US summit in Alaska opened up a path towards a "just peace", as well as substantive three-way talks between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
"It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app, as reported by news agency Reuters.
Meanwhile, Trump said he would not negotiate on behalf of Ukraine in the meeting and would let Kyiv decide whether to engage in territorial swaps with Russia.
Ahead Of Key Meet, Trump's 'Severe Economic Consequences' Warning To Putin
US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of their "high-stakes" summit in Alaska. Trump said that Russia will face "severe economic consequences" if Putin doesn't show interest in de-escalating the Ukraine conflict.
Trump made these remarks while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Anchorage, ahead of the meeting between him and his Russian counterpart in Alaska, which will focus on exploring ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
"Yes, Russian President Vladimir Putin will face severe economic consequences if he is not interested. I am not doing this for my health. I don't need it. I would like to focus on our country. But I am doing this to save a lot of lives," Trump said.
