Trump-Putin summit: Closed-door talks ongoing after red carpet welcome
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been meeting behind closed doors for more than two hours following a dramatic arrival ceremony at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
Why it matters: Trump has set a ceasefire in Ukraine as his goal for the summit and said ahead of his arrival that he's "not going to be happy" if no truce is agreed. He's also promised "severe consequences" if Putin doesn't demonstrate he's serious about peace.
- But despite that warning and his growing frustration in recent weeks over Putin's bombardments of Ukrainian cities, Trump gave the Russian leader a remarkably warm welcome.
On the scene: Trump applauded as Putin walked toward him down a red carpet laid out for his arrival. After sharing a friendly handshake, both climbed into the presidential limousine — nicknamed "the Beast" — and drove together to the meeting location.
- No interpreters were present, so they likely conversed in English during the short journey.
- Trump claimed ahead of the summit that he'd know in "the first couple of minutes" whether Putin was serious about peace. The first of two meetings expected at the summit has already lasted well over two hours.
The intrigue: The presidents were originally expected to meet one-on-one upon arrival, but the White House said minutes before the start that it would actually be three-on-three, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff joining Trump.
- Next on the agenda is a working lunch with senior officials from both delegations. Putin's spokesperson said earlier Friday that the meetings would last "at least" six or seven hours.
- Podiums have been set up for a joint press conference afterward, though Trump said he'd probably do a solo press conference if the summit is a failure — a scenario he gave a 25% likelihood.
- The summit began just minutes after its scheduled start at 11am local time (3pm ET). The Kremlin said Putin would show up on time, forgoing his usual power move of arriving late for meetings with foreign counterparts.
The big picture: If a ceasefire is reached, it would be the first multiday pause in the fighting after 3.5 years of war and the first tangible progress in Trump's fitful peace process.
- Trump said he also wants to convince Putin to hold a follow-up meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — possibly while they're all still in Alaska.
The other side: Putin has repeatedly rebuffed the idea of an unconditional ceasefire, and he previously suggested he's only willing to meet Zelensky in the context of signing an agreement, not negotiating one.
- Trump said he expects to discuss issues of territorial control in Ukraine with Putin — an idea that worries Ukrainian officials — but that only Putin and Zelensky can come to any agreements.
Zoom out: The Kremlin has made clear they want this to be a full superpower dialogue, covering not just Ukraine but also economic cooperation and even nuclear arms control.
- It's Putin's first meeting with a U.S. president since 2021 and his first time on U.S. soil since 2015. It's also a chance to repair his relationship with Trump after months of tensions.
- "I noticed he's bringing a lot of businesspeople from Russia, and that's good. I like that because they want to do business, but they're not doing business until we get the war settled," Trump said before the summit began.
Context: The shadow of the Cold War hangs over the proceedings, given the location and the fact that Russia's foreign minister arrived in Anchorage in a USSR shirt.
- Elmendorf air base played a key role in U.S. monitoring of the Soviet Union following the end of World War II.
- There were also F-22 fighter jets greeting Putin on the red carpet, with a B-2 stealth bomber flyover as the leaders convened.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
