"Next time in Moscow": Putin extends Trump invitation as summit ends
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U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.
At the conclusion of Friday's "productive" but inconclusive summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin quipped to President Trump: "Next time in Moscow."
The intrigue: Putin made the remark in English, a language he rarely speaks in public. The suggestion drew a surprised chuckle from Trump, who didn't rule it out but said he'd "get a little heat for that one."
The big picture: If Trump were to travel to Russia, it would be the first time in over a decade that an American president set foot on Russian soil.
- Putin is angling for a more friendly relationship with the U.S. after being isolated on the world stage, and would likely consider such a visit a major coup.
- But there's no sign as of now that it's likely to happen.
What they're saying: Putin's "next time in Moscow" quip came just at the end of Trump's televised remarks.
- "Oh, that's an interesting one," Trump replied. "I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening."
- The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on the president's willingness to travel to the Russian capital.
Catch up quick: In a joint press briefing, President Trump called the highly-anticipated peace talks "productive" but said that the two leaders "didn't get there" on a ceasefire or on ending the war in Ukraine.
- Trump said the two agreed on many issues but could not come to an agreement on "the biggest one."
- Putin said that it was very important for the two countries "to go back to cooperation," and that it was time for the superpowers to shift from "confrontation to dialogue."
- Neither Putin nor Trump offered any details of a potential agreement.
Flashback: Barack Obama was the last U.S. president to visit Russia over a decade ago, according to the State Department.
- Obama traveled to St. Petersburg for the G-20 summit in 2013.
Zoom out: Friday's meeting was the eighth time President Putin has visited the U.S. since he took office in 1999, State Department records show.
- This was also Putin's first meeting with a U.S. president since 2021, prior to the start of the war in Ukraine.
Go deeper: Trump: Putin summit productive but "we didn't get there" on Ukraine deal
