US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Friday for a high-stakes summit aimed at finding a path toward a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. The meeting marked their first face-to-face encounter since 2019 and came as the conflict, now in its fourth year, continues to devastate Ukraine.
Trump greeted Putin on the tarmac with a warm handshake before the two leaders traveled together to the summit site. They sat across from each other with delegations on both sides, against a backdrop that read “Pursuing Peace.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the talks, voiced concern that Trump might agree to freeze the conflict in a way that leaves Russia in control of occupied Ukrainian territory. Speaking earlier, Trump insisted he would not negotiate for Ukraine, saying, “I’m here to get them to a table. I want the killing to stop.”
The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy to Russia Steve Witkoff, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and chief of staff Susie Wiles. Putin was joined by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and senior aide Yury Ushakov.
Trump has long said he could end the war quickly, but on Thursday admitted the task has proven harder than expected. He suggested that if the Alaska talks go well, a second summit with Putin and Zelenskiy together could follow. The Kremlin also signaled openness to a three-way meeting.
For Putin, the summit itself is already a diplomatic win, showing Russia is not isolated despite Western sanctions. A source familiar with Kremlin thinking told Reuters that Moscow might be willing to consider a compromise, possibly freezing the conflict along current battle lines, if sanctions relief and NATO assurances are part of the deal.
Putin has also hinted at offering Trump a new nuclear arms agreement, something Washington wants as the last major arms treaty nears expiration.
Zelenskiy, meanwhile, urged that the summit lead to a “just peace” but stressed that Russia continues its attacks. A missile strike on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region killed one person on Friday as the leaders sat down to talk. He said Ukraine will not hand over its land and called on the US to back security guarantees.
On the streets of Kyiv, ordinary Ukrainians expressed doubt that the talks would bring results. “Nothing good will happen there,” said 65-year-old Tetiana Harkavenko. “The territories, we’re not going to give anything to anyone.”
The summit was expected to last up to seven hours, with both leaders under pressure: Trump seeking to prove himself a peacemaker, and Putin trying to secure relief from sanctions while holding onto gains in Ukraine.
