President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shared a handshake on the tarmac of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska before departing together in Trump’s presidential limousine known as “the Beast” for a high-stakes meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Trump arrived in Alaska at about 10:20 a.m. local time, while Putin’s plane landed around 10:50 a.m. The two leaders descended their respective planes and walked a red carpet, where they greeted one another with a friendly handshake.
They spoke for about ten seconds before they walked down the red carpet as a B-2 stealth bomber, accompanied by fighter jets, flew over their heads.
They posed for a photo oppurtunity before the press and then departed the tarmac together in Trump’s presidential limousine for meetings at the Arctic Warrior Event Center.
The leaders did not take questions before the meeting got underway.
This marks Putin’s first time on U.S. soil in a decade, with his last visit coming in 2015 at the United Nations in New York City. Friday’s meeting is a major development in Trump’s effort to bring a close to the war between Russia and Ukraine, something he has worked feverishly on while settling seven other global conflicts with ceasefires and peace agreements in the meantime.
Trump spoke with reporters during the flight to Alaska and emphasized that Russia will face economic consequences if he gets the sense that Putin is uninterested in making a deal.
“You had said earlier this week that Putin would face severe consequences if you get the sense from him that he’s not interested. What do you mean by that?” a reporter asked.
“Economically severe. Yes, it will be very severe. I’m not doing this for my health, okay,” Trump said. “I don’t need it. I’d like to focus on our country, but I’m doing this to save a lot of lives. Yeah, very severe.”
Trump said that land swaps would be part of the negotiations on Friday, but underscored that it is ultimately Ukraine’s decision.
“[Territorial swaps will] be discussed, but I’ve got to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they’ll make a proper decision,” he said. “But I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I’m here to get them at a table.”
“Look, Vladimir Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine. If I wasn’t president, he would, right now, be taking all of Ukraine, but he’s not going to do it,” he added.
