Trump’s limousine and Putin’s curtsies Inside the Trump-Putin Alaska talks

The August 15 meeting at the joint Elmendorf-Richardson base in Anchorage between the leaders of the United States and Russia dominated global media coverage. The Alaska summit marked the first encounter between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in six years; their last meeting had been in June 2019 in Osaka, Japan, on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Initially, the presidents were expected to meet one-on-one, but on August 15, the White House announced that the talks would shift to a three-on-three format. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff, while Putin was joined by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Presidential Adviser on International Affairs Yuri Ushakov.

Interestingly, on his way to Alaska, Donald Trump told Fox News journalist Bret Baier that he did not intend to negotiate or strike deals on behalf of Ukraine. Instead, he emphasized that his goal was to lay the groundwork for a second meeting with Putin, which would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“The more important meeting will be the second meeting that we’re having. But I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine,” Trump said. At the same time, the U.S. president did not rule out the possibility that the talks could fail, and that he might not meet with Putin again.

In this context, it is also worth noting that in the lead-up to the summit, Trump assessed the chances of an unsuccessful conversation with the Russian president at 25%. He even warned that Russia could face “very serious economic consequences” if the Alaska meeting failed to produce peace. Equally telling, just before departing for Anchorage, Trump posted two words on his social media platform Truth Social, followed by three exclamation marks: “The stakes are high!!!”

According to Reuters, while speaking with journalists on the plane, Trump commented on Russia’s strikes in Ukraine, saying, “Putin thinks this strengthens his position in the negotiations, but I believe it harms him.”

Thus, the U.S. presidential plane landed in Alaska, and a few hours later, the Russian president’s plane also touched down in Anchorage. The first detail to catch journalists’ attention was that, contrary to established protocol, Putin got into Trump’s limousine. This gesture was a nod from the Russian leader toward the U.S. president—and, as subsequent events showed, not the last one—as well as a signal that he intended to follow the lead of the White House.

During the post-summit press conference, members of the global media took note of the flattering remarks Putin directed at his American counterpart.

“If Donald Trump had been president of the United States in 2022, the war might not have started at all,” Putin said, shifting full responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine onto the previous U.S. administration. In doing so, he made yet another gesture toward Trump—who himself has repeatedly claimed that his predecessor was to blame.

“I recall that in 2022, during my final contacts with the previous administration, I tried to persuade my American counterpart not to allow the situation to escalate to the point where it could lead to serious consequences such as military action. I said directly at the time that it would be a major mistake. Today, we hear President Trump saying: ‘If I had been president, there would have been no war.’ I believe that is exactly how it would have turned out. I can confirm this, because overall, President Trump and I established a very good, businesslike, and trusting relationship. We see the U.S. administration, and President Trump personally, demonstrating a genuine willingness to facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, a desire to get to the heart of the matter and understand its origins,” Putin continued in the same vein, also underscoring the economic dimension—which, as is well known, forms the foundation for building political dialogue.

It is worth noting that ahead of the summit, Yuri Ushakov also pointed out that Alaska and the Arctic are areas where the economic interests of both countries intersect, offering potential for large-scale, mutually beneficial projects.

That said, the meeting did not produce a final agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine. However, the Russian leader made considerable efforts to appease Trump and buy time—whether for trade deals, delaying sanctions, or easing political pressure from Washington. How long Putin can sustain this ambiguity, and how much patience the U.S. president has for the Kremlin’s maneuvering, remains an open question. Still, the Russian president would do well to remember that the stakes remain very high—and that Trump is a strong, confident leader who will not allow himself to be talked in circles.