Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday (local time) sidestepped questions on the ongoing war in Ukraine as he arrived for a much-anticipated summit with US President Donald Trump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, CNN reported.
When pressed by reporters about a possible ceasefire, Putin declined to answer directly. He was seen mouthing or gesturing something toward the press pool, but his response remained unclear, according to CNN.
The summit opened with a red-carpet reception, where both leaders shook hands and posed for photographs without taking questions. In an unusual move, Putin later accompanied Trump in his presidential limousine as they departed for their meeting.
Originally planned as a one-on-one, the talks were expanded to include top aides from both delegations. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov were part of Putin’s team.
Ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv’s top priority was securing a ceasefire, insisting that meaningful peace talks could only begin after hostilities stopped. Following a call between Trump and European leaders earlier in the week, diplomats told CNN that the US president had indicated he would press Putin on a ceasefire during the summit.
“Everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine,” Zelenskyy emphasized, urging the establishment of a trilateral negotiation format.
The White House described the Trump-Putin talks as “historic” and said the US president was focused on “pursuing peace.”
