US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin began high-level talks in Anchorage on Friday (local time), with the war in Ukraine and prospects of a ceasefire dominating the agenda, CNN reported.
Putin is joined by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov, while Trump is accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The summit, hosted at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, is being described by the White House as “historic” and centered on Trump’s stated goal of “pursuing peace.”
Ahead of the meeting, reporters pressed Putin about the possibility of a Ukraine ceasefire. Though he appeared to mouth a response, his words were unclear, CNN noted.
Earlier, Trump and Putin exchanged greetings on the red carpet, shook hands, posed for photos, and—in an unusual display of camaraderie—departed together in the US presidential limousine for the summit venue, avoiding questions from the press.
The White House announced prior to the leaders’ arrival that the initially planned one-on-one session had been expanded to include senior advisers from both sides.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stressing Kyiv’s top demand, said a ceasefire is the only pathway to meaningful negotiations. “Everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine,” he insisted, urging preparation for a trilateral framework.
European diplomats told CNN that during a call with European leaders earlier this week, Trump indicated he would press Putin on halting hostilities.
Speaking before the summit, Trump remarked that he would be able to gauge Putin’s sincerity within minutes. “I may leave and say, ‘good luck,’ and that’ll be the end,” he told reporters, signaling he was prepared to walk away if talks did not yield progress.
