President Donald Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Trump, 79, veered from left to right as he walked on the carpet, unable to stay in its center, before reaching a set meeting point. Trump then stood and clapped as the American adversary, 72, approached him at Joint Base Elmendorf in Anchorage.
Once together, the two men shook hands before Trump waddled at Putin’s side toward a platform. Above, a U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bomber and four F-35 fighter jets completed a flyover that caused Putin to pause and briefly look up.
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The world leaders stopped atop the platform, posed for photos behind a sign reading “Alaska 2025,” and shuffled down three steps and into an all-black Escalade. Trump invited Putin to descend the stairs first, placing his hand on the Russian’s back.
Both men avoided an embarrassing slip or stumble, and they appeared comfortable with each other, chatting as they sauntered forward. Once inside a U.S. government SUV, cameras captured Putin smiling and waving to the press corps outside.
The eyes of the world are on Friday’s summit, which is regarding Russia’s bloody war in Ukraine.
Trump is expected to push Putin to reach a ceasefire agreement, but the White House has tempered expectations of what will actually be accomplished, especially without a representative of Ukraine—like its president, Volodymyr Zelensky—present.
Some U.S. officials and pundits have criticized Trump for welcoming Putin and other Russian officials onto an active U.S. military base. The duo last met in 2018, during a summit in Helsinki, Finland, that was widely labeled a disaster for Trump.
