ANCHORAGE: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met face-to-face in Alaska on Friday in a high-stakes meeting that could determine whether a ceasefire can be reached in the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two.

Ahead of the summit, Trump greeted the Russian leader on a red carpet on the tarmac at Elmendorf Air Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska that once played a key role in monitoring the Soviet Union.

Trump waited in Air Force One until Putin landed and then waited again for him on the tarmac, clapping as he saw the Russian leader for the first time since 2019. The two shook hands warmly and touched each other on the arm before riding in US presidential limousine to the summit site nearby.

The two leaders sat silently, with their respective delegations seated to the side, in what was previously planned a one-on-one meeting. They were seated in front of a blue backdrop that had the words, “Pursuing Peace” printed on it.

Rubio, Witkoff join what was planned to be a ‘one-on-one meeting’

Just an hour before the Alaska summit began, the White House said Trump no longer plans to meet alone Putin and instead will be joined by top aides throughout.

“Trump, instead of a previously planned one-on-one meeting, will be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff before a larger meeting over lunch that will include other officials,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Air Force One.

Before his arrival in Alaska for the high-stakes summit, Trump said he wants to see a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine “today”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict with Russia and recognising, if only informally, Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine.

But Trump sought to assuage such concerns, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I’m here to get them at a table,” he said.

Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly … I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today … I want the killing to stop.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday’s talks could last six to seven hours and that aides would take part in what had been expected to be one-to-one meetings. He added that a three-way summit would be possible only if the Alaska talks bore fruit, Interfax news agency reported.

The Kremlin said Putin would be met at his plane in Alaska by Trump. “He is a smart guy, been doing it for a long time, but so have I … We get along, there’s a good respect level on both sides,” Trump said of Putin. He also welcomed Putin’s decision to bring businesspeople to Alaska.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025