Trump-Putin summit live updates: Trump and Putin ride alone together in Beast to high-stakes Alaska meeting over Ukraine
The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is now underway in Anchorage, Alaska — their first one-on-one meeting in seven years.
The two leaders greeted each other on a red carpet set between Air Force fighter jets at the end of a long red carpet. After shaking hands, they both got into the back of “The Beast,” the U.S. president’s limousine.
Russian and U.S. delegations began arriving in the city on Friday, with footage showing Trump boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before its departure. On Truth Social, Trump posted a blunt two-word warning: “HIGH STAKES!!!”
Meanwhile, Russia’s veteran foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, was spotted in Anchorage in a vintage USSR sweatshirt. He told reporters Moscow “never plans ahead” – a remark that added to the uncertainty surrounding the talks.
Trump has vowed that the Russian president is “not going to mess around with me” as he attempts to secure a ceasefire deal. He also floated the possibility of bringing in European leaders, including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, for a second round of negotiations.
The White House said Friday’s amended schedule consists of a three-on-three meeting between the two delegations, a bilateral lunch and an expanded meeting, and a joint press conference.
