Former U.S. President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week — their first face-to-face meeting since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Putin opened the meeting with a remark about the U.S. and Russia being “neighbors.” He greeted Trump by saying, “Good afternoon, dear neighbor. Very good to see you in good health and to see you alive.” The comment, seen as ironic given the war in Ukraine, set the tone for a tense summit.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, On August 15, 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The conflict, now in its third year, has caused massive casualties. Estimates suggest more than a million Russians have died, with Ukraine’s losses also in the hundreds of thousands. The war has stalled U.S.-Russia relations and strained global security.
Trump kept his response cautious. While Putin criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the war, Trump avoided appearing too friendly, aware of past accusations of being soft on Moscow. He emphasized that disagreements remain, especially over Ukraine’s occupied territories
A U.S. B-2 stealth bomber flew overhead, fresh from strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. As it passed, Trump and Putin both stopped and looked up for a second, watching the blue plane cross the sky. Trump let the moment speak for itself.
Observers were reminded of the Hanoi summit in 2019, when Trump walked away from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after deciding that no deal was possible. This time, he stayed. However, as he admitted later, there was no final agreement..
“There are several small things,” Trump said, “and one which is the most significant,” that remain unresolved. The “big thing” was almost certainly Ukraine — specifically, whether Putin will be allowed to hold onto the land he has already seized.
For NATO allies in Europe — from the Baltics to Poland and Finland — giving Putin any part of Ukraine is a scary idea. They believe it would not stop him, but instead make him want even more land. For them, this is not just a debate in Washington. It is about their survival.
Putin, ever the manipulator, worked to cast himself as the bigger man. He spoke longer, tried to charm, and even called the war a “tragedy” — as though it were a natural disaster rather than a deliberate invasion. He also floated the possibility of hosting the next meeting in Moscow. Trump replied, half-jokingly, “Yeah, I could see it possibly happening.”
But behind the jokes, Trump stayed careful. He had managed to bring Putin back to talks and even got him to say he was “seriously interested” in ending the war. Still, Trump knows Putin can smile like a friend while secretly planning against you.
Now, the Alaska talks marked a beginning, not a breakthrough. The world watches with cautious hope: dialogue is preferable to silence, and conversation is preferable to conflict. However, as Trump navigates one of the world’s most dangerous relationships, he must remember exactly who he is dealing with. With Putin, every smile can hide a trick, and every “neighborly” word carries a price.
