Trump rolls out the red carpet for Putin: they finally meet

Putin in Alaska. The long-anticipated meeting has begun. Events typically waited until midnight are usually football matches. However, the Alaska summit is being eagerly followed by people around the world despite the time differences. It was proven by Flightradar, through which nearly half a million people followed Putin’s flight.

Several interesting events occurred before the beginning of the summit. The plane believed to be carrying Putin, being followed by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, was found to be without Putin. Later, one of the Kremlin’s journalists, Pavel Zarubin, stated that the plane belonged to one of the delegations and Putin was also reported to be en route separately. Trump’s Air Force One had already landed in Anchorage before Putin’s arrival. When it became clear that President Putin was not on the plane, initially thought to be carrying him, many attributed this to security measures and Moscow’s caution. According to the reports, Putin made changes to his schedule and did not board the main flight.

On the other hand, Putin employed his tactic of making someone wait, that is, keeping somebody waiting. Trump was forced to wait for him for half an hour inside the plane. Before this, the red carpet that had been rolled out for Putin was removed. However, as soon as the Russian president’s plane arrived at the designated spot, US military personnel bowed slightly as they rolled out the red carpet at his feet. This was likely due to the changes in plans or direction. Nonetheless, after a decade, Putin once again set foot on U.S. soil. The long-awaited summit took place in Alaska, the largest state purchased from the Russian Empire 158 years ago.

Some may have wondered how Putin, who has been subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for two years, could travel to the United States. However, his visit did not violate international law. The reason is simple: the US has not ratified the Rome Statute, which would obligate it to enforce ICC warrants. Thus, Putin stepped off the plane as a highly honored guest and shook hands with Trump. While they were posing for photos on the stage marked “Alaska 2025,” journalists shouted questions about when he would stop killing civilians. Yet the Russian leader acted as if he either did not hear them or did not understand.

Reaching the summit venue took on a different form. Putin, who is usually seen in his Aurus car anywhere, this time accompanied Trump in Trump’s car. While Trump waited for him inside his plane, Putin’s Aurus was brought to the airport to take him to the military base. As the Tass reported, the Russian president began the summit directly while sitting in Trump’s car. Thus, the meeting that drew the attention not only of millions, but also of dozens of nations began. However, the summit’s schedule changed slightly. The presidential one-on-one meeting was canceled. The White House had previously clarified that a three-on-three meeting would be held instead. As expected, Trump, Rubio, and Witkoff from the American side, and Russia, Putin, Lavrov, and Ushakov attended the summit. Other officials were able to participate in an expanded-format meeting. While they were shaking hands, F-35 fighter jets and B-2 bombers, which had struck Iran’s nuclear facilities, flew overhead.

The motto of the summit is unique, much like its earliest sessions. “Pursuing Peace.” Indeed, this motto reflects the efforts made to end the war in Ukraine and the events that have unfolded in recent years. The primary aim of this summit, being held under the motto “Pursuing Peace,” is to bring an end to the Ukrainian crisis and doing so, revive US-Russian cooperation. The Russian side is mainly focused on restoring relations with the US, whereas Trump seeks to gain fame by ending the war in Ukraine. He has stated that if the summit does not yield a positive outcome, he will be dissatisfied with the meeting. Therefore, in this long-anticipated meeting, there is hope that something might change. Zelenskyy has stated from Kyiv that Ukraine’s only hope lies with the United States. Thus, the Alaska summit will either ignite sparks of hope for him or the negotiations will end fruitlessly, with Russian aggression against Ukraine continuing.