President Donald Trump has given Russian President Vladimir Putin the red carpet treatment as they arrived for their historic summit, applauding the authoritarian and offering him a rare ride in the presidential limousine known as The Beast.
As the pair landed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Friday—three years after Russia invaded Ukraine—Trump greeted Putin with a military flyover and a handshake before the pair smiled for the cameras on a makeshift podium.
The extraordinary scene was the first time Putin, who has been largely frozen out by the West, has been on U.S. soil in 10 years.
It was also the first time an American president has given the VIP treatment to a Russian leader who faces an arrest warrant for war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court as well as being sanctioned by the U.S. government.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump told reporters that he hoped to broker a ceasefire with Putin but was prepared to “walk out” if they failed to reach a deal.
The White House initially said the historic summit would be “one-on-one.” However, moments before touchdown, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared it would now be a three-on-three session, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also joining.
Putin was accompanied by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.
It is not clear what exactly the meeting will achieve in terms of a deal, given Putin’s obsession with claiming Ukraine as his own and his ongoing reluctance to negotiate for a ceasefire.
However, several incentives will likely be used as leverage. Among them is the possibility of opening up some of Alaska’s natural resources to Russia and offering part of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals to Putin—a proposal that has already faced staunch criticism.
“So hang on... Trump is going to offer to open up [sic] ALASKA TO THE RUSSIANS??” Trump critic and former GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger wrote on X. “Wow. Let’s see Republicans defend this.”
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Putin was looking for business opportunities in America and “if we make progress, I would discuss it.”
“Because that’s one of the things that they would like,” he said. “They’d like to get a piece of what I’ve built in terms of the economy.”
He also said territorial swaps would be discussed, but added: “I’ve got to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they’ll make a proper decision. But I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine.”
One person was notably missing from the meeting: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who posted a video on social media on Friday pointing out that Russian military strikes continued throughout Ukraine.
“On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well,” he said. “And that speaks volumes. ... We hope for a strong position from America. Everything depends on this.”
Trump had earlier bristled at suggestions that the summit was a gift to Putin, but Russia state media were delighted at the images of his red carpet treatment on Friday.
It is somewhat rare for a world leader to get a ride in the presidential limousine.
In his first term, Trump also gave then Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a ride to his Florida golf course, and in 2010, then Russian president Dmitry Medvedev rode with Barack Obama in The Beast.
