The much-anticipated talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin finally happened. The Russian leader’s Ilyushin IL-96 aircraft touched down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, about 30 minutes after Trump’s Air Force One landed on Friday, August 15. The pair of aircraft sat side-by-side as the two world leaders disembarked and walked red carpets to meet in front of Air Force One. As they moved to a low dais, Putin and Trump walked past F-22 Raptors, stealthy air superiority fighter aircraft, just as a B-2 Spirit strategic bomber with an F-22 and F-35 Lightning II escort flew over. Putin could not help looking up. It was pure pageantry to be sure – a pageant of power.
Liberty Nation News Senior Political Analyst Tim Donner set the stage for the meeting with his report “Trump Meets Putin: What Could Go Wrong – or Right?” Donner observed: “A journey of a hundred miles begins with the first step. And today’s meeting is just that, an initial sit-down in which Trump and Putin will feel each other out.” If the size of the two diplomatic delegations accompanying Presidents Trump and Putin is any indication, both sides are definitely serious about the meeting being high stakes. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and leading Russian negotiator and Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev accompanied Putin, according to the Institute for the Study of War. A similarly impressive list of US dignitaries joined President Trump.
Following the brief arrival ceremony and warm greetings between Presidents Trump and Putin, they got into “The Beast,” the presidential limousine, to travel to a secure location on the base. There is a history between the two nations regarding Alaska that makes the venue symbolic, and the state plays a special role in US-Russia relations. Alaska was part of Russia from 1700 until 1867, when it was bought by the US for $7.2 million. The sale benefited Russia, which was strapped for cash at the time and feared the territory would fall to a rival, like Great Britain.
Trump has been criticized for not inviting the Ukrainian president to participate in the meeting. However, as The Daily Signal reported, “While Zelensky congratulated Trump on X for arranging this meeting, he expressed hesitation to join it, as Russia has demanded that Ukraine concede its eastern territories.” As a prelude to the meetings, Brett Baier of Fox News had an opportunity on Air Force One to speak with Trump about his expectations. The president took a very realistic position, telling Baier, “If Putin’s not serious about ending the bloodshed, I’ll walk. We’re not going to sign some piece of paper that means nothing.”
“I think there’s a reason he’s at the table, and it’s not just because he wants to sit down with President Trump for the evening. Russian forces are under pressure, and he knows it,” he added. Trump did more than just signal a hard line; he promised it.
As the meetings concluded, both presidents held a joint press conference from which reporters learned very little about the discussions between the two leaders. President Putin led off with a rambling stroll down memory lane regarding the historical relationship between the US and Russia. About securing Ukraine’s security, he said: “I agree with President Trump as he has said today that naturally the security of Ukraine should be, as well, naturally we are prepared to work. I would like to hope that the agreement that we reach together will help us bring closer to that goal and we’ll pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.” However, what Putin means by working toward Ukraine’s security and what Ukraine might believe may be very different.
Putin did offer a glimpse into a potential arrangement, explaining to the press that the agreement would be the starting point for both a solution to the war in Ukraine and a return to businesslike, friendly relations between the US and Russia. So, it’s safe to say that during the three-hour discussion, the two sides came to an accommodation on some points.
However, when Trump addressed the press, he was more reserved and a bit cryptic. He explained: “There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say, a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite got there, but we’ve made some headway. So, there’s no deal until there’s a deal.” Yet he also added: “We really made some great progress today.” Trump explained that he was going to make some calls to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, “And tell them what happened. But, we had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant.”
There was no explanation as to what the sticking points were. Trump did tell Putin that he would probably see him again “very soon.” There could be a very sound reason why there were no questions and answers after the Putin and Trump statements. Trump did not want details of the meeting reaching Zelensky and European leaders by way of the press.
Following the press meeting, President Trump sat down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity for about 30 minutes. The interview covered what was said at the press conference, with little new information. Interestingly, Hannity asked the president how he would rate the meeting with Putin on a scale of one to ten. Without hesitation, Trump said a ten, “in the sense that we got along great and it’s good when two big powers get along.” But he also said there would be another meeting with the Ukrainian president.
Hannity asked Trump what his advice to Volodymyr Zelensky would be after the meeting with Putin, and the president said emphatically: “Make a deal.” What the interview validated was that Trump was convinced the discussion with Putin was valuable and productive. There will be a follow-on meeting with President Zelensky, President Putin, and, most likely, President Trump.
After watching the media news coverage of the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin in just over six years, it’s hard not to be disappointed in the lack of details. The White House did its best to manage expectations, however, explaining that there would be no negotiations over territory. Additionally, if this meeting went well, it would be the first of many. President Trump wants the killing to stop. He wants a ceasefire. He said the meeting was productive and gave no indication of disappointment. He did not walk. That’s encouraging. What happens next will be significant.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.