After travelling 2,000 miles, enduring a three-hour security screening and arguing over seating arrangements with the Russian media, expectations were high for the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The early signs were positive – a warm handshake, a ride along in “The Beast” and the claim by Russia that talks could last “six or seven hours”.

But that feeling came to a screeching halt inside the press tent at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, when a press conference was called just three hours in – and it emerged that the wider bilateral talks had been scrapped.

The two leaders appeared on stage for just 12 minutes. There was no ceasefire and they did not take a single question.

“What the f--- was that?” one American journalist exclaimed. “Is that all?” Indeed, it was.

The first surprise of Mr Trump and Putin’s post-summit press conference was that the Russian leader was the first to speak.

After the two men had taken their place behind their respective podiums, almost the entire room had their eyes fixed on Mr Trump, assuming that the US host would lead the conversation.

So when Putin first opened his mouth, you could almost hear the sounds of heads whipping towards the Russian leader.

Mr Trump eventually followed suit, and for the first time in his second term, spoke very briefly.