For Trump and Putin, handshakes on a red carpet and a joint limo ride, then an abrupt ending
August 15, 2025
President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the start of their summit in Alaska. The two men arrived almost simultaneously and exchanged a warm handshake and friendly smiles. Then they climbed into the backseat of Trump’s presidential limousine. The two casually chatted like reunited friends as they were whisked away to talks about the Russia-Ukraine war. It was the kind of greeting fit for the closest U.S. allies, but it was instead rolled out for an adversarial leader who launched the largest land war in Europe since World War II. However, their interactions seemed more muted after emerging from talks that lasted for more than 2 1/2 hours.