President Trump welcomes Vladimir Putin on US soil

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Friday for a long-awaited meeting to discuss ways to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

They met at a US military base and took part in a red carpet greeting, before departing together in Trump’s presidential limo.

Putin ordered the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has continued to press on with the President’s aims to take control of the entire country. While running for election last year, Trump insisted that he would end the conflict in one day. Friday’s meeting may offer an idea of the future.

Ahead of the meeting Trump said that he is hoping to bring Russia back to the negotiating table with Ukraine. He suggested that the US could consider offering security guarantees to Ukraine, but insisted that he would not support NATO membership for Ukraine.

“Not in the form of NATO,” Trump said, when asked what military support for Ukraine could look like. “There are certain things that aren’t going to happen.”

Talks between Trump and Putin will be held behind closed doors, with top aides present.

Putin briefly appeared in front of journalists on Friday but refused to answer any questions. Some reporters asked if he would agree to a ceasefire or if he would commit to no more civilian deaths in the conflict. The Russian leader did not audibly respond.

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