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Before Putin descended from his aircraft at a US air base in Alaska, American soldiers were seen kneeling at the foot of the stairs to adjust the red carpet rolled out for him
US guards laying red carpet for Putin | Image: X
The first face-to-face meeting in years between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was marked by a viral image that drew sharp reactions online.
Before Putin descended from his aircraft at a US air base in Alaska, American soldiers were seen kneeling at the foot of the stairs to adjust the red carpet rolled out for him.
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The moment, captured on camera, spread across social media, prompting former Ukrainian official Mustafa Nayyem to share the photo with the caption: “Make kneeling great again.”
The image didn’t go well with the Ukrainians, who were counting on Trump to reach a peace deal.
The image also overshadowed the optics of Trump’s warm welcome, in which he clapped, smiled, and shook hands with Putin, calling him a “friend.”
Putin’s arrival in Alaska was his first visit to Western soil since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The two leaders last met in person in 2018.
Despite the grandeur of the reception, the high-stakes talks produced no breakthrough on Ukraine.
After nearly three hours of discussions with top aides, both leaders issued brief remarks but declined to take questions from the press — an unusual move for Trump.
“We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,” Trump said, adding, “There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant.”
Trump entered the talks vowing to push for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and a commitment from Putin to meet directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
However, the high-stakes meeting saw no decision to pause the ongoing Ukraine conflict but ended with an unexpected invitation for Trump to continue discussions in Moscow.
Trump later told Fox News that the responsibility to turn the Alaska summit into progress now rests with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done. And I would also say the European nations have to get involved a little bit, but it’s up to President Zelensky,” Trump said.
He rated the meeting a “ten out of ten.”
The location carried weight as Alaska, purchased from Russia in 1867, sits just three miles from Russian territory at its closest point and still serves as a Cold War-era hub for intercepting Russian aircraft.
Hosting Putin there gave him a measure of symbolic legitimacy after years of international isolation.
About the Author
Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be…Read More
Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be… Read More
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