Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska, the largest US state. Their meeting lasted more than two and a half hours and focused on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.When Putin arrived, he faced a tense moment with the media. Reporters asked tough questions as he walked in for the talks with Trump.”When will you stop killing civilians?” one journalist shouted. Putin, looking as if he couldn’t hear, put his hand to his ear. Another reporter asked, “Why should Trump trust you?” Then came another question: “President Putin, will you commit to not killing any more civilians?” Putin seemed caught off guard by the rapid-fire questions while Trump looked on. Shortly after, US officials stepped in, ending the press interaction with repeated calls of “thank you, press!”Trump welcomed Putin on the Red Carpet before the two got into the presidential limo, “The Beast,” for a short ride to the meeting venue. Cameras caught Putin smiling broadly during the ride. Later, after nearly three hours of talks, both leaders held a joint press conference. Where Putin said, “the agreement that we reached together will help bring us close to that goal and we will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.” Neither leader shared details of what was agreed upon. Putin also took a swipe at former US President Joe Biden without naming him, suggesting the war would not have started if Trump had been in office in 2022.“Today, when President Trump is saying that if he was the president back then, there will be no war … I’m quite sure that it would indeed be so. I can confirm that,” Putin said. “I think that, overall, me and President Trump have built a very good, business-like and trustworthy contact, and have every reason to believe that moving down this path we can come, and the sooner the better, to the end of the conflict in Ukraine.”
