The high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin began on a tense note Thursday, when reporters confronted Putin at Anchorage Airport with sharp questions on civilian casualties in Ukraine. Putin, arriving for a red carpet welcome at a U.S. military base, initially posed for photographs with Trump but appeared unsettled when asked whether Russia would “stop killing civilians.”
The Russian president pretended not to hear, momentarily feigning ignorance, before exchanging a few quiet words with Trump.
The encounter underscored the fraught backdrop to the summit, the first in-person meeting between the two leaders in nearly six years. Inside the venue, a hall decorated with U.S. and Russian flags and the slogan “Pursuing Peace,” the two delegations sat in silence before closed-door talks commenced.
Trump was flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, and an interpreter. Putin was joined by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. As reporters pressed further on Ukraine, Trump abruptly cut off the session, thanking the press and moving proceedings into private discussions.
BREAKING: A reporter just asked Vladimir Putin TO HIS FACE if he can commit to not killing any more civilians. This is stunning. Putin is never asked these questions in Russia. Journalists are killed over it. We can’t take this freedom for granted. pic.twitter.com/LqaGJ8Oe86
— Trump Lie Tracker (Commentary) (@MAGALieTracker) August 15, 2025
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The summit agenda is expected to revolve around prospects for a Ukraine ceasefire, humanitarian relief and possible de-escalation steps, though both sides have played down hopes of a breakthrough.
Later, President Donald J Trump said: “We made some great progress today… We had an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to.”
