US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up more than two-and-a-half hours of discussions at a summit in Alaska on Friday, marking their longest in-person meeting to date.
The unusually extended talks suggest, by Trump’s own measure, that the meeting went well.
White House aide Dan Scavino confirmed that a three-on-three meeting was still in progress at 1:25 p.m. local time, over two hours after the media was escorted out.
The Kremlin later confirmed that the “narrow-format” session had concluded.
Alongside Trump were Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, while Putin was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov.
Ahead of the summit, Trump tempered expectations, calling the meeting a “feel-out” discussion that could lay the foundation for a more significant second summit. He has suggested that a future gathering may include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and possibly European allies. Even on his way to Alaska, Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier he would “walk away” if talks with Putin failed to deliver.
The Alaska summit exceeded the length of the leaders’ 2018 Helsinki meeting, which ran about two hours. The two are scheduled to address reporters in a joint press conference following Friday’s talks.
The event began with a carefully choreographed arrival at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Trump greeted Putin on the tarmac with a handshake, a pat on the arm, and applause as the Russian president approached. A B-2 bomber flyover underscored US military might, even as Trump was seen placing his hand on Putin’s back in a show of warmth.
In a rare move, the two leaders then rode together in “The Beast,” the US president’s armored limousine, where they were spotted laughing and conversing before the formal talks began.
The hastily arranged summit — only announced last week — has left European allies uneasy, with concerns Trump might concede too much to Putin or push Ukraine toward a deal without Kyiv’s direct input.
Analysts warn that Putin could try to shift focus from Ukraine toward US-Russia economic cooperation or even extend an invitation for Trump to visit Russia, a move that could complicate matters for Zelensky and European partners.
Trump has repeatedly cast himself as the only leader capable of brokering an end to the war in Ukraine, making Friday’s summit a pivotal moment in his foreign policy agenda.