What Happened During Trump's Red Carpet Meeting with Putin in Alaska?

New York, Aug 16 (NationPress) US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin kicked off their "high stakes" summit on Friday with a carefully planned welcome ceremony at the airport.

Trump made his way from Air Force 1 to the red carpet, applauding as Putin approached him. They exchanged warm handshakes and entered a waiting limousine, conversing without the help of interpreters.

Later, they convened in a conference room adorned with a backdrop reading "Pursuing Peace," alongside officials including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, contrary to the initial plan for one-on-one discussions.

Prior to his flight to Alaska, Trump hinted at the meeting's significance by posting on social media, "HIGH STAKES!!!", emphasizing the urgency to resolve the ongoing Ukraine War.

"I want to see a ceasefire rapidly," he remarked to reporters on board Air Force 1, adding, "I don't know if it's going to be today, but I'm not going to be happy if it's not today."

"I'm in this to stop the killing," he stated, referring to the most significant conflict in Europe since World War II.

Trump clarified, "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I'm here to get them at a table." He also mentioned he would address Russia's persistent attacks on Ukraine during the discussions.

"It actually hurts him, but in his mind, that helps him make a better deal if they could continue the killing," he noted.

Trump asserted, "I'll be talking to him about it."

As their meeting commenced, reporters shouted questions to Putin regarding the ongoing violence in Ukraine, and he appeared to respond, but his words were inaudible.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will not participate in the direct talks between Trump and Putin, echoed Trump's sentiment by posting on X, "Indeed, high stakes."

He added, "The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. It is time to end the war."

Trump indicated on Thursday that he anticipated a swift second summit involving Zelensky, Putin, and potentially European leaders, contingent on progress made in his discussions with the Russian leader.

However, he has cautioned Putin of "very severe consequences" if a ceasefire is not achieved.

While en route to Anchorage, Putin made a symbolic stop in Magadan, Russia, where he placed flowers at a monument honoring US and Soviet pilots who delivered supplies from the US to Russia during World War II, when both nations were allies.

Putin remarked on Thursday that Trump has been making "fairly vigorous and sincere efforts to halt hostilities, resolve the crisis, and reach agreements that serve the interests of all parties involved in this conflict."

This marks Putin's first visit to the US in a decade, with his last meeting being with former President Barack Obama after a United Nations General Assembly meeting in 2015.

He has met Trump at least six times during Trump's first term, and this will be the first direct interaction in Trump's second term.

A ceasefire depends on two primary factors: a land swap or re-drawing of borders that would grant Russia some Ukrainian territories, and a security guarantee from European nations and the US for Ukraine.