President Donald Trump gave a grand welcome, accompanied by a warm handshake, to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as he arrived on US soil on Friday for a meeting that could possibly lead to a peace deal in Ukraine.
Putin was welcomed with an elaborate setup at Alaska's Elmendorf Air Base, which includes a red carpet, multiple fighter jets, and bold signage proclaiming "ALASKA 2025."
An "Alaska 2025" sign and red carpet were ready on the base tarmac for the leaders' arrival.
The carpeting was lined on either side with fighter jets, parked at an angle.
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Social media-viral visuals show how the stage was set up for Putin's grand arrival. It has been reported that the US military personnel and event staff worked in tandem to ensure that every detail — from the positioning of the jets to the alignment of the towering white letters — was flawless.
Trump-Putin arrive in Alaska
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began discussions at a highly anticipated summit, with the US leader looking to secure an end to the war in Ukraine.
{{/usCountry}}U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began discussions at a highly anticipated summit, with the US leader looking to secure an end to the war in Ukraine.
{{/usCountry}}Trump’s allies have cast the US president as a heavyweight negotiator who can find a way to bring the slaughter to a close, something he used to boast he could do quickly.
For Putin, a summit with Trump offers a long-sought opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia’s gains, block Kyiv’s bid to join the NATO military alliance and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow’s orbit.
Trump hopes a truce in the 3-1/2-year-old war - the deadliest in Europe since World War II - will bring peace to the region as well as bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev described the pre-summit mood as "combative" and said the two leaders would discuss not only Ukraine but the full spectrum of bilateral relations, Russia's RIA news agency reported.