Putin's bizarre reaction to 'when will you stop killing' question before Trump meeting - Watch

Vladimir Putin's ‘bizarre’ gesture caught several social media users' attention just ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday.

Updated on: Aug 16, 2025, 01:15:40 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Vladimir Putin's ‘bizarre’ gesture caught several social media users' attention just ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday. After the Russian president walked down the red carpet in front of his plane, a reporter yelled, “When will you stop killing civilians?” Putin, who seemed to be caught off guard, simply shrugged, further indicating that he couldn't hear the reporter.

President Donald Trump (R) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrive at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (Getty Images via AFP)

Putin and Trump then met on the carpet, shook hands, before getting into the US president's limousine. The two leaders made no statements and took no questions as they sat side by side. At the time of writing this story, a meeting is underway.

Putin and Trump are expected to hold a joint press conference at the end of the summit.

However, the Russian president's ‘shrug’ became a talking point ahead of the meeting.

“A REPORTER ASKED IF PUTIN WOULD STOP KILLING CHILDREN AND HE F*****G SHRUGGED,” one person pointed out on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

“When asked by a reporter if he will “stop killing civilians”, Putin shrugs,” another one tweeted. Both users attached a video to their posts.

Three-on-three meeting

Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the previously planned one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin is now a three-on-three meeting. The American leader is joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff while his counterpart is accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.

"HIGH STAKES!!!" Trump posted shortly before he boarded Air Force One on Friday. The 79-year-old told reporters that his talks with Putin will include Russia's demands from Ukraine and a potential peace deal between the two countries.

“I’ve got to let Ukraine make that decision. And I think they’ll make a proper decision,” he said.

The president further added that there is a ‘possibility’ of the US offering Ukraine security guarantees alongside European powers, ‘but not in the form of NATO’.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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