Overview

• The summit began with a ceremonial red-carpet handshake and a flyover by B-2 bombers and fighter jets at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
• What was meant to be a private one-on-one meeting expanded into a three-on-three session with Trump joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff, and Putin accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and adviser Yuri Ushakov.
• Trump publicly pressed for a rapid Ukraine ceasefire and warned that Russia would face “economically severe” consequences if negotiations falter.
• Ukraine and European partners were excluded from the talks, raising alarm among Kyiv and Western capitals over potential backroom compromises on Ukrainian territory.
• Closed-door discussions are ongoing and no concrete commitments have emerged on halting hostilities or resolving territorial disputes.