Trump Gives Putin a Red-Carpet Welcome in Alaska and Leaves Without a Ceasefire

On August 15, 2025, President Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage for the first meeting between the two leaders of Trump's second term. Putin was received with a red carpet, a flyover by F-22 fighters and a B-2 bomber, and a ride with Trump in the presidential limousine. The summit produced no ceasefire and no announced agreement. At a joint appearance, Trump said "some great progress" had been made with "many points agreed to" but gave no specifics; Putin said the two had reached an "understanding" without describing it. Neither leader took questions on Ukraine at the outset.

Trump had warned before the meeting of "severe consequences" and additional sanctions if Russia did not move toward ending the war; no new sanctions followed the summit. Hosting Putin on American soil with military ceremonial honors ended his diplomatic isolation among Western capitals at a moment when he faced an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, and Ukraine was not represented at the table. The contrast with the administration's public treatment of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February 2025 was widely noted.

Zelenskyy and European leaders met Trump at the White House on August 18 to press Ukraine's position. No ceasefire resulted from either meeting during August 2025.