President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin are holding a joint press conference in Anchorage, Alaska Friday afternoon, following a high-stakes meeting regarding Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The two leaders arrived minutes apart at Joint Base Elmendorf in Anchorage, Alaska around noon on Friday, and first met on a red carpet walkway laid out on the tarmac, while a U.S. military flyover zoomed overhead in a perfectly-timed show of power.
President Trump has stated repeatedly that he wants the killing to STOP, and warned that there will be severe economic consequences if Putin won’t agree to peace with Ukraine.
However, Trump has stated that this meeting between himself and Putin is simply a first step toward a future meeting that should involve Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The backdrop for the press conference reads, “Pursuing Peace.” The stage is set up with separate podiums for Trump and Putin. It has been noted that if only Trump appears at the press briefing, that will be a bad sign that the meeting didn’t go well.
As of 6:30 p.m. ET, reporters have been notified that the summit has concluded, and the press conference is set to begin momentarily. Fox News said they have been notified that Putin will, indeed, participate in the press conference alongside President Trump.
Trump reportedly made a phone call to Zelenskyy and other European leaders ahead of the joint news conference.
UPDATE: President Trump allowed Putin to speak first. The Russian leader praised Trump as a “dear neighbor,” rambled about a close relationship between Russia and the U.S., and said Trump is correct that if he had been president in the last term, the war wouldn’t have happened.
Trump said they had a “very productive meeting,” but added, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Trump noted that some stipulations are not yet agreed on, but said, “We’ll get there.”
Putin and Trump took no questions after they each delivered their remarks, and neither gave any indication on exactly what they discussed or what kind of agreement may have been reached.
Trump politely told Putin he would see him soon, and Putin responded that Trump should come to Moscow.
Trump winced, and joked that he may catch some backlash if he agreed to that.
WATCH FULL COVERAGE of the press conference in the video below:
The White House Rapid Response team has been posting photos and videos from today’s events in Alaska.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 15, 2025
The handshake between @POTUS and Russian President Vladimir Putin after arriving in Alaska pic.twitter.com/YWxNIHIO9D
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 15, 2025
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nMBvpnDTrP
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 15, 2025
A huge crowd of people lined the streets in Anchorage to show their support for President Trump, and several people have spoken to the media. The Rapid Response Team posted the following videos on X:
“I’m extremely grateful to be an American… I always think it’s a great opportunity when colleagues and myself and other patriots all across the state of Alaska get to come together and to support our President.” pic.twitter.com/FYmxbW0dwe
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 15, 2025
ALASKA PATRIOTS:
“We feel honored that we could come out and support President Trump. There are several Ukrainians here that live in Alaska — they’re here to support him, too.”
“We love America and Trump is the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time.”
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pg5rG7uUuy
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 15, 2025
ALASKA IS TRUMP COUNTRY! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/XtXVh3n99G
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 15, 2025
BREAKING: Trump and Putin arrive in Alaska for high-stakes summit [VIDEO]
BREAKING: Hillary Clinton makes offer to Trump ahead of Putin summit if truce is reached
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