▲ On August 15th, local time, in 2025, at around 11 a.m., U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin met at the airport of the Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Military Base in Anchorage, Alaska. The photo is from Visual China.
On August 15th, local time, in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, the “Trump-Putin Meeting” concluded. According to news reports, after the meeting, U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin departed separately.
Russian President Putin stated that the talks were conducted in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere, and Trump also expressed that significant progress had been made. However, no ceasefire agreement, which was most expected by the outside world, was reached at the end of the meeting.
“Extremely unusual” welcome ceremony:
Riding the “Beast” without a translator
The opening of the summit was described as “rare” and “extremely unusual” by the outside world.
▲ U.S. F-35 fighter jets flying over the Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Military Base
According to reports, the United States made a “big display” for this meeting. Live footage showed that as the two leaders walked on the red carpet, four F-22 “Raptor” stealth fighters were parked on both sides, and a B-2 “Ghost” bomber roared overhead. Some reports saw this as a “display of force,” specifically pointing out that these warplanes were developed to counter the Soviet Union; however, some US media saw it as a sign of Trump’s high-specification welcome for Putin.
Then, another “unusual” scene occurred. According to reports, at Trump’s invitation, Putin joined Trump in the U.S. president’s official vehicle, the “Beast,” without a translator. Some reports also noticed a detail: Putin’s own car was waiting on the tarmac, which might suggest that the co-ride was not pre-arranged.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zarahova wrote on social media about the welcome ceremony: “For years, they have been talking about isolating Russia, and today they saw the red carpet welcoming the Russian president.”
单独的会谈变成“三对三”：华丽开场后，真正的对话在会议室展开。会谈以“三对三”模式闭门举行，持续了近三个小时。俄罗斯驻美大使达尔奇耶夫在会谈结束后向媒体表示，会谈气氛“总体上是积极的”，并且当前与美国的沟通基调是“务实的，以结果为导向的”。除了乌克兰问题，双方似乎还讨论了其他议题。会谈涉及议题广泛，除乌克兰问题外，双方似乎还就其他议题进行了讨论。
According to Darcheev, Russia has prepared a document on resuming air traffic between Russia and the United States and has submitted it to the US for review, hoping to discuss it in detail in the next round of negotiations.
▲ On August 15, 2025, local time, Trump and Putin held a closed-door “three-on-three” meeting that lasted nearly three hours. Photo from Visual China
However, just after the meeting ended, Russian officials kept a tight lid on the specific achievements. Reports said that both the Russian president’s special representative, Dmitriyev, and Finance Minister Siluanov did not disclose or answer questions about the meeting results, adding a bit of mystery to this “positive” meeting.
Although the atmosphere was positive, the positions of both sides on core issues, as expressed before and after the meeting, showed certain differences.
Putin stated his position after the meeting. He said, “To achieve a lasting solution, ‘we need to eliminate all the main causes of the conflict.'” Some analysis pointed out that Putin’s statement covered a series of “unacceptable” conditions for Kyiv, such as Ukraine’s abandonment of joining NATO.
The “host-first speech” press conference:
Trump: Progress has been made, but no agreement has been reached
The after-meeting session was again filled with “unusual” details.
Some reports noted that the press conference broke with convention, as Putin, the “guest,” took the lead in speaking for about eight minutes. Trump, known for his lengthy and sometimes off-the-cuff speeches, spoke for only about four minutes. Furthermore, after the two leaders made brief statements, “they left without answering hundreds of questions on site.”
▲ On August 15, 2025, local time, Putin and Trump at a joint news conference. Photo from Visual China
The statements from both sides about the meeting results were also vague. Putin said, “We hope to finally end the conflict with Ukraine,” while Trump said, “We have made some progress… but no agreement counts until it’s really reached.”
“I will call NATO later. I will call the people I think are appropriate. Of course, I will also call President Zelensky and tell him about the meeting today. It ultimately depends on them,” Trump said after the summit. Some analysis believed that although no substantive agreement was reached, Putin presented Trump with a “public relations gift” at the meeting. Putin said, “Today President Trump said that if he were president at that time, there would be no war, and I am quite sure that’s true. I can confirm this.”
John Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor, commented in an interview, “Trump didn’t lose, but Putin clearly won. Russia avoided sanctions, there was no ceasefire… he achieved most of his goals. Putin made great progress in rebuilding relations with the US, which I always considered his key objective.” Some Ukrainian politicians believed that Putin “used Trump to show that he was not isolated.”
The summit concluded with Putin’s invitation and Trump’s possible response.
As the press conference was wrapping up, Putin issued a next invitation to Trump in English, “Next time in Moscow.”
Trump responded to this, “Oh, that’s interesting. I may get some criticism for this, but I think it’s possible.”
After the event, the two leaders departed separately. Following his meeting with US President Trump, Russian President Putin traveled to a Soviet pilot’s cemetery in Alaska to lay a wreath, while Trump returned to Washington, DC.