Updated on: Aug 16, 2025 01:41 am IST
Ahead of the meeting, both Trump and Putin exchanged greetings and shared a hand shake at the military base in Alaska.
Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to answer and chose silence when he was asked by journalists at the Alaska airport whether he would agree to a ceasefire as he meets US President Donald Trump to discuss the possible peace deal to end Ukraine war.
Asked whether he would “stop killing civilians,” Putin appeared to gesture that he couldn’t hear the question.
Ahead of the meeting, both Trump and Putin exchanged greetings and shared a hand shake at the military base in Alaska. The leaders are holding a closed-door meeting aimed at determining whether a ceasefire can be reached in the Ukraine war.
In what is their first meeting in around six years, both Trump and Putin sat silently with their delegations seated to the side, before a blue backdrop which carried the words “Pursuing Peace”.
The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff.
Trump had, before leaving for Alaska, said he was “not going to be happy” if a ceasefire was not reached at the end of the meeting. “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly … I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today … I want the killing to stop,” Trump said onboard Air Force One.
The US President also said he would let Ukraine have a say on any territorial swaps, asserting that he was not there to negotiate for them. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I’m here to get them at a table,” Trump said.
