On Friday, August 15th, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin gathered in Alaska at the U.S. Joint Base Elmendorf/Richardson (JBER). Their agenda included discussions about the Russo-Ukrainian War and potential solutions for bringing it to a conclusion.

Here’s what happened next.

The two presidents disembarked their official aircraft a little after 11:30 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT), meeting on the tarmac before walking between four parked American F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft to the waiting limousine (American aircraft, including a B-2 bomber, did a flyover, as my colleague Katie Jerkovich so ably reported), where they were whisked away. They took no questions on the tarmac and didn’t respond to shouted questions from the assembled press. The plan was for the two presidents, accompanied only by their interpreters, to sit down for a one-on-one discussion, although there were reports that, as the discussion went on, the two leaders were joined by other staff members and advisors, including the American Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Before the discussion began, we were operating under the assumption that the longer the two men talked in private, the better things would look. And it did continue on for some time; at 1:25 p.m. AKDT, 5:25 p.m. EDT, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted a terse update on X:

Happening now at 5:25pmEST—@POTUS Trump, @SecRubio, and @SteveWitkoff are still meeting behind closed doors with President Putin and the Russian Delegation, here at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) August 15, 2025

And it dragged on…

The Trump-Putin 3-on-3 meeting is now at the 2 1/2 hour mark… https://t.co/sv2M5CCXr2

— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) August 15, 2025

Then, at 2:55 p.m. AKDT, the two leaders emerged. Each made a brief statement; they took no questions. There was no mention of a cease-fire. The various aides and staff who entered just ahead of the two presidents, including Secretary of State Rubio, seemed cheerful and upbeat.

President Putin opened by commenting that he thought the summit was “very successful.” He noted that, across the Bering Strait, Russia and the United States are actually “close neighbors” and added that for this reason, it made sense to have this meeting in Alaska, where he noted he and President Trump “had kind words to say to each other.” He then launched into a history lesson, talking of Alaska, noting all the Russian place names, and how Alaska played a key role in the movement of American-made military aircraft to the Soviet Union; he made a statement acknowledging the courage of the pilots, American and Soviet, who made those flights.

President Putin’s tone seemed optimistic. He noted that Russian-American relations may be at their lowest since the Cold War, and indicated a desire to change that, stating that a personal meeting between the two leaders was long overdue, and that he hoped President Trump could help negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. He also noted that, tariffs or not, bilateral trade is already growing between the two nations, the USA and Russia. Finally, he made an interesting metaphor about the International Date Line that separates America and Russia in the Pacific, noting that one can “step from today to tomorrow.”

President Trump’s statement was brief: He noted that it was a very productive meeting, with many points agreed on, a “couple of big ones” still needing discussion. He indicated that he will next call NATO and all interested parties, including President Zelensky, to inform them of what was discussed; he noted that it is up to Ukraine and Europe to decide if the “deal is worth making.” He stated that he always had a good relationship with President Putin (which statement is sure to get the American left fired up) and reiterated that it was a very successful meeting, “Many points agreed two, just a few left.”

In closing, President Trump laid out a solemn reminder that 5,000-7,000 people were being killed a week, and that has to stop. He said he looked forward to meeting again, to which President Putin replied – in English – “Next time in Moscow.”

President Trump didn’t commit to meeting in the Russian capital: “We’ll see.”

The two presidents did not take any questions, departing immediately after their statements.