Minute by minute/ Historic Trump-Putin meeting begins in Alaska, long hours of talks expected

When Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Finland for their 2018 summit, they spoke alone accompanied by translators for more than two hours before inviting their aides to join them.

It initially appeared that this Alaska summit might have a similar head-to-head session, but that has now changed.

As Air Force One touched down in Anchorage, US journalists were told that the summit would begin with a three-on-three meeting before a broader working lunch. Trump will be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his all-rounder envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Rubio was a staunch opponent of Russia before he ascended to the State Department post, and Witkoff has been involved in direct talks with Russian leaders for months.

This provides the US president with an extra layer of support in what he has described as a "high-stakes" summit and could be a relief for America's European allies, who have expressed concern that the often unpredictable Trump could offer Putin unexpected concessions or deals. /BBC

Just moments ago, we saw foreign journalists asking Vladimir Putin questions during his welcoming ceremony in Alaska.

This is the first time in a long time that the Russian president has found himself in a room with so many independent journalists who are not controlled by the Kremlin.

The work of the Russian press group that usually travels with the president is very different from the way American journalists cover events.

Unauthorized or uncomfortable questions are almost never asked.

Today, journalists have managed to ask Putin screaming questions, such as "when will you stop killing civilians?" and "why should Trump trust your words?"

There is no way of knowing whether the Russian president heard the questions - but if he does come out for a press conference, it will be impossible to completely avoid uncomfortable topics. /BBC

The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was originally intended to be a one-on-one meeting with only two translators present, is being attended by four other people.

On the American side, there is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who in 2016 challenged Trump in the Republican primaries to choose the presidential candidate (he came third), but later became an ally of the former tycoon, and Steve Witkoff, a lawyer and real estate developer and friend of Trump, who in recent months has become the White House special envoy in charge of managing the most sensitive international files, such as the Middle East crisis and, specifically, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

On the Russian side, Putin was joined by seventy-five-year-old Sergei Lavrov, a veteran who served as Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations for ten years and has been Foreign Minister for twenty-one, and Yuri Ushakov, the advisor who is always on the side of the "tsar" when it comes to relations with the United States, thanks to his ten-year experience as the Kremlin's ambassador to Washington, from 1998 to 2008.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not answer reporters' questions about the war in Ukraine as his meeting with President Donald Trump and top aides was scheduled to begin.

Putin appeared to have a confused expression, as many journalists began shouting questions.

He was asked if he would accept a ceasefire, if he would pledge not to kill any more civilians, and why Trump should take his word for it now.

Putin was then seen speaking loudly and shouting something in the direction of the press, but it is not clear what he said.

When President Donald Trump meets with world leaders, whether in the Oval Office or during trips abroad, he usually has a lot to say when the meetings begin.

Friday was different. As the two leaders sat in their meeting room at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, they stood in silence as cameras captured the moment. Neither offered opening remarks.

Trump smiled and at one point leaned over to say something to his interpreter. The backdrop of the meeting carried a message about his goal, at least from the American perspective: “The pursuit of peace.”

“Can you make a deal with him, sir?” a reporter asked. Trump did not respond.

After a moment, Trump let the press go. “Thank you very much, everyone,” he said. “Thank you.”

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have begun their meeting in Alaska. The media were allowed little to film the meeting environment. As the two leaders posed for the cameras, reporters were shouting questions at the leaders.

One asked Putin if he would “stop killing civilians.” The Russian president pointed to his ear and shrugged in response.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff are seated alongside Trump, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his aide Yuri Ushakov are next to Putin.

President Vladimir Putin has joined President Donald Trump in his presidential limousine as they descend the runway and head to their meeting.

The move is unusual, especially for an adversary. When Trump wanted North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to join him in the car during their 2018 summit in Singapore, aides convinced him not to.

But this is a different era for Trump, with different advisers and goals. And while their face-to-face meeting has expanded to include advisers, it's an indication that Trump and Putin will still have a moment to themselves — even if it's just for a short car ride.

US and Russian leaders arrive in Alaska...

The whole world is currently turning its eyes to Alaska. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shook hands after disembarking from their planes.

The first to arrive at the Anchorage military base was Trump. 30 minutes later, Putin arrived. The two got off the planes and after shaking hands, exchanged a few words. Then the two got into the same vehicle to head to the place where the meeting will be held. Unlike what was planned for a face-to-face meeting, that will not happen. The two leaders will be accompanied by their staffs. The talks are expected to last approximately 6-7 hours.

When President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart sit down for their talks, the two leaders will be surrounded by a security blanket intended to protect them from physical threats and espionage from the other side, national security sources tell us.

Federal agents and military personnel responsible for managing security for such high-profile events arrived in Anchorage this week for the hastily organized summit, a source said.

While the U.S. Secret Service is ultimately responsible for the summit's security, the agency has been working closely with Vladimir Putin's security team, the source said.

Online flight tracking data showed a Boeing E-3C military surveillance aircraft taking off from the airport this morning. The aircraft, with its large radar dome, can detect threats from within, including aircraft and missiles.

Potential espionage: As American and Russian security officials work together to protect Trump and Putin from danger, a less diplomatic defensive operation is also taking place behind the scenes: espionage protection.

"There is no trust here between the (intelligence) services," said an official who has participated in security operations at similar meetings in the past.

Wary of technical eavesdropping by US intelligence, the source said Putin's delegation is likely to carry with them so-called "harmful" phones and computers that can later be discarded. They will also typically be briefed on best practices to avoid compromise.

"But Putin doesn't need training," the source said, noting that the Russian president himself was a former KGB intelligence officer.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has kept his American counterpart Donald Trump waiting for nearly half an hour. His plane has just landed at a military base in Alaska where they are due to meet to discuss the fate of Ukraine.

Donald Trump landed in Anchorage on Air Force One, where he will meet with Vladimir Putin.

While Trump has not yet disembarked, his deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, has posted behind-the-scenes updates from the plane.

He shared a short video of the deployment on the ground - and it looks like a massive display of US military power awaits Vladimir Putin, who will land soon...

Kamerat janë të fiksuara në derën e hapur të Air Force One ndërsa presim që Donald Trump të zbresë nga avioni.

Por duket se është një lojë pritjeje, pasi ne ende presim që Vladimir Putin të zbarkojë në Alaska.

Ndwrkoihw takimi kokë më kokë që ishte planifikuar midis presidentëve Donald Trump dhe Vladimir Putin tani do të përfshijë këshilltarët e të dy liderwve, sipas Shtëpisë së Bardhë.

Sekretarja e shtypit Karoline Leavitt u tha gazetarëve në bordin e Air Force One se Trump tani do të shoqërohej nga Sekretari i Shtetit Marco Rubio dhe i Dërguari i Posaçëm Steve Witkoff për pjesën dypalëshe të bisedimeve.

Leavitt tha më parë këtë javë se udhëheqësit do të takoheshin kokë më kokë, dhe nuk ishte menjëherë e qartë pse këto plane kishin ndryshuar.

Pas pjesës dypalëshe të samitit, delegacionet do të takohen për drekë. Rubio, Witkoff, Sekretari i Thesarit Scott Bessent, Sekretari i Tregtisë Howard Lutnick, Sekretari i Mbrojtjes Pete Hegseth dhe shefja e shtabit Susie Wiles pritet të bashkohen gjithashtu.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have agreed to hold an official meeting following the conclusion of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin being held in Alaska.

The news was confirmed by the Elysee Palace, which announced that the two leaders spoke on the phone today and expressed their willingness to meet "at a time when it will be more useful and effective", depending on the developments that emerge from the meeting between Washington and Moscow.

Zelensky has intensified diplomatic contacts over the past week. He met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin and then with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, seeking further support for his country's security and stability.

The announced meeting between Zelensky and Macron is expected to focus on the next steps after any agreement or change that may emerge from the Trump-Putin summit, especially regarding the West's position on the conflict in Ukraine and security guarantees for Kiev.

Talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could last "at least 6 to 7 hours," a Kremlin spokesman said, according to Russian state media.

"The Russian side expects the meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska to end productively," state media RIA Novosti said, citing comments from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Peskov also said that Trump and Putin's one-on-one talks "will take place with the participation of aides," without clarifying which aides would be involved.

The Kremlin said earlier this week that the leaders would be assisted by translators during a one-on-one conversation at the start of the summit, before continuing talks over a working lunch.

According to the agenda, the meeting is expected to start around 9:30 p.m. Albanian time. If it lasts 6-7 hours, then it is expected to end after 3 a.m.

When President Donald Trump departed Washington for Alaska this morning along with his top aides, there was one critical player who was not on the plane nor planning to meet them in Anchorage: Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

Why won't he be there? Kellogg, a former general who has been the Trump administration's chief negotiator with the Ukrainians, is perceived by the Russian side as sympathetic to Ukraine, which could have made his presence at the meeting "counterproductive," a senior administration official explained.

Kellogg has shared all the information he gathered from his conversations with the Ukrainians with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, two senior administration officials said, arguing that his absence was not a major concern.

An official also pointed out that Rubio is also not perceived as soft on Russia, given his previous statements calling Putin a war criminal during his days on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

However, on the other hand, Europeans are concerned about Kellogg's exclusion from the delegation.

“He had hoped to be there and he should be there,” said one European official, adding that it is a loss not to have his deep knowledge. Kellogg has the best understanding of what Ukraine might include in a deal, the official said.

Kellogg is expected to be included in the delegation that will go to any future meetings with the US, Russia and Ukraine, the sources said.