Trump and Putin meet in Alaska

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ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - The President of the United States , Donald Trump , was the first to land in Anchorage, in Alaska , this Friday, 15, but waited a few minutes to disembark at the same time as his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin .

The American displayed several welcome arrangements for Putin: a military flyover, a red carpet, a presidential handshake, and a private ride with Trump in the presidential limousine. The Republican even applauded Putin as he approached on the red carpet.

They landed simultaneously at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage around 11:09 a.m. local time (4:09 p.m. Brasília time). Alaska is a U.S. territory, though it was formerly Russian. This is Putin's first visit to the United States in a decade.

The two presidents descended the steps of their aircraft and shook hands, smiling broadly. The choreography was designed to have them meet in the middle of a red carpet.

Then they walked the carpet and stopped to pose for a photo, ignoring the reporters' shouted questions. A B2 bomber flew overhead as the two world leaders walked the carpet.

Journalists shouted questions at Putin, but were ignored. When a reporter asked Putin if he would stop killing civilians, Putin smiled and pointed to his ear.

They shook hands again at the end of the walk and entered Trump's presidential limousine, sitting side by side without a translator.

It's highly unusual to see the leaders of two superpowers—and, in this case, adversaries—traveling in the same limousine. Putin speaks enough English to hold a conversation. This may add to the mystery of what the two leaders are discussing privately on this visit, much like a conversation they had in Hamburg in 2017, early in Trump's first term.

After arriving at the meeting venue, Trump and Putin remained silent as photographers snapped photos. They ignored shouted questions from reporters in a room at the air base.

Now the small meeting will begin, followed by a larger group meeting. Trump was with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, at his side. Putin was with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov at his side.

Vladimir Putin looked happy and genuinely excited as he stepped off the plane and greeted Trump. And he had every reason to feel that way. After three years of diplomatic isolation, sanctions, and the issuance of an arrest warrant for war crimes, he had just landed on the territory of perhaps the world's most powerful nation and NATO leader, and was warmly welcomed by the American president on a red carpet.

It was exactly the visual image Putin was going for, and it explains why he enthusiastically embraced the idea of holding this Alaska meeting. Even if the session itself made little or no progress, Putin is back in the company of superpower interlocutors. /NYT