BREAKING NEWS Warm smiles, a ride in the Beast and a united front but no deal

[CharlieH]

 

In an electrifying face-to-face, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shared a handshake for the first time since 2018.

Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, the leaders seemed amicable at first but left without a Ukraine deal. A body language expert noted a shift from friendly to frosty.

 

Trump welcomed Putin with open arms and plenty of physical contact. He clapped as Putin arrived, likening his welcome to that of an A-list celebrity entrance. This was the first time Putin set foot on U.S. soil in ten years, making the meeting highly significant.

During the lengthy greeting, Putin appeared delighted, with one expert saying he was 'purring' with joy. However, inviting Putin without Ukrainian President Zelensky raised eyebrows among national security experts, seeing it as a win for the Russian leader.

 

The atmosphere changed quickly when Trump and Putin got down to business. The U.S. president's demeanour turned serious, with a steely look replacing his earlier smiles. The body language showed a marked shift as Trump adopted a more authoritative stance.

 

Their final handshake revealed this change in tone. Trump was all business, dropping Putin's hand quickly and avoiding any further pats. It was a stark contrast to the initial display of friendliness.

 

As they touched down in Alaska, the two leaders exchanged pleasantries before their crucial talks on Ukraine. Trump's enthusiastic fist-pumping and clapping presented a peculiar image for a situation seeking resolution to bloody conflict.

The choreography continued with a red carpet welcome as the leaders walked side by side to various photo-ops. Amid these, a reporter shouted to Putin about civilian deaths in Ukraine, to which Putin merely shrugged—a gesture indicating disregard or ambiguity.

 

Trump then guided Putin with a hand on his back towards "The Beast", his presidential limousine. Through the car windows, Putin's wide smile suggested he was pleased with the diplomatic exchange, despite the lack of a formal agreement.

The grand summit ended without a deal on the Ukraine conflict, but both leaders signalled a willingness for further discussions. The outcome of these talks remains in the balance, leaving global observers on edge.

 

One striking moment saw the sky filled with a display of B-2 jets—a sharp reminder of American might. Both leaders observed this power move, acknowledging Alaska as a neutral ground with underlying tensions.

 

As they departed, the contrast between the initial warm handshakes and their concluding stiffness reflected the evolving dynamics of this high-stakes meeting. While no breakthrough was achieved, the meeting left the door open for future negotiations.

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Daily Mail 2025-08-16

 

 

 

[Rimmer]

Here is a link of Trump flying a B2 Bomber over Putin head as he walks from his airplane: 😅

 

 

 

 

[stevenl]

I guess it could have been worse.

Trump could have promised Putin a deal, where Russia gets Crimea, Donbass and other regions there, while in return Ukraine promises to stop it's ambition for a NATO and EU membership.

[chercheur888]

14 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I guess it could have been worse.

Trump could have promised Putin a deal, where Russia gets Crimea, Donbass and other regions there, while in return Ukraine promises to stop it's ambition for a NATO and EU membership.

How do you know he did not promised a deal to Putin?

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, chercheur888 said:

How do you know he did not promised a deal to Putin?

He would have announced a big win.

[Bannoi]

Since leaving the army I have come to the realisation that the general population was probably only told half of what we were told.

 

And we were told jack s hit.

[billd766]

Did anybody in their right mind (this automatically excludes the MAGAnista element) really expect Trump (the art of the deal)  to reach an agreement with Putin?

[stevenl]

1 minute ago, billd766 said:

Did anybody in their right mind (this automatically excludes the MAGAnista element really expect Trump (the art of the deal)  to reach an agreement with Putin?

I did, i expected this to happen.

 

Trump could have promised Putin a deal, where Russia gets Crimea, Donbass and other regions there, while in return Ukraine promises to stop it's ambition for a NATO and EU membership.

[billd766]

Just now, stevenl said:

I did, i expected this to happen.

 

Trump could have promised Putin a deal, where Russia gets Crimea, Donbass and other regions there, while in return Ukraine promises to stop it's ambition for a NATO and EU membership.

Trump could promise whatever Putin wanted, but I very much doubt if he could deliver it.

[CallumWK]

 

The expression I read from Putin's face.

 

Putin : I've got you by the balls for a long time already, and you know it, so better ease down on your bullying.

[spidermike007]

To some of us it would appear that every time Trump meets with an adversarial world leader like Putin, Kim, Xi, or MBS they get the best of him. He often fails to get any concessions out of them and the meetings often seem relatively meaningless from a standpoint of progress. 

 

Though Trump described it as very high stakes, it does not appear that anything productive has come out of it for the US, and some of us might guess that Putin was able to extract some concessionary promises from Trump, based on the way Trump is talking about easing sanctions and renewing trade with Russia.

 

Trump called it a 10 out of 10. I mean honestly how do you rate this a 10 with no ceasefire, no second meeting, and no deal?

 

Maybe it was a good thing that a deal was not struck, as it was very likely that Trump would have given away the store and gotten very little in return for it, and of course negotiated whatever he would have included in his so-called deal without the participation of Ukraine. 

 

President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States and Russia “didn’t get there” on a deal regarding the war in Ukraine, even as he called his three-hour meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin “extremely productive.” The meeting—which Trump had billed as “high stakes”—ended earlier than expected and on a deflated note for the U.S., with no concrete steps reached toward a ceasefire, and Trump cutting their joint press conference short.

 

The two said they would meet again, possibly in Moscow. After their meeting concluded, both Trump and Putin spoke only briefly to reporters and neither took any questions. The summit had been framed as potentially determine the trajectory of the war and paving the way for future negotiations between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, who had warned that he was counting on “a strong position from America.”

 

Trump had previously warned Putin of “very severe consequences” if a ceasefire is not reached and said he’s prepared to “walk away” from the talks if they do not go well. Trump’s suggestion of easing economic restrictions has drawn sharp criticism from European allies, who warn that any premature normalization could undermine the unified Western stance on sanctions and harm Ukraine’s position in ongoing negotiations.

 

Some analysts and Congressional Republicans, including Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska, have also warned that such a move risks rewarding Putin’s invasion by effectively legitimizing Russia’s territorial gains and military aggression. Trump told reporters earlier Friday that he believed “something” will come of the summit in Alaska and praised his relationship with Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine has resulted in tens of thousands of civilians killed and millions displaced.

 

https://time.com/7309902/trump-putin-meeting-ultimatum-ceasefire-talks/

 

 

 

 

 

 

[spidermike007]

33 minutes ago, chercheur888 said:

How do you know he did not promised a deal to Putin?

He likely did. One which was totally in Russia's favor in which Trump got barely anything in the way of concessions.