U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on 15 Aug 2025 at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, marking their first face-to-face encounter since 2019 and Putin’s first visit to U.S. soil in a decade. Both leaders landed within minutes of each other and exchanged a brief handshake on the tarmac before moving to closed-door talks. The White House altered the original one-on-one format, adding Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to the American side, while Moscow confirmed that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and adviser Yuri Ushakov would accompany Putin. The Kremlin said discussions could run six to seven hours and be followed by a joint press conference and working lunch. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he “won’t be happy” without swift progress toward a Ukraine cease-fire and warned of “very severe consequences” for Russia if violence persists. He added that he is “not here to negotiate for Ukraine” but wants to bring the parties to the table and left open the prospect of U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv “not in the form of NATO.” Trump also said he would “walk” away if the meeting falters. Putin arrived after a stop in Russia’s Far East and signaled readiness to discuss both the war and broader bilateral issues, including economic cooperation. The summit excludes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who reiterated that Moscow shows no sign of ending the conflict and said Kyiv is relying on a firm U.S. stance. European leaders have been lobbying Washington in recent days and will watch the Anchorage talks closely for any shift in U.S. policy. A successful outcome could lead to a second, trilateral meeting that includes Ukraine; failure risks deepening divisions between Washington and its allies over how to end the 3½-year-old war.