Hundreds of demonstrators waving Ukrainian flags and carrying banners such as “Ukraine and Alaska—Russian never again” lined streets in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Organisers estimated 500 to 1,000 people joined the pro-Ukraine rally, condemning Putin’s invasion and urging Trump not to concede territory in any potential peace deal. A smaller but vocal group of Trump supporters gathered nearby, praising the president’s bid to end the war. Police kept the rival camps apart close to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where Putin landed under tight security amid an International Criminal Court warrant that accuses him of war-time deportations of Ukrainian children. Inside the base, Trump and Putin opened their first face-to-face talks since 2019. Reuters reported the closed-door session had run beyond three hours, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other senior officials present. Trump said he wants an immediate cease-fire and would seek a follow-up meeting that includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy if progress is made; Zelenskiy, who was not invited to Anchorage, reiterated that any settlement must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty. The meeting comes three-and-a-half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion—the deadliest conflict in Europe in eight decades—and as opinion polls show most Americans doubt Trump can make “wise decisions” on Ukraine. Friday’s demonstrations in Alaska and a smaller protest outside the U.S. embassy in Kyiv underscored the domestic and international pressure surrounding the talks.