Russian President Vladimir Putin was confronted with a barrage of questions from foreign journalists upon his arrival in Alaska on Saturday for high-stakes Ukraine war talks with US President Donald Trump.
Putin Rare Gesture
During the welcome ceremony, reporters called out questions on issues ranging from civilian casualties to the prospects of a ceasefire in the three-year-old war.
One journalist asked, “When will you stop killing civilians?”, prompting a gesture from Putin suggesting he could not hear. Another question queried why Trump should trust his words, but no definitive response emerged regarding a potential ceasefire.
Such unfiltered exchanges are rare for Putin, whose travel events typically limit press access to state-approved reporters.
Journalists were thrown out after they started asking putin about the shelling of peaceful cities and the killing of civilians. pic.twitter.com/K2B4VjAsEE
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) August 15, 2025
Trump-Putin Alaska Summit at US Base
When journalists persisted with their questions throughout the summit, Trump merely had a courteous, “Thank you very much,” before the media was ushered out. The summit is a unusual face-to-face exchange between the US and Russian presidents in the midst of the current clashes in Ukraine, with both presidents under tremendous pressure at home and abroad.
Journalists tried to ask Putin questions, but judging by his gestures, he didn’t hear anything because of the noise.
After 20 seconds of filming, all reporters were asked to leave the meeting. pic.twitter.com/7QnHo51c0J
— Flaming Saffron (@FlamingSaffron) August 15, 2025
Trump’s Expectations From Alaska Summit With Putin
Ahead of the summit, Trump underscored that the talks could have an impact on both the course of Ukraine conflict and relations between the US and Russia. Addressing Fox News, he stated, “I think it’s going to work out very well, and if it doesn’t, I’m going to head back home real fast.”
Fox anchor Bret Baier posed to him a question, “If it doesn’t, you walk?” To which Trump responded, “I would walk, yeah.
When Fox anchor Bret Baier asked, “If it doesn’t, you walk?” Trump replied, “I would walk, yeah.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
