Anchorage, Alaska — The image was jarring. As Donald Trump stepped off Air Force One in Anchorage, Russian President Vladimir Putin—indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court—approached on a red carpet unfurled from his own plane. Trump clapped, smiled, and grasped Putin’s hand with a warmth that startled allies and critics alike.
For many watching, the embrace was more than symbolic. It embodied Trump’s indifference to Putin’s bloody war in Ukraine and raised profound questions: Was America’s president standing shoulder to shoulder with democracy’s enemies on U.S. soil?
A red-carpet welcome for a war criminal
Putin’s grin was unmistakable as he slid into the back of The Beast, the presidential limousine, alongside Trump. From its window, he chuckled and waved—an image that quickly ricocheted across global media. For Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that has left nearly a million Russians and more than 400,000 Ukrainians dead or injured, Anchorage was a stage to showcase legitimacy. For Trump, it was a chance to boast about his “fantastic relationship with Vladimir.”
But the ICC indictment against Putin—citing the murder and kidnapping of Ukrainian children, among other crimes—did not seem to weigh on Trump. Instead, he spoke of pride in standing beside Russia’s leader, brushing aside America’s historic role in defending democracy.
No ceasefire, no peace—just photo ops
Reporters speculated whether Trump and Putin might negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was pointedly excluded from the talks. In the end, no ceasefire emerged, no pause in the bombings, no shift in the tide of war.
Instead, the two men appeared before a backdrop branded “Pursuing Peace.” Putin flattered Trump, insisting there would have been no invasion had Trump been president in 2022, and demanded the West address Russia’s “legitimate concerns.” Trump responded by repeating his familiar refrain about the “Russia, Russia, Russia hoax” and claiming “great progress.”
The so-called press conference ended without a single question answered.
Money over democracy?
More troubling for critics was Trump’s fixation on commerce. “We also have some tremendous Russian business representatives here,” he said, shifting abruptly from war to deals. “Everybody wants to deal with us… We’ve become the hottest country anywhere in the world in a very short period of time.”
For a summit billed as a peace mission, Trump’s focus on moneymaking with Russia rang alarm bells. Instead of confronting an indicted war criminal, he positioned the U.S. as eager for partnership.
The contrast with Zelensky
The Anchorage optics were starkly different from Trump’s abrasive Oval Office meeting earlier this year with President Zelensky, who received lectures and insults rather than red-carpet honors. Critics argue the contrast revealed Trump’s true allegiances: admiration for autocrats, disdain for democratic allies.
Betrayal of American values
By Saturday morning, Trump had already dropped talk of an immediate ceasefire, aligning himself with Putin’s preference for an “overall agreement” on Russia’s terms. To many, this was yet another betrayal of America’s obligations to NATO, to Ukraine, and to democratic principles.
“The dismantling of values that have defined America continued yesterday in Alaska,” one analyst wrote. “Trump showed once again that his allegiance lies not with democracy but with autocrats.”
Questions left unanswered
Did Trump and Putin strike a private deal in the back of The Beast? Was the true focus of Anchorage not peace but profit? Was Trump signaling a global realignment toward autocracy, regardless of domestic opposition?
What is certain is that the meeting produced no relief for Ukraine and no evidence that Trump intends to honor his pledge to “end the war in one day.”
Instead, Anchorage will be remembered for the optics: an American president clapping for a war criminal, dismissing democratic allies, and putting business interests above human lives.
