KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What does it mean when people around the world say: He is a Russian Asset?

• Russian News: Russian President meets Donald Trump in Alaska for talks about nothing.

• Russia News: Russian President Putin has a great time with his old bud from America.

• What was Donald Trump doing at the meeting with Russian President Putin?

• Why did Donald Trump give Russian President Putin a ride in the Beast?

• Why do people say: Is it fake news or a fake President?

Trump and Putin Meet in Alaska, but Talks Yield No Cease-Fire

Daniel TJ International Correspondent Tokyo, Japan

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The air was sharp and cool on the morning of August 15 when the presidential motorcade rolled into Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

A red carpet had been unfurled on the tarmac, and above it, the sky cracked open with the thunder of American warplanes: F-22 Raptors slicing across the horizon, a stealth B-2 bomber gliding silently overhead.

The scene could have been pulled from a Cold War film reel, except this was 2025, and the man stepping out to greet Vladimir V. Putin was Donald J. Trump, once again president of the United States.

Who paid for this meeting? Americans did.

The Alaska summit was billed as a chance to reset relations, to end a brutal war, even to rewrite the story of Trump’s second term.

Instead, after nearly three hours of closed-door discussions, what emerged was a familiar anticlimax: warm words, vague promises of future talks, and no cease-fire in Ukraine.

“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Mr. Trump told reporters afterward, standing beside Mr. Putin but pointedly refusing questions.

Mr. Putin, for his part, described the meeting as “respectful, constructive,” the kind of language that signals little has changed.

Both men smiled, both men gestured toward hope, and both men left Alaska without altering the battlefield reality that has scarred Ukraine for more than three years.

A Room More Crowded Than Promised

Initially, White House aides had suggested a dramatic one-on-one encounter, the kind Trump relishes. In reality, the room filled quickly.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was at Trump’s side, as was Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump confidant turned informal envoy.

Across the table sat Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yury Ushakov, a veteran aide who has long shaped Putin’s foreign policy maneuvers.

The agenda was narrow: Ukraine, sanctions, the future of NATO’s posture in Eastern Europe. But the dynamic was broader.

For Trump, it was a chance to project command, to show that his style of personal rapport could deliver what years of traditional diplomacy could not.

For Putin, it was legitimacy — the sight of a sanctioned, isolated leader being treated to the pomp of a state visit on U.S. soil.

Symbolism and Subplots

The meeting carried layers of symbolism. Alaska itself was no accident. Once Russian territory, sold to the United States in 1867, it remains a reminder of history’s twists.

Putin alluded to this shared past, framing it as a kind of cultural connection. To his critics, it was propaganda.

There were also reminders of Russia’s weakened hand. Senator Rubio later disclosed that Moscow’s delegation had to pay cash to refuel its planes in Anchorage because banking sanctions barred access to the international financial system.

The image of Russian envoys counting out bills on American soil clashed with the grandeur of fighter jets screaming overhead.

Yet in the optics game, Putin still walked away a winner. Appearing beside Trump, under American flags and cameras, he gained the one thing sanctions cannot strip: relevance.

What Was Said, and What Wasn’t

The leaders’ joint appearance lasted less than 20 minutes. There were no questions from journalists, no detailed communiqués. Instead, a pair of rehearsed statements.

Trump called the talks “very productive” and said his team would now consult with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, NATO leaders, and European officials.

He dangled the possibility of future meetings in Washington or even Moscow. “We want peace,” he said. “We want to stop the killing.”

Putin returned to familiar talking points: NATO’s expansion as a provocation, Russia’s security as a legitimate concern, the war as something imposed on Moscow rather than waged by it. He praised Trump for listening, for showing “respect.”

Absent were hard details — no cease-fire timetable, no prisoner swaps, no new humanitarian corridors. For all the noise, the silence on substance was deafening.

A World Reacts

The reactions came quickly, revealing a globe divided not just by geography but by expectation.

In Kyiv, Olena, a schoolteacher, gathered with her students to watch the summit live. “The children wanted to hear about peace,” she said. “Instead, they saw jets and soldiers. They saw men in suits. And then they went back to the shelters that night when the sirens wailed.”

In Berlin, Markus, a diplomat, voiced frustration. “Europe has worked tirelessly to present a united front,” he said.

“What we saw in Alaska was Trump freelancing, leaning closer to Moscow’s narrative, and leaving Europe weaker.”

In Nairobi, Amina, a journalist, noted how familiar the spectacle felt. “Big powers, big stages, big promises. Jets overhead, cameras flashing. And then ordinary people continue to wait, to suffer. It is theater, not diplomacy.”

In São Paulo, Carlos, a political activist, was sharper still. “Trump gave Putin a stage. No progress, no cease-fire, just spectacle. America looks more like Russia’s stage manager than Ukraine’s ally.”

In Tokyo, Yuki, a university student, admitted to mixed feelings. “It feels good when leaders talk, because maybe war can end that way. But it also feels like Putin got everything he wanted without giving anything back. It’s hard not to be skeptical.”

In Moscow, Elena, an office worker, described her neighbors’ reactions with some ambivalence. “They are proud. They say, look, our president stood in America, with Trump, like an equal. But the shops are still expensive, the ruble is still weak.

Some whisper that Trump is practically ours, a friend of Russia more than America.

And in New York, David, an American veteran, spoke with open suspicion. “I fought overseas. I know Russian aggression when I see it. Watching Trump move U.S. demands closer to Putin’s, I don’t see diplomacy. I see a man who acts more like a Russian asset than an American president.”

A Victory in Optics, If Nothing Else

By most measures, the Alaska summit was a victory for Mr. Putin. He stood alongside the U.S. president, forced no concessions, and secured a platform to repeat his narrative unchallenged.

Trump, in turn, secured headlines and the aura of a peacemaker, even as nothing changed for Ukraine.

The stakes remain high. Trump’s administration still controls sanctions, military aid, and NATO’s posture.

But the Alaska meeting underscored how elusive quick solutions remain — and how personal diplomacy, for all its drama, can falter against the weight of geopolitics.

As Air Force One departed Anchorage, the red carpet was rolled up, the jets silent once more. For the people in Ukraine, the war raged on.

For Trump and Putin, the spectacle of Alaska was its own kind of victory. For the rest of the world, it was another reminder that peace is far harder to choreograph than a military flyover.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individuals quoted in this article are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of SavvyJapan-Today or its editorial staff.

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