Trump Sets High Stakes for Putin Meeting with New Warning

U.S. President Donald Trump has set a very clear tone for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, held Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Trump said he would be willing to “walk away” if the talks didn’t produce progress. “I would walk, yeah,” Trump emphasized, underscoring the pressure he’s placing on the summit.

Trump added that his top priority is pushing for a ceasefire in Ukraine. “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly,” he told reporters. “Everyone said it can’t be today, but I’m just saying I want the killing to stop. I’m in this to stop the killing.”

The meeting opened with a lengthy handshake between Trump and Putin, followed by hours of discussions. Before the summit, Trump posted “HIGH STAKES!!!” on Truth Social, while the optics of the encounter smiling handshakes and Trump applauding Putin’s arrival immediately caught attention worldwide.

Unlike earlier plans for a one-on-one, Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Other U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles later joined for a working lunch. On Russia’s side, Putin was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, policy adviser Yury Ushakova, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, and sovereign wealth fund head Kirill Dmitriev.

Notably absent was Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not represented at the table, though Trump had held a virtual call with Zelenskyy and European leaders earlier in the week. Zelenskyy later posted on X that the summit should open a “real path toward a just peace” and stressed the importance of including Ukraine in any meaningful negotiations.

For Trump, the message is clear: he wants “certain things,” with a ceasefire at the top of the list. For Zelenskyy, the hope is that the U.S. will keep Ukraine’s voice central in discussions. The meeting is set to conclude with a joint press conference, where the world will be watching closely to see whether these high-stakes talks bring even a small step toward peace.