Sawt Falasteen - Trump offers warm welcome to Putin at high-stakes summit

In choreographed drama, the two leaders arrived in their respective presidential jets and descended on the tarmac of an air base, with Trump clapping as Putin stepped on Western soil for the first time since ordering the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

US military might was on display with a B-2 stealth bomber flying overhead, as a reporter shouted audibly to Putin, "Will you stop killing civilians?"

Putin, undaunted, grinned widely as Trump took the unusual step of escorting him into "The Beast," the secure US presidential limousine, before a meeting in a room before a screen that said -- in English only -- "Pursuing Peace."

The White House said the presidents and top aides were still meeting after two hours, signaling no early collapse to the summit which Trump said he was willing to cut short if necessary.

Putin smiled and joked with Russian reporters on the visit, a breakthrough for a leader who is facing an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court related to the Ukraine war, which has killed tens of thousands of people.

- 'Good respect level' -

Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin's hand in any ceasefire negotiations, although Ukraine announced as Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Anchorage, Trump sounded a positive note. "There's a good respect level on both sides and I think something's going to come out of it," he said.

Trump has insisted he will be firm with Putin, after coming under heated criticism for appearing cowed during a 2018 summit in Helsinki.

The White House on Friday abruptly announced that Trump was scrapping a plan to see Putin alone and he instead entered the talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his roving envoy Steve Witkoff.

The White House planned a working lunch with a larger entourage and was setting up for a joint news conference.

Every word and gesture was being closely watched by European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not included and has refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia.

"It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelensky said in a social media post.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would not forecast the outcome of the meeting.

"We never make any predictions ahead of time," Lavrov told Russian state television after he reached Alaska, wearing what appeared to be a shirt with "USSR" written across it in Cyrillic script.

Trump has promised to consult with European leaders and Zelensky, saying that any final agreement would come in a three-way meeting with Putin and the Ukrainian president to "divvy up" territory.

- 'Severe' consequences -

Trump has boasted of his relationship with Putin, blamed predecessor Joe Biden for the war, and vowed before his return to the White House in January that he would be able to bring peace within 24 hours.

But despite repeated calls to Putin, and a February 28 White House meeting in which Trump publicly berated Zelensky, the Russian leader has shown no signs of compromise.

Saying he "would walk" from the table if the meeting didn't go well, Trump told reporters he "wouldn't be happy" if a ceasefire could not be secured immediately.

The talks were taking place at Elmendorf Air Force Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska and a Cold War facility for surveillance of the former Soviet Union.

Adding to the historical significance, the United States bought Alaska in 1867 from Russia -- a deal Moscow has cited to show the legitimacy of land swaps.

Neither leader is expected to step off the base into Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, where protesters have put up signs of solidarity with Ukraine.

The summit marks a sharp change in approach from Western European leaders and Biden, who vowed not to hold discussions with Russia on Ukraine unless Kyiv was also involved.

S.AbuJamous--SF-PST