Russian President Vladimir Putin has been seen travelling in a heavily armoured motorcade along the Pacific Coast ahead of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska.
Footage showed a long line of black vehicles, escorted by police cars and followed by an ambulance, speeding along sealed-off roads.
The meeting, set for Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, will be the first face-to-face between the two leaders since 2018. Talks are expected to focus on the war in Ukraine and the possibility of a ceasefire.
Trump said the meeting could be over “very quickly” if Putin refuses to compromise, but added that if discussions go well, “we’re going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future.” He gave the summit a one-in-four chance of failure.
European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be watching closely. Zelensky, who was not invited to Alaska, has rejected U.S. pressure to cede territory to Russia. Trump has promised that any final deal would be discussed in a three-way meeting with Zelensky.
The summit carries historical symbolism, Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867, a fact Moscow has occasionally used to argue for the legitimacy of land swaps.
Despite Trump’s past praise of Putin, relations have been tense. Trump has warned of “very severe consequences” if Putin refuses a ceasefire, while Putin has shown no public signs of backing down. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
