DONALD Trump flew a B2 stealth bomber over Vladimir Putin’s head as they greeted each other in Alaska for showdown talks.
The pair were last night locked in face to face talks following the astonishing show of force by the US President .
Meeting his Russian counterpart on tarmac at a military base in Anchorage last night, the Americans lined up four £300million F22 fighter jets for an historic handshake photo op.
They then had a moment alone in Mr Trump’s presidential limo – nicknamed The Beast – ahead of closed-door talks about ending the war in Ukraine .
It was the first time in almost a decade that President Putin had set foot on US soil, despite being an internationally-wanted war criminal for his butchery in the bloody three-and-a-half year conflict.
The Russian leader was later spotted grinning and smiling as the pair posed for the world’s media.
Heckled by journalists over whether he was “ready to stop killing civilians”, the Kremlin tyrant smirked and pointed to the skies.
Mr Trump also dodged questions on how he could possibly trust Mr Putin.
However he ducked a planned one-on-one meeting with the Russian leader, instead opting to meet with officials including his Secretary of State Marco Rubio .
The pair were expected to host a joint press conference in the small hours, after the Kremlin side expressed their wishes for talks to last for up to six hours.
Ahead of the historic meet, both sides were flexing their muscles.
The Russian jet that flew their delegation to America served Chicken Kievs – the famous garlicky dish named after the Ukrainian capital .
Meanwhile the Americans served waffles on Air Force One , as the President warned travelling journalists that he would walk out of the talks if the pair did not make ground on securing a ceasefire.
And Mr Putin was forced to disembark in front of some of the most sophisticated US military kit, and treated to a humiliating fly past of the iconic US bomber.
Meanwhile Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov swaggered into Alaska wearing a sweater emblazoned with “USSR” – the initials of the Soviet empire that Putin is desperate to rebuild.
Lavrov’s unusual wardrobe was seen as a shameless signal of Russia’s imperial goals.
The veteran Foreign Secretary was dressed unusually casually – in jeans and gilet – as he swooped into Anchorage for talks between President Putin and Trump.
Franak Viačorka, a Putin critic from Belarus, said the jumper was “a clear nod to the Putin regime’s imperial ambitions”.
He said: “They’re stuck in the past and want to pull Ukraine and Belarus back with them – forgetting we are free nations that will never return to their ‘brotherhood’.”
They’re stuck in the past and want to pull Ukraine and Belarus back with them – forgetting we are free nations that will never return to their ‘brotherhood’
Franak Viačorka, a Putin critic from Belarus
The collapse of the USSR led to 15 nations including Ukraine gaining their independence.
But Putin has called that collapse the greatest tragedy of the 20th Century.
And he has made no secret of his goal to restore Russia’s greatness by recapturing lands he claims as his.
Anton Gerashchenko, an ex-aide to Ukraine’s interior ministry, said: “The Russian delegation are trying to present the Alaska meeting as a remake of the summits of the superpowers.”
He said Lavrov’s choice of jumper was “a public statement about Russia’s imperial ambitions, demonstrating the desire to return to the past and revive the USSR”.
Donald Trump said a land swap would “be discussed” at Friday’s meeting.
But he insisted: “I’ve got to let Ukraine make that decision.”
Speaking on Air Force One has he flew from Washington DC to Alaska, he said: “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I’m here to get him at the table.”
Trump was joined on Air Force one by CIA director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his peace envoy Steve Witkoff who met Putin in Moscow last week.
However former General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine , did not appear to be onboard.
Trump said he was confident something good would come of the historic meeting.
The two men have held many phone calls – but this is the first face to face showdown since 2019 when they met at a G20 summit.
Trump claimed Russia wanted “ a piece” of America’s wealth and he welcomed the fact that Moscow’s delegation included businessmen.
He said: “I notice he’s bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that’s good, I like that, because they want to do business, but we’re not doing business until we get the war settled.”
Putin’s delegation included economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and Putin’s top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.
The talks were due include a working breakfast and “five-on-five” negotiations.
I notice he’s bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that’s good, I like that, because they want to do business, but we’re not doing business until we get the war settled
Trump
Delegates from both sides were set to be housed on University of Alaska’s Anchorage campus as most of the city’s hotels were booked out as it is peak tourism season in Anchorage.
However Russian journalists complained that they were forced to sleep on camp cots in a sports arena.
Videos showed reporters who were travelling with the “Kremlin pool” were military style cots in the Alaska Airlines Center, a sports arena.
On the battlefield
Their complaints came as both sides continued to slug it out on the battlefield.
Kyiv said Russia had launched almost 100 missiles and drones overnight, of which 63 drones were shot down.
At the same Ukraine strike a gunpowder factory, an oil refinery and a cargo ship on the Caspian Sea bringing deadly drone parts from Russia.
At least five people died at the gunpowder plant, 20 were injured and more than 100 people had to be evacuated from the gunpowder factory in Ryazan.
Ukraine’s Special Forces claimed they hit the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara Oblast, one of the largest in the Rosneft system.
Drones partially sank the Port Olya 4 cargo ship in the town of Olya in Russia’s Astrakhan province.
Pictures showed the stricken vessel partially submerged.
Ukraine also targeted a headquarters of Russia’s 132 Motor Rifle Brigade whose troops were made a shock advance last week which threatened to cut off the Donbas towns of Dobropillia and Kostiantynivka.
Ukraine insisted the 12km advance was not a “breakthrough” as originally claimed.
They said small groups of Russian troops had “infiltrated” across the frontline and were beaten back when as ran out of food, water and ammunition and did not have any reinforcements.
