Jets, bombers and bravado
Donald Trump promised fireworks – and he delivered. The world held its breath as the US president rolled out a red carpet for Vladimir Putin in Alaska, flanked by stealth jets and bomber flyovers.
The pair strutted down separate carpets before shaking hands and grinning like old mates. Then, in a scene straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, Trump bundled Putin into “The Beast”, his armoured limo, for a short ride together.
Above their heads, F-35 fighter jets screamed across the skies, joined by a B-2 stealth bomber – the same type that once flattened Iran’s nuclear sites. If Trump wanted to show off America’s military muscle, mission accomplished.
The Alaska showdown
The summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson wasn’t just about the pomp. Trump vowed to demand a ceasefire in Ukraine – telling reporters he’d “walk away” if Putin refused. The Kremlin, meanwhile, boasted that talks would bring “a result”.
But after more than two hours behind closed doors – with aides eventually dragged in to help – there was little to show. Putin held firm. Trump left empty-handed.
From theatre to thin air
The location was symbolic. The base is America’s frontline against Russian jets that regularly buzz US airspace. On the very runway where F-22s usually scramble to intercept Moscow’s bombers, Trump instead shook hands with the man sending them.
With two giant war games also running in Alaska – Arctic Edge and Northern Edge – the whole set-up screamed power politics. Yet for all the noise, the meeting fizzled.
No deal, no ceasefire
After the spectacle, the substance fell short. Trump admitted there was no breakthrough, instead shrugging the burden onto Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “It’s up to him now,” he said on Fox News. His blunt advice? “Make a deal.”
Putin sounded smug, talking about “starting points” and “pragmatic relations” with Washington – but gave nothing away. For him, just standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a US president was a win.
Experts weren’t impressed. One former US ambassador warned: “The good news is no Yalta, no Munich. The bad news is there is no ceasefire.”
Putin the winner
Analysts agreed the Russian leader came out smiling. Trump had threatened sanctions if Putin refused to play ball – then quietly dropped the idea. Instead, he teased another get-together. Putin even cheekily suggested: “Next time in Moscow?” Trump grinned back: “I’ll get heat for that one, but maybe.”
For Trump, the gamble was clear: play the world’s peacemaker. But instead of ending the bloodshed, he gave Putin the PR photo-op of the year.
All show, no substance
The Alaska summit began with bombers in the sky, a red carpet on the ground, and the promise of history in the making. It ended with no ceasefire, no concessions – just the world’s cameras capturing smiles, handshakes and bravado.
Trump insisted: “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.” For now, though, the only thing that landed in Anchorage was the theatre.
