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Trump and Putin gripped hands for an extended period of time on a red carpet rolled out at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. As they chatted, Putin grinned and pointed skyward, where B-2s and F-22s — military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the Cold War — flew overhead.

Reporters nearby yelled, “President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?� and Russia’s leader put his hand up to his ear as though to indicate he couldn't hear them. Trump and Putin then shared the U.S. presidential limo known as “The Beast� for a short ride to their meeting site, with Putin offering a broad smile as the vehicle rolled past the cameras.

It was the kind of reception typically reserved for close U.S. allies and belied the bloodshed and suffering in the war Putin started in Ukraine.

Though not altogether surprising considering their , such outward friendliness before hours of closed-door meetings is likely to raise concerns from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, who fear that Trump is primarily focusing on furthering U.S. interests and not pressing hard enough for Ukraine’s.

Zelenskyy and European leaders were excluded from Trump and Putin's discussions, and Ukraine's president was left posting a  in which he expressed his hope for a “strong position from the U.S.�

“Everyone wants an honest end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to end the war," he said, later adding, “The war continues and it continues precisely because there is no order, nor any signals from Moscow, that it is preparing to end this war.�

The summit was a chance for Trump to prove he’s a master dealmaker and peacemaker. He likes to brag about himself as a heavyweight negotiator and boasted that he could easily find a way to  — a promise he's been unable to keep so far.

For Putin, it was an opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia’s gains, block Kyiv’s bid to join the NATO military alliance and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow’s orbit.

Not meeting one-on-one anymore

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the previously planned one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin was now a three-on-three discussion including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Putin was joined by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.

The change indicates that the White House is taking a more guarded approach than it did during a 2018 meeting in Helsinki, when Trump and Putin met privately just with their interpreters for two hours and where Trump shocked the world by siding with the Russian leader over U.S. intelligence officials on whether Russia meddled in the 2016 campaign.

Trump and Putin began their discussions Friday by sitting with their aides in front of a blue backdrop printed with “Alaska� and “Pursuing Peace.� Putin and Trump were expected to hold a joint news conference at the end of the summit.

There are significant risks for Trump. By bringing Putin onto U.S. soil — America bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for roughly 2 cents per acre — the president is giving him the validation he desires after his ostracization following  3½ years ago.

Zelenskyy's exclusion is a heavy blow to the West’s policy of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine� and invites the possibility that Trump could agree to a deal that Ukraine does not want.

Success is far from assured since Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace. Putin long resisted any temporary ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine’s mobilization efforts — conditions that Kyiv and its Western allies rejected.

Trump said earlier in the week there was a 25% chance that the summit would fail, but he also floated the idea that if the meeting succeeds he could bring Zelenskyy to Alaska for a subsequent meeting with himself and Putin.

Trump has also expressed doubts about getting an immediate ceasefire, but he has wanted a broad peace deal done quickly. That seemingly echoes Putin’s longtime argument that Russia favors a comprehensive deal to end the fighting, reflecting its demands, and not a temporary halt to hostilities.

Trump offered shifting explanations for his meeting goals

Trump previously characterized the sit-down as “ .� But he's also warned of  for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to end .

Trump said Friday that his talks with Putin will include Russian demands that Ukraine cede territory as part of a peace deal. He said Ukraine has to decide, but he also suggested Zelenskyy should accept concessions.

“I’ve got to let Ukraine make that decision. And I think they’ll make a proper decision,� Trump told reporters traveling with him to Alaska.

Trump said there’s “a possibility� of the United States offering Ukraine security guarantees alongside European powers, “but not in the form of NATO.� Putin fiercely resisted Ukraine joining the trans-Atlantic security alliance, a long-term goal for Ukrainians seeking to forge stronger ties with the West.

Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, is in Alaska to provide “military advice� to Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a senior NATO military official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. His presence is likely to be welcomed by European leaders who have tried to convince Trump to be firm with Putin and not deal over Kyiv’s head.

On his way to Alaska, Trump sat for an interview on Air Force One with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier. In a clip posted online, he said he thought the meeting would “work out very well — and if it doesn’t, I’m going to head back home real fast.�

“I would walk, yeah,� he added, after a follow up question.

Zelenskyy has time and again cast doubts on Putin's willingness to negotiate in good faith. His European allies, who’ve held increasingly urgent meetings with U.S. leaders over the past week, have stressed the need for Ukraine to be involved in any peace talks.

The summit could have far-reaching implications

Foreign governments will be watching closely to see how Trump reacts to Putin, likely gauging what the interaction might mean for their own dealings with the U.S. president, who has eschewed traditional diplomacy for his own transactional approach to relationships.

The meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources.

Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia’s much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line.

While some objected to the location of the summit, Trump has said he thought it was “very respectful� of Putin to come to the U.S. instead of a meeting in Russia.

Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin Moscow-based analyst, observed that the choice of Alaska as the summit’s venue “underlined the distancing from Europe and Ukraine.�

Being on a military base allows the leaders to avoid protests and meet more securely, but the location carries its own significance because of its history and location.

Alaska is separated from Russia at its closest point by just 3 miles and the international date line.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It continues to play a role today, as planes from the base still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace.

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Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Jonathan J. Cooper in Washington, Elise Morton in London and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.