2 hours agoShareSaveLaura GozziBBC NewsShareSaveThe high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin was billed as a vital step towards peace in the Ukraine war.But with no ceasefire and an invitation to Moscow, the almost three-hour meeting between the two leaders has yielded more questions than answers.Here are five key takeaways from the Alaska summit.Putin welcomed back on world stage with red carpetWhen President Vladimir Putin landed back onto the world stage on Friday, the skies in Alaska were cloudy. Waiting with a red carpet spread across the tarmac of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was US President Donald Trump.As Putin approached, Trump clapped. The two leaders warmly shook hands and smiled.It was a remarkable moment for Putin – a leader who most Western nations have shunned since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. His international travel has since been largely limited to nations friendly to the Russian Federation, such as North Korea and Belarus.The fact that the Alaska summit happened at all was a victory for Putin. But this welcome would have surpassed the Kremlin’s wildest dreams. In a short six months Putin went from being a pariah in the eyes of the West to being welcomed on US soil like a partner and friend.To cap it off, in an apparently unscripted moment, Putin decided to accept a lift to the airbase in Trump’s armoured limousine instead of driving in his own Moscow-plated presidential state car.As the vehicle pulled away, the cameras zoomed in on Putin, sitting in the backseat and laughing.Getty ImagesPutin faced with questions he never gets askedIn his 25 years as Russian president, Putin has achieved complete control over the media, crushing journalistic freedoms and replacing information with propaganda. Within Russia he doesn’t often – if ever – come up against unfriendly reporters.Yet it was only minutes after landing in Alaska that one journalist shouted in his direction: “Will you stop killing civilians?” If the question bothered him, he didn’t show it, appearing instead to shrug and diverting his gaze.During a brief and somewhat chaotic photo op, more questions were shouted, including one in Russian about whether Putin would be ready to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky for a trilateral summit. Again, there was no obvious reaction from the Russian president beyond a cryptic smirk.What was said when talks ended earlier than expectedThe world’s media gathered in the room with Putin and Trump had been led to expect a press conference; instead, the two leaders gave statements and took no questions from reporters.Unusually, Putin was the first to speak. He praised the “constructive atmosphere of mutual respect” of the “neighbourly” talks, and then launching into a condensed history of Alaska’s past as a Russian territory.As Putin spoke, Trump stood in silence. It was several minutes before the Russian president mentioned what he called the “s …
