President Donald Trump’s bold claim that the Ukraine war would’ve been avoided under his leadership got a surprising nod from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fox News reported that at a summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Putin backed Trump’s assertion, stirring debate about what might have been. This meeting, held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, marked a rare moment of alignment between the two leaders.
This summit was Putin’s first trip to a Western nation since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives. The event signaled a potential thaw in U.S.-Russia ties, long strained by geopolitical tensions.
Trump, inaugurated on January 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C., has consistently argued the Ukraine war would not have erupted had he been in office in 2022.
Putin, at the Anchorage press conference, said, “I can confirm that,” lending credence to Trump’s narrative. Critics, however, see this as a convenient oversimplification, ignoring the complex web of decisions that fueled the conflict.
Putin claimed U.S.-Russia relations had hit their lowest point since the Cold War before Trump’s return to power.
“That’s not benefiting our countries,” he remarked, lamenting the lack of summits during the prior four years. His words hint at a shared desire to move from confrontation to dialogue, though skeptics question the sincerity behind the rhetoric.
No U.S.-Russia summits occurred from 2021 to 2025, a period marked by escalating tensions over Ukraine. Putin’s 2025 visit to Alaska broke that drought, signaling a shift toward renewed diplomacy. Yet, the optics of cozying up to Putin have sparked unease among those wary of appeasing an aggressor.
Trump’s critics point to his earlier White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where the two clashed publicly. Trump accused Zelenskyy of mishandling the war, a stance that drew sharp rebukes for deflecting blame. The contrast between that tense encounter and the chummy Anchorage summit fuels accusations of inconsistency.
In April 2025, Trump declared, “Biden could’ve stopped it, Zelenskyy could’ve stopped it, and Putin should’ve never started it.”
This soundbite, repeated throughout his campaign, pins the war’s outbreak on Biden’s leadership and Ukraine’s actions. Critics argue it unfairly shifts responsibility from Russia’s invasion to supposed Western failures.
Putin, doubling down, said he had warned the prior U.S. administration in 2022 against escalating tensions. “I said it quite directly back then that it’s a big mistake,” he recalled, framing himself as a voice of restraint. Such revisionism conveniently sidesteps Russia’s role as the aggressor, a fact not lost on Ukraine’s defenders.
The Ukraine war, now in its third year, has left a trail of devastation, with tens of thousands dead. Trump’s narrative—that his presidency would have prevented this tragedy—resonates with supporters who see him as a strongman capable of deterring global conflicts.
Putin praised Trump’s commitment, noting “his strive to get to the crux of the matter.” This flattery paints Trump as a pragmatic dealmaker, a contrast to the perceived weakness of past administrations. Yet, cozying up to Putin risks alienating allies who view Russia’s actions in Ukraine as indefensible.
The Anchorage summit drew criticism for its optics, especially after Trump’s contentious White House meeting with Zelenskyy.
Images of Trump and Putin shaking hands while Ukraine burns don’t sit well with those who back Kyiv’s fight. The contrast underscores the tightrope Trump walks in balancing diplomacy with moral clarity.
Putin expressed optimism about future cooperation, stating, “Me President Trump and have built a very good business-like and trustworthy contact.” He suggested this could pave the way for ending the Ukraine conflict. Such rosy predictions, however, gloss over the war’s deep-rooted causes and ongoing human toll.
The absence of U.S.-Russia summits from 2021 to 2025 reflected a diplomatic freeze that Putin called unsustainable. “It was apparent that sooner or later we had to amend the situation,” he said, framing the Anchorage meeting as a necessary step. Critics warn that legitimizing Putin’s narrative risks undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Trump’s handshake with Biden during the January 2025 inauguration marked a peaceful transition, but his foreign policy has reignited old debates.
His willingness to engage Putin directly contrasts with Biden’s harder line, which some argue failed to deter Russia’s aggression. The question remains whether Trump’s approach will yield results or embolden authoritarians.
