Air Force One touched down in Anchorage at 10:20 a.m. local time Friday, ahead of President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders, originally scheduled as a private discussion, will now be a three-on-three session, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Trump will be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
For the expanded bilateral meeting and working lunch, Rubio, Witkoff, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles will also participate.
Trump spoke to reporters for about six minutes aboard Air Force One roughly 20 minutes after takeoff from Washington, offering a preview of his agenda and expectations. He suggested Russia’s latest strikes on Ukraine were Putin “trying to negotiate” and warned that any consequences for Moscow would be “economically severe.” He also revealed plans to announce new tariffs on chips and semiconductors next week or the week after.
On the tarmac in Anchorage, a red carpet stretched from a riser bearing the words “ALASKA 2025” toward Air Force One, flanked by military planes. Trump greeted Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, as well as Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham, Col. Lisa Mabbutt and Col. Troy Pierce. The president is expected to welcome Putin upon his arrival before the two leaders head into talks.
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