President Donald Trump is en route to Anchorage, Alaska, where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later Friday.
Trump, wearing a red tie, got into the Beast at 7:31 a.m. ET in Washington, D.C., before departing the White House for Joint Base Andrews. The motorcade was rolling at 7:32 a.m. He boarded Air Force One shortly afterward.
President Trump said he is optimistic that Friday’s Trump–Putin Alaska meeting could lead to a breakthrough in ending the war in Ukraine. The Alaska meeting marks 18 years since an American president last met a Russian president on us soil.
Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti is reporting that Putin will meet Trump at his plane. Putin has been the subject of an international arrest warrant since March 2023, issued by the International Criminal Court in connection with the war in Ukraine.
Since then, the Russian leader has limited his travel to avoid arrest and potential transfer to The Hague. The ICC has no jurisdiction in the United States, meaning Putin will not face arrest during his visit.
RIA Novosti, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, said Putin’s plane is scheduled to land in Anchorage at 11 a.m. local time.
Peskov said Putin’s flight will be “punctual” and that “economic cooperation projects” will be on the agenda between the two leaders.
According to the White House, the following officials are traveling aboard Air Force One with the president:
Ambassador Monica Crowley
Secretary Marco Rubio
Secretary Scott Bessent
Secretary Howard Lutnick
Director John Ratcliffe
Susie Wiles
James Blair
Beau Harrison
Nick Luna
Dan Scavino
Steven Cheung
Robert Gabriel
Karoline Leavitt
Will Scharf
Ross Worthington
Ambassador Steve Witkoff
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