Putin shrugs when asked whether he’d stop killing civilians
During a high-profile summit in Anchorage, Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked twice by reporters whether he would commit to stopping the killing of civilians amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Putin responded first by tapping his ear and shrugging as if not understanding the question.Later, at the summit venue, he seemingly replied but his answer was drowned out by the noise in the room.The meeting, which involved U.S. President Donald trump, was framed as an effort to discuss the ukraine conflict but also touched on economic issues and nuclear arms control. Following their initial interaction, Trump and putin were seen laughing together in the presidential limousine before proceeding to a bilateral meeting attended by U.S. and Russian officials. The summit was expected to continue with larger discussions and a joint press conference.
Putin taps ear and shrugs when asked whether he would stop ‘killing civilians’
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Russian President Vladimir Putin has been pressed twice by reporters during his high-stakes summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska on whether he would commit to stopping the killing of civilians.
“President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?” a reporter asked Putin on Friday after Trump and Putin shook hands on the tarmac of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
TRUMP AND PUTIN START ‘HIGH-STAKES’ IN-PERSON MEETING TO END RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Putin, who speaks English, tapped his ear and shrugged, signaling he could not hear or understand.
Trump and Putin then stepped into the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, accompanied only by a driver and Secret Service agent for the short commute to the summit site elsewhere on the base, and were captured on camera laughing in the back seat.
Once at the summit site, against a background of United States and Russian flags, in addition to a banner emblazoned with the words “Pursuing Peace,” Putin was asked the same question. This time, he seemed to respond, but his reaction was impossible to hear over the cacophony of the chaos in the room.
Trump and Putin are now scheduled to take part in a three-on-three meeting attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Russian foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov, addressing critics’ concerns regarding Trump being alone in a room with Putin, a former Russian intelligence officer.
After the meeting, the group of six is expected to be expanded for a sit-down lunch before an anticipated joint press conference, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The summit is being held under the pretense of discussing Putin’s three-year war in Ukraine, but the Russian has indicated his preference for the conversation to also touch on economic issues and a nuclear arms treaty.
Read more from the Washington Examiner on the Trump-Putin meeting:
- TRUMP LOOKS TO APPLY LESSONS FROM HELSINKI IN FACE-TO-FACE WITH PUTIN
- TRUMP-PUTIN SUMMIT: THE REALITY OF WHERE THINGS STAND ON THE UKRAINE BATTLEFIELD
- TRUMP THREATENS ‘SEVERE’ CONSEQUENCES FOR PUTIN: ‘NOT DOING THIS FOR MY HEALTH’
- TRUMP DODGES QUESTIONS ON RARE EARTH MINERALS DEAL FOR PUTIN’S PEACE
- EUROPEAN LEADERS WARY THAT TRUMP-PUTIN SUMMIT COULD END WITH LAND CONCESSIONS
- TRUMP SAYS ‘NEXT MEETING’ AFTER PUTIN SUMMIT WILL INVOLVE ZELENSKY
- ZELENSKY WARNS PUTIN IS PREPARING FOR MORE WAR, NOT PEACE, AHEAD OF TRUMP MEETING
- TRUMP’S RUSSIA SANCTION DEADLINE COMES AND GOES WITH A WHIMPER
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
