The Alaska summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was savored by the state media as an incredible breakthrough—not because it produced any tangible outcomes, but because it blasted Russia out of international isolation. Despite an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court, the Russian leader was treated to a red-carpet reception, with gifts and honors reportedly being bestowed upon a seasoned war criminal.
“The summit in Alaska was triumphant for Putin,” exclaimed state TV host Olga Skabeeva during Monday’s broadcast of 60 Minutes. Likewise, other hosts and experts have relished a string of “Putin’s victories,” from the red carpet and the impressive flyover to cajoling Trump into abandoning his idea of a ceasefire. For this, they’ve credited the twosome’s ride in the presidential limousine, unaccompanied by interpreters or U.S. government officials, where they assert that the two presidents have “divided Ukraine.”
During his Saturday show Mardan, host Sergey Mardan relished the situation, as he mockingly said, “Who knows what Vladimir Vladimirovich and Donald Trump agreed on? Especially when they rode in that presidential Cadillac. Even interpreters weren’t there. Maybe he gave Trump a gold star medal of the “Hero of Russia.” Maybe he handed him General’s epaulets or a letter from his relatives in the Motherland. I have no idea. The only conclusion we can make as to the outcome of this summit is that the United States is stepping out of this war.”
Trump and Putin were originally scheduled to hold face-to-face talks with no one else in the room but that was altered after pundits raised concerns and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff were added to the meeting along with some of Putin’s closest aides.
Despite that schedule change, Putin did manage to get his one-on-one moment with the U.S. president as they drove from the plane in the presidential Cadillac, which is known as “the Beast.” Video footage showed Putin laughing and the two men involved in an animated conversation.
As a result, Putin was able to sway Trump into pressuring the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky into surrendering a number of his territories to Russia—with no known concessions by the Kremlin. Back in February, Zelensky’s first Oval Office ambush was predicted by State Duma member Oleg Morozov on 60 Minutes. The Russian lawmaker said that the meeting would be a lesson in humiliation, designed to condition Zelensky to capitulate to the United States—and later to Russia.
Russian pundits are particularly excited by the inclusion of Vice President JD Vance in Monday’s meeting with Zelensky and the European leaders. During his weekend show, Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, host Vladimir Solovyov celebrated this development, noting that Vance “hates Zelensky” and “despises the Europeans.”
Solovyov pointed out a total about-face by Trump towards Moscow after the Alaska summit, “Note that there is not one more word about ultimatums, sanctions, pressure or the necessity for a ceasefire.”
During the same show, pundits who frequently proclaim that Trump is “theirs” and mock him as a clown have changed their tune and started to describe him as a “serious” and “experienced” statesman, having apparently received instructions not to insult the American president while negotiations are at a delicate stage.
Political scientist Vladimir Kornilov urged fellow panelists not to talk about Putin’s triumph over Trump, complaining that translated video clips from Russian TV shows circulate on the Internet and are being used “to anger Trump and pull him in the opposite direction.”
Another useful element of the Alaska summit for Moscow is a deepening divide between the United States and its European allies due to Trump’s approach to the Ukrainian conflict.
Appearing on Saturday’s broadcast of the radio show Mardan, Alexey Naumov, member of the Russian International Affairs Council, said that Europe is incapable of providing adequate support to Ukraine without American participation. He stressed, “I hope that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will end up in the same boat, jointly forcing the European Union into peace. As we know, Russia can do this not only by military means.”
A common thread in the state media’s coverage of the summit was the urgency to act now and to “take advantage” of this situation, where Russia stands to benefit without offering any concessions. State TV’s experts and pundits point out that this lucky streak might not continue when there’s another president in office, as they acknowledge, “We will never be friends with America.”
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