The White House downplayed reports that sensitive documents from President Donald Trump‘s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin were found in a hotel printer in Anchorage, Alaska.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly referred to the materials as a “multi-page lunch menu” and said their discovery by hotel guests does not compromise national security.
“It’s hilarious that NPR is publishing a multi-page lunch menu and calling it a ‘security breach,’” Kelly told NewsNation.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
Why It Matters
The documents, first reported by NPR, included plans for a canceled luncheon, seating charts, a gift presentation and phone numbers for U.S. and Russian officials. Among the items detailed were a menu featuring green salad, filet mignon, halibut, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and crème brûlée. Phonetic guides for Russian names were also included.
Trump and Putin met on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine that Putin launched in February 2022. The White House said the meeting was requested by Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited.
What To Know
The documents were found on a printer by three guests around 9 a.m. on the day of the summit at Hotel Captain Cook, a four-star hotel located 20 minutes from the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. The eight pages carried U.S. State Department insignia and contained information on the summit meetings, locations, and phone numbers for three U.S. government staffers.
The first page outlined the sequence of Friday’s meetings, including a note that the president would present a gift to Putin, according to photos of the documents taken by one of the guests and seen by NPR. Pages two through five listed the names of senior U.S. and Russian officials present in Alaska that day, with page two also including phone numbers for three U.S. advance staffers, the outlet reported. Pages six and seven included the lunch seating chart and menu.
Despite Putin’s claims about wanting a peace deal with Ukraine, the Kremlin’s military continued attacking Ukrainian forces as recently as Friday, while the Russian leader was preparing to meet with Trump, ostensibly to discuss a ceasefire agreement.
Russia and Ukraine are also far apart on their terms for peace. Zelensky has refused to agree to a ceasefire deal that doesn’t include security guarantees for his country, while Putin demands Ukraine be shut out from NATO and cede to Russia four territories Moscow claims it has annexed.
Following the meeting, Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told The New York Times that Putin used the meeting to signal that he is not isolated and that, in Merezhko’s view, the Russian leader gained an advantage in shaping the narrative during joint remarks with Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump hand-delivered a letter to Putin written by First Lady Melania Trump, regarding the impact of the war in Ukraine on children according to Reuters. The contents of the letter remain unknown.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children. Russian authorities said the children were moved from war zones for their safety and described the warrant as unacceptable.
According to Kyiv, about 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted since February 2022, which it said met the United Nations‘ definition of genocide.
Following the meeting on Friday, Trump appeared on Fox News and said it was up to Zelensky to secure a ceasefire agreement after the U.S. president failed to strike a deal.
“Now it is really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “I would also say the European nations have to get involved a little bit.”
What People Are Saying
Trump said on August 15: “I’ve always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin, with Vladimir.
“We were interfered with by the Russia hoax that made it a little tougher to deal with, but he understood it.”
Trump did not explain what he meant by “the Russia hoax.”
What Happens Next
Further peace talks seem likely to take place.
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