President Donald Trump on Friday showed off a photograph he said Russian President Vladimir Putin sent him of them standing side by side a week ago in Alaska.
Trump brandished the picture in the Oval Office as he announced the 2026 World Cup draw will be hosted in Washington at the Kennedy Center.
“I was just sent a picture from somebody that wants to be there very badly,” Trump said. “He’s been very respectful of me and of our country, but not so respectful of others.”
“I’m going to sign this for him. But I was sent one, and I thought you’d like to see it,” Trump continued. “That’s a man named Vladimir Putin who I believe will be coming depending on what happens. He may be coming and he may not, depending on what happens. We have a lot of things happening over the next couple of weeks.”
President Donald Trump holds a photo of him with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 22, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon/EPA/Shutterstock
“But I thought it was a nice picture of him. Okay of me, but nice of him. So, that was very nice that it was sent to me,” Trump added.
The comments came as momentum on peace talks appears to be stalling after Trump’s rapid-fire week of diplomacy.
Trump hosted Putin in Anchorage last Friday for talks, marking the first time Putin met with an American leader since launching his brutal invasion of Ukraine. The president then welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to the White House on Monday.
That day, Trump announced he was beginning to arrange a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. The following day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Putin promised to meet with Zelenskyy in the coming weeks.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that no meeting is planned between Putin and Zelenskyy. Lavrov told NBC News: “Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all.”
Plus, Lavrov has demanded Moscow have a role in any security guarantees for Ukraine post-war, describing talks this week between NATO leaders and the U.S. on the issue as “futile.”
After Trump discussed the photograph of him and Putin, he was asked for his reaction to a recent Russian strike on Ukraine that hit an American electronics manufacturer.
“I told that I’m not happy about it, and I’m not happy about anything having to do with that war,” Trump said.
“No, I’m not happy about anything about that war. Nothing. Not happy at all. We’ll see what happens. I say, over the next two weeks, we’re going to find out which way it’s going to go. And, I better be very happy,” Trump added.
The president continued to say he would know “in two weeks” what he’s going to do in regards to Russia and Ukraine.
“It’s gonna be a very important decision. And that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or do we do nothing and say, ‘It’s your fight,'” Trump said.
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