The Alaska summit between the U.S. and Russian leaders showcased their mutual animosity for the former president.

President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia met Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, for the first face-to-face meeting between American and Russian leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.

It was a welcome tailored for a close friend, not a war criminal, and it looked to the Ukrainians like their nightmare.

President Donald Trump said progress had been made in Friday's Alaska summit with the Russian leader, but no deal on peace in Ukraine has been reached.

The meeting between the U.S. president and the Russian leader didn’t appear to yield any breakthroughs.

In a shift, Trump now aligns more closely with Putin than allies in Europe in calling for final talks before a ceasefire

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will measure success at their summit in Alaska very differently, even as both leaders are already looking toward a second meeting.

B-2 bomber and F-35s stage an impressive flyover watched by hundreds of thousands online as Trump and Putin meet in Anchorage.A U.S. Air Force B-2A Spirit

Achieving a peace agreement is an even higher bar than the ceasefire that has eluded the Trump administration in recent months.