By Obinna Uballa
James Patrick McGovern, a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts’s 2nd District, has weighed in President Donald Trump’s decision to roll out the red carpet to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he labeled a “war criminal” over the war in Ukraine.
“Trump rolls out the red carpet for a war criminal. On American soil. The U.S. government should be arresting Putin, not hosting him. Shameful and embarrassing,” McGovern wrote on X after Putin’s visit to the White House on Friday.
Putin was greeted with a lengthy handshake from Trump as he disembarked from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
The warm reception contrasted sharply with the sombre mood that followed hours later, when both leaders departed with no breakthrough on Ukraine.
Courting Putin…
During a joint press conference, Putin expressed confidence in Trump’s approach, insisting that the war could be ended under his leadership. He reiterated that the conflict “would not have started” if Trump had been in office in 2022.
“Today when President Trump is saying that if he were president, there would have been no war, I am quite sure that it would indeed be so,” Putin said. “Overall, me and Mr. Trump have built a very good, business-like and trustworthy contact, and I have every reason to believe that moving down this path, we can come to the end of the conflict in Ukraine.”
Trump, in a separate Fox News interview, echoed similar sentiments and claimed Putin confirmed his belief that the 2020 election was rigged. According to Trump, Putin told him: “Mail-in voting makes it impossible to have honest elections… You won that election by so much. If you had won, we wouldn’t have had a war.”
No deal yet
The much-anticipated summit, which was expected to last seven hours, wrapped up in under three. Neither leader took questions after giving short, pre-prepared remarks.
Putin said Russia was committed to ending the war but warned that the conflict’s “primary causes” must be addressed for any deal to hold. He cautioned Ukraine and the European Union against “backroom dealings” and provocations.
Trump described the talks as “extremely productive” and said there was a “very good chance” of reaching a ceasefire, though “significant” sticking points remained. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he said.
By the time both leaders left Alaska, none had been reached.
A PR coup for Putin
For Putin, long shunned by the West since his 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the optics of the visit alone were a victory. He received a red carpet welcome, a U.S. fighter jet flypast, and applause from Trump’s supporters.
Putin himself appeared delighted, grinning as he rode off the tarmac in Trump’s presidential limousine, “The Beast.”
Business talk creeps in
Before the meeting, Trump had insisted there would be no discussion of trade until progress was made on a ceasefire. Yet Putin later revealed that the talks touched on U.S.-Russia cooperation in technology, space, and Arctic development.
“Investment and business cooperation has tremendous potential. Russia and the U.S. can offer each other so much,” Putin said, hinting again at his country’s vast rare earth reserves.
What’s next
Trump closed the meeting by thanking Putin and suggesting they would meet again soon. “Next time, in Moscow,” Putin quipped in English.
