NBC Correspondent Reflects on Tense Trump-Putin Summit
“The looks on their faces will stick with me,” NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander remarked, reflecting on the expressions of President Donald Trump’s team during a recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Reporting from Anchorage, Alexander conveyed a sense of deflation among Trump’s aides after the closed-door discussions aimed at addressing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The anticipated outcomes of the meeting, particularly a ceasefire, did not materialize.
“What struck me, Jen, was the looks on the faces of the American delegation,” he told MSNBC host Jen Psaki, specifically mentioning Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. “Leavitt appeared a bit stressed out—anxious—their eyes were wide, almost ashen, at times.”
As the conversation unfolded, Alexander noted that behind closed doors, it seemed Trump “didn’t come away with anything that he claimed he wanted.” This sentiment was echoed by former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who suggested that the reactions of Trump’s team indicated a more significant failure than publicly acknowledged.
During a joint press conference following the three-hour meeting, Trump admitted that the U.S. and Russia “didn’t get there” regarding the peace deal he had been advocating for. Putin, who spoke first at the presser, emphasized the need to address what he termed the “primary root causes” of his invasion of Ukraine.
Alexander expressed surprise at Trump allowing Putin to take the lead in speaking. He also pointed out that the summit concluded over an hour earlier than scheduled, indicating an abrupt end to discussions. “Even by their standards, things ended quickly here,” he noted to Psaki, who previously served as White House press secretary.
Putin’s arrival in Alaska was marked by what Alexander described as a “red carpet photo op” and a ride in Trump’s presidential limousine. Despite months of threats from Trump regarding sanctions, Putin left without any new penalties imposed on Russia, and the sought-after ceasefire agreement failed to emerge.
“The bottom line is that Vladimir Putin, who arrived here as a pariah on the world stage, gets to go home claiming he is now a partner with America,” Alexander stated. “He effectively got everything he wanted from this moment.”
In response to the negative coverage surrounding the summit, Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday morning, expressing frustration. “It’s incredible how the Fake News violently distorts the TRUTH when it comes to me,” he wrote. “There is NOTHING I can say or do that would lead them to write or report honestly about me. I had a great meeting in Alaska on Biden’s stupid War, a war that should have never happened!!!”
