Moment Trump and Putin shake hands as historic Alaska summit begins

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shook hands after stepping out of their presidential aircraft on Friday evening. The leaders greeted each other with a smile, just as they are about to enter the first phase of their meeting in Alaska today. Together, they rode off in Trump's "the Beast" limo, even though Putin has also brought his "Aurus" limousine.

As Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin faced each other in Alaska for the cameras, reporters called out questions to the leaders. When one asked Putin if he "will stop killing civilians," the Russian president simply pointed to his ear and shrugged.

The arrival was marked by a military flyover, with B-2 bombers and F-22 fighter jets passing overhead as the two men shook hands. US Sky News correspondent James Matthews said this will worry Western allies.

He said: "What they've seen there, the optics of that, the warmth displayed by Donald Trump, everything the optics say about the power dynamic in the relationship - that's not going to go down well for people looking on in Kyiv and elsewhere."

The leaders have officially started their meeting. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff are sat alongside Trump, while Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and aide Yuri Ushakov are next to Putin in a room with a big poster with the words "pursuing peace".

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
For the latest news and breaking news visit:https://www.express.co.uk/news
Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow our social media accounts here onfacebook.com/DailyExpress and @daily_express