As the two leaders sat down for peace talks, a wall of reporters hurled questions over the din – asking when Putin would end his war in Ukraine.
But what followed was a chilling sight. The Kremlin strongman shook his head defiantly, as aids could be heard ushering journalists out of the room, saying ‘Thank you, press’.
Putin appeared to make a confused expression as multiple journalists bombarded the two with questions, including what seemed to be a series of bewildered looks, before seemingly shouting over their questions.
Trump, meanwhile, said nothing. He simply thanked reporters before being led out, in stark contrast to his heated Oval Office exchange with Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year.
It wasn’t the only time that Putin’s actions raised eyebrows at this summit, as some Ukrainians have noticed the Russian leader weirdly twitching during his interaction with the US president.
Kremlin footage captured the Russian leader’s knee jolting repeatedly as he stood alongside his US counterpart at the end of their brief exchange following a joint press conference.
The pair, flanked by security teams and aides, spoke for a short time, with a translator stepping in to assist their conversation.
Video clips shared online showed the Russian leader repeatedly dipping one knee as he stood beside the 6ft 3in former president at Elmendorf-Richardson air base in Anchorage – before departing without agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The Kremlin strongman shook his head defiantly, as aids could be heard ushering journalists out of the room
Putin appeared to make a confused expression as multiple journalists bombarded the two with questions
It seemed to be a series of bewildered looks, before seemingly shouting over their questions
But the unusual movements was seized by eagle-eyed Ukrainians, who ridiculed the 72-year-old’s fidgeting and speculated about the state of his health.
They even claimed he wore a ‘light exoskeleton’ as well as thick-platform shoes to overcome his ‘Napoleon complex’ and minimise his height difference with the US president.
An exoskeleton is wearable robotic device designed to assist or augment the posture of the person wearing it.
Observers also noted the striking difference in stature, with Trump’s 6ft 3in frame towering over the 5ft 7in Russian leader despite Putin’s visibly elevated footwear.
Despite no deal being reached during after two-and-half hours of talks, Trump was upbeat, saying there were ‘many, many points that we agreed on’ but admitted there was one issue — ‘the most significant’ — that remained unresolved.
‘We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there,’ he added, without giving details.
Following the summit, Trump has been calling Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO and European allies to update them.
Kremlin footage captured the Russian leader’s knee jolting repeatedly as he stood alongside his US counterpart
Trump said nothing and simply thanked reporters before being led out, in stark contrast to his heated Oval Office exchange with Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year
Trump closed by thanking Putin once more, saying: ‘We’ll speak to you very soon, and probably see you again very soon. Thank you very much, Vladimir’
The summit, and subsequent press conference, happened at Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska
Zelensky has now said he will travel to Washington on Monday.
He closed by thanking Putin once more, saying: ‘We’ll speak to you very soon, and probably see you again very soon. Thank you very much, Vladimir.’
Putin then appeared to catch Trump off guard, responding in English: ‘Next time in Moscow?’
A visibly stunned Trump replied: ‘Oh, that’s an interesting one… I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I can see it possibly happening. Thank you very much. Thank you all.’
There was no mention of a ceasefire from either Mr Trump or Putin during the press conference which followed after their near three-hour meeting.
And despite speaking in a room filled with the world’s press, no questions were taken before both presidents shook hands, briefly posed for pictures and sauntered out of the room.
