Trump greets Putin with uncomfortably long 'yank' handshake in Alaska
Donald Trump's hands did a lot of the talking as he greeted Vladimir Putin in Alaska this evening (15 August).
The pair have both made the journey to the city of Anchorage for their first face-to-face meeting in seven years - and both are well aware that the eyes of the world are on them.
It seems that Trump decided to seize the opportunity to assert his authority over his Russian counterpart when Putin met him in front of crowds of cameras on Friday.
Both of the world leaders exited their respective planes, strutted down red carpets which had been rolled out for them and then reunited on the tarmac.
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The US President then got a firm grip of Putin when they embraced for a handshake - and social media users reckon it was an obvious power play from Trump.
As well as seemingly pulling Putin towards him, Trump then patronisingly patted the tyrant's hand.
One person said in a post on X: "The handshake looks a bit aggressive: Trump pulled Putin closer, showing off his strength."
Another wrote: "Trump just hitting Vladimir Putin with the ICONIC ALPHA HANDSHAKE as they stepped off their planes!"
A third said: "President Trump DOES THE YANK HANDSHAKE! He pulled in Putin's hand!"
The commander-in-chief's handshaking skills are well documented - as he's well known for trying to outdo other world leaders by getting them in a firm grasp.
Take a look at this:
After Trump finally loosened his grip on Putin, the pair briefly paused for some photos and listened to a handful of questions from reporters.
The Russian leader was pressed to answer whether he would 'agree to a ceasefire' by the waiting press, but he kept schtum on camera.
He and Trump then climbed into the same car and headed off to commence the contentious talks.
Since then, the duo have been pictured sitting next to one another at the talks in front of a backdrop which displays the words 'Pursuing Peace' and 'Alaska 2025'.
The US president has made no secret of the fact that he believes he is the one to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia.
However, when asked this week if he believed he'd be able to stop civilian deaths in Ukraine, Trump bluntly responded that the answer was 'no'.
"I'll tell you what... I’ve had a lot of good conversations with him [Putin]," Trump responded. "Then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the streets.
"So I guess the answer to that is no, because I’ve had this conversation."
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained on social media that he is expecting a 'report from our intelligence on the current intentions of the Russian side and its preparations for the meeting in Alaska'.
"Indeed, high stakes," Zelenskyy wrote. "The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format - Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side.
"It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America. We are ready, as always, to work as productively as possible."
Topics: US News, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Viral, Ukraine
Olivia Burke