In the run-up to his first meeting with Vladimir Putin in six years, President Donald Trump has been privately asking advisers and European leaders what’s different about his Russian counterpart. The Alaska summit comes after Trump repeatedly vowed he could broker a quick peace deal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — a promise that has so far run aground as Moscow escalates attacks.
US intelligence officials remain skeptical that Putin’s core objectives have shifted. They say he still wants to lock in captured Ukrainian territory, block NATO membership, and keep foreign peacekeepers out — all while using any ceasefire to regroup and strike again. European officials warn that the Kremlin’s latest offers amount to “submission” rather than peace. Trump, however, insists he’ll know within “the first two minutes” if a deal is possible.
People close to Trump say his tone toward Putin has changed. Once confident in their personal rapport, he’s grown openly angry in private, frustrated that the Russian leader has rebuffed ceasefire proposals. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s main go-between with Moscow, has accused the Russians of “tapping us along.”
Part of the White House’s optimism comes from a belief that pandemic-era isolation may have altered Putin’s behavior. But analysts stress that while his tactics may evolve, his worldview — rooted in imperial ambition — has not. Former US Ambassador Michael McFaul says this makes him “hard to negotiate with,” since he’s driven less by deal-making than by ideology.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Trump to stay wary, warning that Putin will try to present the meeting as a personal victory while continuing the war. European allies were also unsettled by reports that Witkoff discussed Russian control of occupied territories as part of a potential ceasefire. Trump has since told them that territorial questions are for Kyiv to decide, but diplomats remain unsure whether his team grasps the full scope of Putin’s aims.
As Trump heads into the summit, the question isn’t just whether Putin has changed — it’s whether Trump’s own shift in perception will be enough to avoid walking into a trap.
