Who held the upper hand at the Alaska summit – Trump or Putin?

The clash between official image and Fox reportage shows how visuals are used in geopolitics to tell a story of control that may not align with contemporaneous reporting

author-image
Shailesh Khanduri
New Update
A pitcure of President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin released by the White House

A pitcure of President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin released by the White House after Alaska meeting on Friday, August 15, 2025.

New Delhi: The White House at 9.30 pm ET on August 15 released a handout from the Trump–Putin meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska, captioned “The goal is always peace.” The image shows Donald Trump gesturing at Vladimir Putin as aides look on, projecting a scene in which the U.S. president appears to be directing the exchange.

By releasing this frame, the White House is clearly nudging the optics of a high-stakes encounter.

That visual clashes with Fox News journalist Mollie Hemingway’s on-air assessment, who called the interaction “unusual” and “atypical,” saying Putin appeared to “steamroll” the meeting and press his own agenda. “We’re all awaiting the readout because the way that it felt in the room was not good. It did not seem like things went well,” Hemingway said.

The Alaska session was billed as part of ongoing efforts to address the Ukraine conflict. From the venue, Trump warned of “severe consequences” if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire. The Alaska setting carries historic US-Russia resonance and is central to Arctic military strategy, adding weight to the summit’s optics.

A single photograph cannot stand in for either the substance or outcomes of the meeting and may not reflect the actual interaction between the leaders.

The clash between the official image and Hemingway’s account underscores how visuals are used in geopolitics to tell a story of control that may not align with contemporaneous reporting.

The summit unfolded amid heightened tension, with European leaders reiterating that any path to peace must include Ukraine. The White House’s consideration of inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the process points to broader engagement, even as the Alaska meeting remained largely a bilateral encounter.

With the official readouts awaited, the question of who actually dominated the Alaska room remains open, framed on one side by a White House photo signalling leadership and on the other by a journalist’s account that Putin “commanded the room.”

Vladimir Putin Russia Ukraine war White House Donald Trump Alaska Russia ukraine ceasefire