When images of American soldiers kneeling to roll out and polish a red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s arrival in Alaska appeared on Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office didn’t hold back.
The Associated Press published the photos, which showed uniformed staff squatting on their knees as Donald Trump got ready to greet his Kremlin counterpart with fanfare, ceremony, and, critics say, a healthy dose of deference.
“Trump had our BRAVE AMERICAN SOLDIERS ON THEIR KNEES to roll out the RED CARPET for his best friend VLAD!” Newsom’s press account mimicked Trump’s inconsistent online persona by posting on X. “DISGUSTING” was the final word in all caps.
There was no denying the optics, as Washington insiders like to call them. Putin, who has been shunned by the world since he invaded Ukraine in 2022, was welcomed with a royal ceremony rather than chilly formality.
The high-stakes attempt to discuss ending Russia’s war in Ukraine was the headline of Friday’s meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. Instead, it turned into a day of photo ops and performative flattery.
Trump drew criticism both domestically and internationally when he greeted Putin with a warm handshake, cheered his arrival, and then accompanied him on a private limousine ride.
By the end of the day, there had been no agreements, no breakthroughs, and most definitely no way to peace.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, boasted on Telegram that the spectacle was evidence that Moscow was no longer alone. “For three years, they have been reporting that Russia is in isolation, and today they saw the red carpet laid to greet the Russian president in the United States,” she wrote.
Nevertheless, the response in Ukraine was one of shock and dismay. “The rational world is behaving irrationally by giving him this welcome,” said Maria Drachova, a Kyiv-based lawyer, who told the BBC it looked like “the entire event was staged to please Putin.”
Putin got everything he wanted from Trump: the red carpet in the U.S., treated as an equal to boost his standing at home, a chance to pretend he wants peace, no new sanctions, all while he keeps bombing Ukraine.
A shameful day for America. pic.twitter.com/uwKmmAFsSt
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 16, 2025
Russia celebrated Putin’s red carpet walk as a diplomatic victory, with American fighter jets hovering overhead. According to analysts, it reflected a symbolic turnabout for a leader who had been charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes.
According to Kier Giles of Chatham House, who told the BBC that Trump essentially gave Putin legitimacy, “when he ought to be finding it difficult to travel because he is an internationally wanted war criminal.” The images hit much worse in Ukraine, where entire regions have been reduced to rubble and millions have been displaced as a direct result of Putin’s actions since 2022.
According to Serhii Orlyk, a Donetsk resident who was displaced, “it was a very unpleasant spectacle—especially his smirks.”
Even Trump’s press comments (in which he spoke for only two minutes following the summit, while Putin took eight) played a role in a sense of imbalance. Giles went on to say that Trump’s gaffe will help other leaders “not to endorse Putin’s demands on Ukraine.”
THERE IT IS …
THE BENEDICT ARNOLD IMAGE:
Trump gives a murderous KGB dictator our highest honors, red carpet treatment and welcomes Putin and Russia’s illegal billions in from the cold.
He will betray Ukraine & America for a percentage. pic.twitter.com/bgqw4paVSB
— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) August 15, 2025
Newsom’s attack was about American identity, not just what appears to be.
The governor of California, who often criticizes Trump, used the image of soldiers kneeling in front of Putin to drive home a bigger point: that the US was showing respect for an authoritarian leader who killed hundreds of thousands of people.
The post went viral very fast, received thousands of shares, and created a heated online discussion. While those supporting Trump dismissed the criticism as political theater, supporters said Newsom voiced the outrage that many Americans felt.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on European leaders to continue to participate in future negotiations and not abandon Trump and Putin. He cautioned that Ukraine could not afford another fake setup of respect.
