Visual chronicle of Putin's relations with five consecutive U.S. presidents over a span of 25 years, illustrated through a series of images depicting diplomatic encounters.
In a significant development, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump in Alaska. The focus of this meeting will be on resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine [1][2].
This isn't the first time Putin and an American president have engaged in diplomatic discussions. His first encounter with a US president was with Bill Clinton [6]. Since 2000, Putin has served as Russia's president or prime minister and has engaged with five different United States presidents [7].
The upcoming meeting's photographs, which will likely be added to the archives documenting Putin's history with American leaders, date back to the past quarter-century. They offer a visual documentation of Putin's interactions with American leaders [3][4].
A review of these photographs reveals a fascinating evolution in the relationship between Putin and US presidents. For instance, during his tenure with George W. Bush (2001–2009), numerous official photo opportunities were captured at key summits and bilateral meetings, often showing friendly handshakes and poses [1].
With Barack Obama (2009–2017), photos at summits, including the 2009 G20 in London and subsequent meetings, often portrayed a formal and sometimes tense diplomatic tone [1].
The relationship with Donald Trump (2017–2025) has been marked by several high-profile meetings and photo sessions. Notably, their 2025 Alaska encounter was the first face-to-face meeting between the two since 2021 and the first Russian head-of-state visit to the US in nearly a decade. The meeting featured extensive photo ops, including shared limousine rides and joint press conference moments [1][2][3][4].
However, public reactions to the 2025 photos have been controversial, with Ukrainians criticizing the US for hosting Putin so prominently during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine [5].
For those interested, key official photographs from each meeting can be located or summarized, or you can be directed to archives of presidential photo libraries where these images are officially housed.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-summit-idUSKBN2562JW [2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/politics/putin-trump-alaska-summit/index.html [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/world/europe/putin-trump-alaska-summit.html [4] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-trump-meets-vladimir-putin-alaska/ [5] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58171463 [6] https://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/06/16/russia.clinton/index.html [7] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/putin-has-met-5-us-presidents-trump-n1221656
- The upcoming meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska is significant as it comes during a period of war-and-conflicts, most notably the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
- The politics surrounding Putin's meeting with Trump is subject to general news, as public reactions, particularly from Ukrainians, have been controversial due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
