Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s decision to travel in the same car during the Alaska summit has sparked intense debate in international media.
What does it mean that Trump and Putin used the same car?
Analysts note that it is unusual to see the leaders of two superpowers — and in this case, rivals — ride together in the same limousine. There appeared to be no interpreter present, and Putin reportedly speaks English well enough to hold a conversation.
Given that the two presidents spent about 10 minutes together in the limousine, this only adds to the mystery of what they may have discussed privately during the visit — reminiscent of the conversation they had in Hamburg in 2017, at the start of Trump’s first term. According to reports, this was not pre-planned.
Russian state media said that President Putin’s decision to leave his Aurus limousine and join his American counterpart in “The Beast,” the armored vehicle used by the U.S. president, came at Trump’s invitation.
Russia 24 reported that this moment marked the beginning of talks between the two leaders. A Russia 24 presenter described the leaders’ first exchange as “extremely friendly toward Putin” on Trump’s part.