The red carpet rolled out for Vladimir Putin in Alaska has sparked strong reactions, especially from Ukraine, where the images have been interpreted as a gesture of legitimizing a leader accused of war crimes.
According to BBC and The Guardian, while Donald Trump welcomes Vladimir Putin for discussions aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine, several Ukrainian observers have noted that the US has offered the Russian leader a full ceremonial welcome, including a red carpet upon his plane's descent.
Among the critics of the gesture was journalist and former politician Mustafa Nayyem, who posted an image of American soldiers kneeling to lay out the red carpet under Putin's plane's stairs, with the message: "Make Kneeling Great Again."
Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of Kyiv Independent publication, shared the same image, ironically commenting: "This is Putin's new wallpaper. American soldiers kneeling, under the large letters spelling RUSSIA, arranging the red carpet. For a war criminal."
In turn, Ukrainian military officer Oleksandr Solonko wrote that it is "very difficult" for him to see American soldiers forced to honor "the greatest war criminal, whose propaganda system has denigrated their country for years."
The symbolism did not go unnoticed in Moscow either. According to The Guardian, the news channel Zvezda, owned by the Russian Ministry of Defense, broadcasted images of American soldiers kneeling under Putin's plane, which had "RUSSIA" written in Cyrillic.
The clip was later shared on social media, including by Western supporters of Ukraine, who compared Putin to Hitler.
Meanwhile, CNN notes that such high-level meetings adhere to strictly negotiated protocols, even when, as in this case, they are organized in a few days.
Every detail – from the moment of arrival to the aircraft parking spot – is agreed upon by both parties to avoid the image of one leader waiting for the other. Although Trump landed first, he did not disembark from Air Force One until Putin was present to greet him.
The red carpet, although a symbol of diplomatic respect, was accompanied by a show of force: four F-22 Raptor planes lined up alongside it. At such summits, every image is carefully calculated, and no moment is left to chance.
