NBC’s Peter Alexander Reveals the Deflated Mood in the American Delegation After Trump-Putin Summit

NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander shared his thoughts on the tense atmosphere during President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, revealing that the mood in the American delegation seemed deflated after the two leaders’ closed-door talks. The much-anticipated meeting, which was supposed to focus on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, ended without securing a ceasefire.

Alexander described the reaction of Trump’s team, mentioning Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. “What struck me, Jen, in particular, was really just the looks on the faces of the American delegation here,” Alexander said. “Leavitt appeared to be a bit stressed out—anxious—their eyes were wide, almost ashen, at times.” Alexander noted that those expressions would stick with him as he left the summit.

The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment, but no immediate response was given. Alexander pointed out that Trump’s meeting with Putin didn’t seem to result in the progress he had hoped for.

“The bottom line at the end of this,” Alexander said, “is really that Vladimir Putin, who arrived here, in effect, a pariah on the world stage, gets to go home and try to say that he is now a partner with America, the largest superpower in the world. He got, in effect, everything he wanted from this moment.”

Trump himself later acknowledged at a joint press conference that he and Putin “didn’t get there” on the peace deal he had been pushing for. Putin was allowed to speak first, giving a lengthy lecture about the need to address what he called the “primary root causes” of his invasion of Ukraine. Alexander found it surprising that Trump allowed his guest to speak first.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul also commented, suggesting that the American delegation’s shaken reaction indicated that the summit was “a bigger disaster than they’re letting on.” Trump’s own admission about not securing the peace deal echoed that sentiment.

The summit, which excluded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, ended abruptly, with the meeting wrapping up more than an hour earlier than originally planned. Alexander remarked on the strange timing, saying, “Even by the standards they set, things ended abruptly, quickly here.”

Putin’s arrival in Alaska was marked by a lavish “red carpet photo op” and a ride in Trump’s presidential limousine. Despite months of threats, Trump didn’t follow through with imposing new sanctions on Russia, leaving Putin free to go home without facing any additional pressure.

Meanwhile, Trump started his Sunday with a series of angry posts on Truth Social, complaining about the negative media coverage surrounding the summit. “It’s incredible how the Fake News violently distorts the TRUTH when it comes to me,” Trump ranted. “There is NOTHING I can say or do that would lead them to write or report honestly about me. I had a great meeting in Alaska on Biden’s stupid War, a war that should have never happened!!!”

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