First Takes from the Trump-Putin Summit in Alaska (From FOX News at Night with Trace Gallagher)

Alex Gray, Jayme Leagh Franklin, Mark Montgomery and Rebecca Grant weigh in.

President Trump declared Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin a “10 out of 10.”  “We were together almost three hours.  A lot of points we agreed on,” Trump said of the meeting in an interview immediately afterwards.  “Now it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done.”

Four panelists joining FOX News at Night with Trace Gallagher immediately afterwards agreed that Trump needs to keep the pressure on Putin – and that the B-2s, F-35s and F-22s stole the show in Alaska.   Catch clips from Foxnews.com featuring Alexander Gray and Jayme Leigh Franklin here and Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery with Dr. Rebecca Grant here and highlights below.

First to react was Alexander Gray, former Trump NSC Chief of Staff who is now CEO of American Global Strategies.  President Trump “has done what he can to lay the groundwork, and now it’s up to Volodymyr Zelenskyy to finish this off and to make a good deal,” Gray said of the summit. 

U.S. airpower based in Alaska made an impression.

“Think about that image of Donald Trump walking down the tarmac, physically towering over Putin, with the greatest weapons of American power arrayed next to him, and overhead,” Gray went on to say.   “That is the moment that encapsulates an era.  That is the Trump era in one distilled moment.  We have seen the change from Biden to Trump, from weakness to strength.”

Jayme Leagh Franklin, CEO of Conservateur, who also served in the Trump White House, praised the strategic display.  “This meeting successfully set the finalization of this brutal war between Russia and Ukraine,” she said.  “President Trump knows that peace comes through strength.  Trump knows to use the carrot or the stick.  He’s going to have incentives for peace, but he’s also going to make it very clear there are major consequences for Russia if Putin defies President Trump.”

“The difference between now and a couple of months ago is that the President of United States has shown he is willing to put extraordinary pressure on Putin to make concessions,” Gray said. 

“We’re now in a place where Putin realizes he has to make concessions, like Zelensky has,” Gray summed up.   “Our success and domination abroad means nothing if it doesn’t translate to security and prosperity at home,” cautioned Franklin.

Retired Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery led off the next panel.  “The President showed good discipline during this meeting,” Montgomery judged.  He did not try to charge off into a deal before we had a ceasefire.”  He also noted the effective use of military assets at JBER.  “By giving Putin this visit, he extended a diplomatic olive branch.  By flying the B-2 and F-35 over him, simultaneously, he took a little icing off the cake for Vladimir Putin,” Montgomery noted.

Trace Gallagher brought up Putin’s apparent interest in future U.S.-Russia relations. 

“He went through a whole list of business relationships, space cooperation, the Arctic, nuclear weapons, you name it,” said Rebecca Grant, Vice President of the Lexington Institute.   “Some of it is distraction, but some of it is Putin signaling that’s he willing to take some of this economic deal being crafted by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and others. That will be the carrot for him to agree to a ceasefire.  I think President Trump is playing his cards close to the vest.  It’s clear there’s a delicate deal in the works.  They made some headway. But that next meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, that is going to be a big lift.” 

Trump should “put Russia on the clock for the secondary sanctions on India and China,” Montgomery said, and consider “more offensive weapons” that Ukraine might purchase.   

As for the next summit, as Trace asked, does President Trump want to be part of the trilateral?  When they get there, is it a done deal?

“That is the key point: getting Putin and Zelenskyy together,” Grant said.  She pointed out that in his post-summit interview, Trump speculated that he might not have to do the secondary sanctions. 

“But I agree with the admiral, he’s got to really keep the pressure on Putin, and not let it drift into days or weeks,” Grant stated.  “I’d like those secondary sanctions drop tonight,” she added.

Trace quoted Sen. Lindsay Graham as saying that if everything goes well, we can have this thing settled by Christmas.  “Too long, Rebecca?”  Trace asked.  

“It’s a possibility.  I think they can get it done, but Trump has to keep the pressure on,” Grant concluded.