Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressed recent coverage of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, using a CNBC interview to emphasize what he described as a deliberate show of American strength.
Bessent said the event, which took place in Anchorage last Friday, was meant to send a clear signal of U.S. resolve.
“Alaska was a show of force by President Trump. He invited President Putin to land that the Russians used to own. He displayed a huge amount of military hardware and then did a flyover,” Bessent explained.
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The demonstration included a B-2 bomber escorted by fighter jets flying over the arrival ceremony as Trump and Putin walked a red carpet.
Bessent compared the flyover to “inviting your uncontrollable neighbor to your house and showing him your gun case.”
Bessent also pointed to Trump’s meetings with other world leaders in recent days as evidence of the administration’s active diplomatic efforts.
He noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump and his team in the Oval Office for roughly ninety minutes.
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“We had a very good meeting with him and his team in the Oval for about an hour and a half,” Bessent said.
Following the session with Zelensky, Trump held additional meetings with European leaders at the White House.
“It was an incredible group to have in the White House, all led by President Trump,” Bessent said.
The Treasury Secretary said the day concluded with a phone call between Trump and Putin. While details of the call were not disclosed, Bessent said he believed it could pave the way toward direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
“And yes, the culmination of that was a call with President Putin, and my strong belief is that there will be a bilateral meeting between President Putin and President Zelinsky,” Bessent said.
He added that such a meeting would be essential to moving toward an end to the ongoing conflict.
“That’s the only way to end this conflict—get the two sides talking,” he said.
🚨 JUST IN: Scott Bessent says President Trump inviting Putin to Alaska was “kind of like inviting your uncontrollable neighbor to your house and showing them your gun case.”
Lmao 😂🔥pic.twitter.com/I8ZxPl07Ru
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 19, 2025
Bessent’s remarks followed widespread media attention on the Alaska meeting, where Trump underscored U.S. military capabilities while hosting Putin on American soil.
The event and its displays were intended to project strength as the administration continues its engagement with both Russian and Ukrainian leadership.
The Treasury Secretary’s comments reflect the administration’s view that military demonstrations, paired with direct diplomacy, remain central to Trump’s strategy in addressing the war in Ukraine.