President Donald Trump praised his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that he would rate the summit as a perfect 10 out of 10.

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The U.S. and Russia met at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss ending Moscow’s war against Ukraine, which began in February 2022. The White House noted that Putin initiated the meeting, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not invited.

Trump stated, “The meeting was a 10 in the sense that we got along great. And it’s good when two big powers get along, especially when they’re nuclear powers.” He added, “We’re number one, they’re number two in the world, and that’s a big deal.”

Following the three-hour summit, Trump said the ball is now in Zelensky’s court but refused to comment on whether Putin made any concessions.

On Ukraine’s side, there was little hope for progress. Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the foreign affairs committee in the Ukrainian parliament, told The New York Times that Putin “won the informational war” and repeated his talking points, saying, “I don’t see any changes.”

In a unique start to his ruling against President Donald Trump’s administration on September 30, U.S. District Court Judge William Young included a scanned handwritten note sent to his office. The note read: “Trump has pardons and tanks – what do you have?” At the top of Young’s opinion in AAUP v. Rubio, which ruled that Trump’s effort to deport foreign-born student protesters was unconstitutional.

October 8, 2025

Regarding Trump’s comments, Putin said, “If President Trump was the president back then, there would be no war. So I can confirm that.” He also stated, “Trump clearly cares about the prosperity of his nation but understands Russia has its own interests.”

For future steps, Trump suggested a follow-up meeting between himself, Putin, and Zelensky.