President Donald Trump on Friday showed reporters a photograph that he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally sent him following their Alaska summit, suggesting the Russian leader wants to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States “very badly.”
During a press conference in the Oval Office intended to announce that Washington D.C. would host the 2026 World Cup draw, Trump pulled the glossy photo from his desk drawer and held it up for cameras. The image showed the two leaders walking together on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage during their August 15 meeting.
“I was just sent a picture from somebody that wants to be there very badly,” Trump said, brandishing the photograph. “He’s been very respectful of me and of our country, but not so respectful of others.”
Trump described receiving the photograph as a “very nice” gesture from Putin and announced his intention to sign it and send it back to the Russian leader. “I’m going to sign this for him. But I was sent one, and I thought you’d all like to see it,” Trump told the assembled media.
Trump suggested that Putin might attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. “That’s a man named Vladimir Putin, who I believe will be coming, depending on what happens. He may be coming and he may not, depending on what happens,” Trump said.
The comments came as FIFA President Gianni Infantino sat alongside Trump in the Oval Office for the World Cup draw announcement. Infantino notably remained silent when Trump discussed Putin’s potential attendance, despite Russia being banned from FIFA and UEFA competitions since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump’s display of the Putin photograph came at a particularly awkward moment, just one day after Russian missiles targeted an American electronics facility in western Ukraine. When asked about the strike, Trump acknowledged his displeasure: “I’m not happy about it and I’m not happy about anything having to do with that war. Not at all”.
The photo reveal also occurred as peace negotiations appeared to stall. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Friday that no meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was currently scheduled, contrary to earlier White House suggestions.
The photo follows days of questioning how the Trump administration welcomed Putin to Alaska last week.
U.S. military personnel were photographed on their hands and knees, adjusting the red carpet at the base of Putin’s aircraft stairs while Russian security personnel observed.
Adding to the military theater, Putin’s aircraft was escorted to Alaska by four American fighter jets, and upon arrival, he was greeted with a dramatic flyover featuring a B-2 stealth bomber accompanied by four F-35 jets.
When Putin departed Alaska, American F-35 fighter jets escorted his presidential aircraft out of U.S. airspace.
Perhaps the most symbolically significant moment came when Putin joined Trump in the presidential limousine, known as “The Beast,” for a private ride to the summit venue. Former CIA Director John Brennan raised alarms about potential security implications, warning of possible Russian surveillance devices being introduced to the presidential vehicle.
Then there was the discovery of sensitive documents found on a public hotel printer. The eight-page document cache included not only the ceremonial details but also phone numbers of three U.S. government employees and precise meeting locations and times. Trump held a luncheon “in honor of His Excellency Vladimir Putin” also planned to gift Putin an American Bald Eagle Desk Statue.
Vladimir Putin stands as a wanted war criminal in the eyes of international justice, with the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for him on March 17, 2023, for alleged war crimes involving the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launched what has become Europe’s largest military conflict since World War II, resulting in verified civilian casualties of over 49,000 people, including 13,883 killed and 35,548 injured as of July 2025, though the actual numbers are believed to be significantly higher.
