Russian President Vladimir Putin acted like he could not hear a reporter who asked if he would stop killing civilians.
The arresting moment occurred after Putin and Donald Trump greeted each other in Alaska.
After walking down a long red carpet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Putin was met by Trump who deplaned first and was waiting.
Minutes later when the pair appeared in front cameras on the tarmac, Putin was immediately sprayed with questions.
One reporter shouted, ‘Mr. Putin, did you underestimate Ukraine?’
Seconds later a reporter served up a more aggressive query: ‘President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?’
Putin responded by pointing to his ear as if he could not hear the questions, a tactic commonly employed by politicians across the globe.
Meanwhile, Trump did not react to the questioning while standing alongside Putin.
After shaking hands, Trump escorted Putin to his presidential vehicle nicknamed ‘The Beast.’
Putin joined Trump in ‘The Beast’ rather than traveling in his own Russian motorcade.
The American and Russian delegation convened at a separate building for an expected press conference.
Since the start of the war in 2022, millions of civilians in Ukraine have been displaced across the country while thousands have died from Russia’s invasion.
Trump told Fox News anchor Bret Baier that he will leave the summit ‘very quickly’ if a deal is not reached with Putin.
Moreover, the president stated that Russia will face ‘severe consequences’ if Putin does not end the war in Ukraine.
Trump is being joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador Steve Witkoff during his meeting with his Putin.
Earlier, the White House reported that Trump and Putin’s one-on-one meeting was changed to a three-on-three discussion.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders did not attend the summit in Alaska.