Including US Officials' Contact Information and Trump's Gift Plans
A document outlining the summit plans between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was reportedly discovered at a hotel in Anchorage.
On the 16th (local time), US public radio NPR reported that an eight-page document containing details of the summit was found at a hotel near Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base in Anchorage, where the US and Russian leaders met the previous day. Guests discovered the document left in the hotel's business center printer. It was also reported that the document bore the US State Department's insignia.
US President Donald Trump (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands after concluding a joint press conference following their meeting on the 15th (local time) at Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
The first page of the released document listed the previous day's summit schedule and the name of the venue within the base where the meeting was held. It also noted that President Trump was scheduled to present President Putin with a "desk sculpture of the American bald eagle" as a gift. The following pages included the names and phone numbers of the State Department official in charge, as well as the names and phone numbers of the summit participants.
According to the document, President Trump and President Putin initially planned to hold a 2-on-2 summit, each accompanied by one aide. However, the actual summit took place in a 3-on-3 format. The document also listed participants for an expanded meeting to follow, but in reality, there was no expanded session; instead, the two leaders held a joint press conference after the 3-on-3 meeting.
Pages six and seven included a seating chart and menu for a luncheon. President Trump and President Putin were to sit facing each other at the center of a long table, with a total of 12 attendees-six from each country, including the two leaders. The meal was planned as a multi-course lunch with dessert, but in actuality, the summit concluded without the luncheon taking place.
The final page stated that the luncheon, which was scheduled to be held immediately after the summit, was intended "in honor of His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of Russia."
NPR reported, "The fact that this document was found in a hotel printer accessible to anyone suggests that there may have been a lapse in preparations for this high-level summit." However, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly dismissed concerns, describing the document as "several pages of lunch menus" and stating that its presence on a public printer did not constitute a security breach. The US State Department did not offer any further comment.
Meanwhile, the US-Russia summit held in Alaska on the 15th did not yield any concrete results regarding a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, and the planned working luncheon between the leaders and their delegations was canceled. The exact reason for the cancellation was not disclosed. Some have speculated that the meeting ended earlier than expected, as the US and Russian leaders concluded their talks in just over two and a half hours.
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