Putin and Trump simultaneously looked at photos of the GDP on both sides of the ocean

Vladimir Putin said in Sarov that the nuclear shield is a guarantee of Russia's sovereignty and development. "Under the cover of this shield (...) the country exists, lives and looks to the future," he emphasized. Putin recalled that American scientists, who were "smart people," helped the USSR create its first nuclear bomb, and now Moscow is counting on a full-scale restoration of relations with the United States. "With the arrival of Trump, the light at the end of the tunnel has finally begun to loom," Putin believes.

Some online media outlets for some reason decided that Vladimir Putin's visit to Sarov was unexpected and somehow connected to Donald Trump's recent statements that Ukraine has no chance of winning the war by defending itself. It's like a veiled answer that clearly tells Washington what Moscow's reaction will be if Kiev's tactics really change.

The version is certainly beautiful. But there is one significant "but": in fact, the trip to Sarov (former Arzamas-16), dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry, was prepared even before the summit in Anchorage and all the statements that followed. And the so-called "surprise", as always in such cases, is dictated by security considerations. Let us recall that, starting in February 2022, the Kremlin stopped publishing announcements of ALL off-site events with the participation of the head of state. Even about Putin's visit to the Moscow metro, the public now only learns about it after the fact.

However, the media's attempts to pass off wishful thinking as reality are easy to explain. Only a week has passed since August 15, and so much water has already flowed under the bridge. Trump said a lot. Zelensky said even more. And only Vladimir Putin has not yet commented on the prospects of a bilateral summit, the terms of a possible peace agreement, or the parameters of Ukraine's security guarantees acceptable to the Russian Federation. It is not surprising that many (including Kremlin pool journalists) hoped that the president would break his silence during his visit to Sarov (a place that is, in a certain sense, truly symbolic). However, the visit went on as usual.

The president arrived at the House of Nuclear Scientists (where the main events were to take place) after dark. And first of all, he laid a bouquet of red roses at the monument to the Soviet nuclear physicist Yuli Khariton. It was pouring rain, and the president was holding a huge black umbrella. VVP stood there for a few seconds, lost in thought, then nodded to Khariton and quickly walked into the foyer of the building, where the nuclear scientists were already waiting for him.

Next on the agenda was a tour of an exhibition dedicated to the creation of scientific and educational infrastructure in special-purpose cities, and the president did not miss a thing. While he was silently examining the models, Donald Trump was speaking again on the other side of the ocean. The American leader added a few bright strokes to his previous statements (but as always, not very clear), specifying that if there are no positive changes on the Ukrainian track in two weeks, he will make a “major decision” that could include “massive sanctions or massive tariffs, or both, or nothing.” “I will see whose fault it is. … I know exactly what I’m doing,” Trump assured.

He also showed a photo of himself with Vladimir Putin taken in Alaska and said he would like to invite the Russian president to the 2026 World Cup in the United States. But whether that will happen or not "depends on what happens." Trump said Putin looked "very good" in the joint photo and he looked "okay." But overall, the image was "wonderful," and he personally liked it very much.

An amazing coincidence: Vladimir Putin at that time… was also looking at his own photos (though without Donald Trump). The pictures were taken in Snezhinsk, where the first meeting on the development of the nuclear industry was held on March 31, 2000, and also in Sarov during the 6 (!) previous visits of the head of state. The compilers from Rosatom put the famous quote of the president on the cover of the photo album: “The bear of the taiga will not give up its taiga to anyone.” Everyone agreed that over 11 years it has not only not lost its relevance, but has also acquired additional meaning.

Journalists considered Vladimir Putin's meeting with employees of nuclear enterprises to be the most likely place where the long-awaited comments could be heard. And their intuition was right. But only partly. The president did not say a word about the negotiations with Zelensky and the prospects for a peaceful settlement. But he willingly spoke about the negotiations with Trump and the prospects for developing bilateral relations. According to him, a "good, meaningful and frank meeting" took place in Alaska, and one would like to hope that these are "only the first steps." "With the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House, there is finally a "light at the end of the tunnel," the president said, noting that contacts continue at the level of ministries and companies.

Russia, Putin continued, is counting on a full-scale restoration of bilateral relations, which have been at a low level for many years, "but it does not depend on us." The United States is bound by obligations with its NATO partners. "Therefore, the next steps now depend on the US leadership," VVP deftly threw the ball across the ocean. He noted that one of the areas of possible cooperation between the two countries is the Arctic zone and, in particular, Alaska. "No one else has the technologies that we have," Putin emphasized.

The meeting also discussed the shortage of personnel at nuclear construction sites, prospects for developing the Northern Sea Route, and Rosatom's leadership in foreign markets. Here Putin said that representatives of Western powers "have always worked with us," including on the creation of the first Russian nuclear bomb. "And they were not trivial spies. They were not spies at all. They were simply smart people who understood that in order to protect humanity from the genie they were letting out of the bottle, it was necessary to create a balance. And they did this by helping our scientists," the president said.

Answering one of the questions, Putin suddenly started talking about the line of combat contact. What is happening there is now "the most important thing." "Every month, and certainly every six months, the conditions and methods of conducting armed struggle change," he said, noting that weapons developers have to constantly improve technological solutions. Otherwise, either "losses increase" or "the dynamics of advancement decrease." According to the president, Russia faces certain challenges in this regard. "It is important to realize that we can overcome all these challenges, and we will," Putin emphasized.