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New Delhi: The keenly-watched summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska last week had concluded on a "productive" note but the former ended up paying nearly $250,000 (about Rs 2.2 crore) in cash while returning from the United States. The Russian President had to pay the hefty amount in cash to refuel three jets, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Putin had visited Alaska last Friday for the crucial summit with Trump, to discuss pathways to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The high-stakes meeting between the two leaders focused on bringing the Russia-Ukraine conflict to a close, a war that has left thousands of people dead since it began in February 2022.
Why Putin had to pay over Rs 2 crore in cash
During the visit, a bonhomie between Trump and Putin was on full display as the Russian President received a red carpet welcome. However, his delegations had to pay for jet refuelling in cash, owing to US sanctions, Rubio explained.
"When the Russians landed in Alaska, they were there to refuel. They had to offer to pay in cash to refuel their aeroplanes because they can't use our banking system," Rubio told NBC.
"Every single sanction that was in place on the day he took over remains and the impact of all those sanctions remains," Rubio said.
Alaska summit
During the three-hour summit, the two leaders failed to reach a concrete agreement on ending the Ukraine conflict, but the duo said they had "very productive" talks. Putin said that said the negotiations took place in a constructive atmosphere and that the talks would possibly "pave the path towards peace in Ukraine". Putin's team left for Russia after nearly five-hour stay in Alaska. They returned from the US after a joint press conference between Trump and Putin. On Monday, the US President had a crucial meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders and discussed long-term security guarantees for Kyiv. Trump also proposed a trilateral meeting involving him, Zelenskyy and Putin to end the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.
