Pelosi Slams Trump’s Alaska Meeting with Putin, Calls for Accountability on Ukraine
Washington, D.C., August 17, 2025 — Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a sharp rebuke following the meeting between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, criticizing what she described as “unjustified courtesies” extended to the Russian leader.
Pelosi’s statement carried strong condemnation, underscoring her belief that any gesture of praise toward Putin undermines global efforts to secure peace in Ukraine. “We prayed for peace but instead got praise for Putin,” she said, warning that such actions risk normalizing Russia’s ongoing aggression.
She demanded that Putin be held accountable for grave human rights abuses in Ukraine, including the mass abduction of children and the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. “The thug should immediately return the tens of thousands of children he kidnapped from Ukraine and stop the raping of women as a weapon of war,” Pelosi declared.
The Alaska meeting marked the first in-person encounter between Trump and Putin since Trump’s return to the political stage. While some observers framed it as an opportunity to open dialogue, critics argue that extending diplomatic courtesies to Putin sends the wrong signal at a time when Ukraine continues to face devastating assaults.
Pelosi’s remarks reflect broader concerns in Washington and among U.S. allies that gestures of goodwill toward Russia could weaken the international coalition supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty. With the war showing no sign of ending, the debate over how American leaders engage with Putin remains a deeply divisive issue.
