The presidential motorcade transported Donald Trump to his National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, just one day after he met with Vladimir Putin for a high-stakes summit
17:11 ET, 17 Aug 2025Updated 17:11 ET, 17 Aug 2025
Donald Trump went to play golf the day after a key meeting with Vladimir Putin(Image: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump headed straight to the golf course after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, with a motorcade pictured escorting him to Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
Trump and Putin met in Alaska on Friday for a high-stakes summit on ending the war in Ukraine, but no ceasefire was agreed upon. Trump will next meet with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, but opted to hit the links on Saturday.
The U.S. President has reportedly spent 20 percent of his second term playing golf, finding time during his busy schedule whenever possible. Vice President JD Vance has also been golfing recently, but suffered embarrassment at Trump’s Turnberry course in Scotland.
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There was optimism that Friday would be a key moment as leaders attempt to end the war in Ukraine, but talks failed to produce a ceasefire. Trump claimed that talks were productive but failed to reach a unanimous agreement with Putin.
Putin has now offered Trump a visit to Moscow, eager to host the U.S. President after he flew to Alaska. “Oh, that’s an interesting one,” Trump said. “I don’t know. I’ll get a little heat on that one. But I can see it possibly happening.”
Before Trump’s meeting with Zelensky, he pressured the Ukrainian President to strike a deal with Putin. Trump claimed that Putin is keen to end the war, despite claims alleging the opposite.
Trump was in his golf attire before heading to his Virginia club(Image: Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP) (Photo by ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
“Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” Trump told FOX News. “And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit.
“But it’s up to President Zelensky. I think we are, and if they like, I’ll be at that next meeting. It’s not a done deal at all. And Ukraine has to agree. President Zelensky has to agree.
“I think we’re pretty close to a deal. Look, Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they’ll say no.”
Trump was also assisted by First Lady Melania Trump, who wrote a letter to Putin in an attempt to protect the millions of children at risk. The letter was hand-delivered to Putin in Alaska, and FOX News claimed to obtain a copy.
The presidential motorcade transported Trump(Image: ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
“We must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all — so that every soul may wake to peace, and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded,” it read. “A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generation’s descendants begin their lives with a purity — an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology.”
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, thanked Melania Trump for the letter. “The return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia should be a key condition for any peace agreement,” he wrote on social media.
After a long day of discussions with Putin on Friday and a key arrangement with Zelensky on Monday, Trump decided to unwind on the golf course and was escorted to his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Trump is expected to be joined by multiple European leaders at the Oval Office on Monday.
