Like many people around the world, we spent much of Friday anticipating the meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their first face-to-face meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 ended faster than expected and without the cease-fire Trump had insisted was necessary to secure a peace deal. While Trump’s goal remained elusive, his deference to the dictator was on full display. We saw military personnel rolling out the red carpet for the man who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, including the abduction of Ukrainian children. Then, as Putin crossed that red carpet, Trump clapped his hands and greeted him enthusiastically.

Advantage: Putin.

After years of getting the cold shoulder from the West, he returned to American soil, welcomed warmly by American fighter jets and a ride in the presidential limousine. A further deference to Putin came later, during a joint appearance before the world’s press, when Trump broke protocol and allowed Putin to speak first. When it was Trump’s turn, he took the opportunity to once again denounce the investigation into whether his campaign conspired with Russians in 2016 to influence the election outcome.

Putin ended the appearance by inviting Trump to Moscow.

The last time a sitting president visited the Russia was in 2013, when President Obama attended the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg. Coincidentally, it was also the last time Trump was in Russia, when he visited to host the Miss Universe pageant.

The Alaska summit turned out to be a dud. It was, to quote the Bard, much ado about nothing.

Now Trump is saying the success of a peace deal rests with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Perhaps to deflect a second Oval Office ambush, six European heads of state announced they would accompany Zelensky to his upcoming meeting with Trump. They include British prime minister Keir Starmer, Finnish president Alexander Stubb, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, French president Emmanuel Macron, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Trump will likely include his pit bull vice president and his sycophantic cabinet secretaries but they’ll likely be outmaneuvered by Zelensky’s dream team of seasoned diplomats.

We spent the remainder of the weekend enjoying mild mornings under the pavilion, warm evenings around the campfire, and late nights watching TV in the cool comfort of Cloud 9. On Saturday, Chef Cliff departed from our usual menu to make an exceptional Caesar salad with grilled chicken. It’s all about the dressing. We also spent some time creating original music with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The speed at which AI is developing is truly mind-blowing! But, as Jon used to tell his mom, you’ve got to try and keep up with technology as best you can. As soon as you give up on it, you’ll get so far behind that you’ll never catch up.

So the Anchorage summit may have ended without the peace Trump promised, but it produced a powerful reminder: symbolism matters. When a U.S. president applauds a man accused of war crimes, it sends a message not just to global leaders, but also to everyday people watching at home and abroad. In moments like these we have to remind ourselves to stay informed, to speak out, and to support all who fight for justice. History is shaped not only by the powerful but by the voices that refuse to be silenced. Let ours be among them.