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A FORMER spy who trained at the same KGB school as Vladimir Putin has warned of the Kremlin strongman’s powers of manipulation – and claimed the despot has already “won” today’s summit with Trump.
Sergey Jirnov’s chilling warning comes just hours before the Russian dictator’s crunch face-off with Donald Trump in Alaska today.
Jirnov, who served seven years in Russia’s secret service between 1984 and 1991, said the Alaska summit — billed as a turning point in the Ukraine war — is in reality a trap.
He told The Sun: “Even if he gets nothing at all, he has already won and Trump has already lost everything.
“Putin is a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court.
“The West wanted to isolate him — and Trump is bringing him out of isolation and talking to him as an equal.”
Jirnov didn’t hold back on his assessment of the Kremlin chief’s psychological advantage.
He explained: “He knows how to recruit people, he knows how to manipulate them.
“Putin is intelligent and manipulative, he will manipulate Trump, he will tell him everything Trump wants to hear.
“And then he’ll promise him things, eventually, but in reality this relationship is not a rational one on Trump’s part. It’s an emotional relationship.
The ex-KGB man — who first met Putin in 1980 when the young intelligence officer interrogated him during the Moscow Olympics — believes Europe must “crush” the Russian leader “like a bug”.
He insists a no-deal outcome would be a win for Kyiv, because “Trump can give everything to Putin… lift sanctions, push economic projects, and normalise Putin’s Russia. That would be a disaster.”
The last face-to-face meet
DONALD Trump and Vladimir Putin last met in person at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019.
It was during Trump’s first term as the president of America.
The meeting is widely remembered for a moment where Trump, with a smile, publicly warned the Russian leader: “Don’t meddle in the election, please.”
Their private discussions reportedly touched upon arms control, trade, and regional security issues
Alaska showdown
Trump and Putin are set to meet one-on-one at Elmendorf-Richardson base near Anchorage at 11.30am local time (8.30pm UK) today — under extraordinary security.
Putin, who rarely travels abroad since launching his full-scale invasion, will arrive with his feared “Musketeers” bodyguards, carrying everything from armour-piercing pistols to the infamous nuclear briefcase — and even a “poo suitcase” to stop any analysis of his health.
The Cold War-era base has been locked down by US and Russian forces, with over 32,000 troops, air defences, and electronic jamming systems in place.
The pair will thrash out “sensitive matters” behind closed doors before a joint press conference.
Trump has insisted Putin “is not going to mess around with me” and claimed the Russian leader “wants a deal”.
Speaking in the Oval Office, he said: “If I weren’t president, he would take over all of Ukraine… but I am president and he’s not going to mess around with me.”
While playing down the chances of an immediate ceasefire, Trump hinted at a more “important” second round of talks “very quickly” — this time with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “maybe some European leaders” in the room.
Putin has tried to sweeten the mood, praising Trump’s “sincere efforts” for peace, even as Zelensky warns he is “bluffing”.
Trump has vowed “very severe consequences” if this turns out to be the case.
Zelensky, fresh from meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK PM Sir Keir Starmer, has warned that any talks without Ukraine risk disaster.
Behind the scenes, reports suggest Trump may dangle offers of access to Alaska’s natural resources, eased sanctions on Russia’s aviation industry, and even a controversial “West Bank-style” model allowing Moscow to keep control of occupied Ukrainian regions without changing borders.
For Jirnov, such concessions would be catastrophic.
“If nothing happens at the Alaska summit, we have won,” he said.
“But if Trump gives Putin everything, we have lost everything.
“After that, it will be war against Trump with Putin — because Trump will no longer defend the interests of Europe and Ukraine, but Putin’s interests.”
Will there be peace in Ukraine?
THE prospect of peace in Ukraine remains uncertain as the Russia-Ukraine war continues into its fourth year.
While Trump’s diplomatic efforts and the planned meeting signal continued U.S. engagement, the gap between Russia’s demands and Ukraine’s conditions remains wide.
Putin’s history of stalling and Zelensky’s insistence on a full ceasefire and security guarantees suggest that a lasting peace agreement is unlikely in the immediate term without significant concessions from either side.
Next week’s meeting may produce a framework or memorandum for future talks, as Putin has indicated, but a concrete peace deal appears distant based on current dynamics.
Recent US-brokered talks, including direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, 2025, have yielded no breakthroughs, though agreements on prisoner exchanges signal some dialogue.
US President Donald Trump has pushed for a ceasefire, shortening a 50-day deadline for Russia to negotiate or face sanctions, but tensions persist with Russian advances in eastern Ukraine and intensified drone and missile strikes on cities like Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested territorial swaps, while Russia shows little willingness to compromise.
With ongoing military escalation and divergent American and European approaches, a lasting peace deal appears distant.
