Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s summit in Alaska started with a very stage-managed opening — each leader descending from their respective airplanes, a visibly warm handshake on the tarmac. Pats on the arm. A military overfly.

Then things seemed to veer off script.

Putin slipped into the back of the U.S. president’s armored limousine, known as ‘the Beast’, alongside Trump. As the car slowly pulled away, the two began their first substantial in-person conversation since the Group of 20 in Japan six years ago essentially alone — out of earshot of their aides, officials and the assembled world media.

The short ride from the tarmac to the summit room at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a U.S. military facility, took less than 10 minutes. But it gave both leaders the chance for the most

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