By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) -In a few short hours in Alaska, Vladimir Putin managed to convince Donald Trump that a Ukraine ceasefire was not the way to go, stave off U.S. sanctions, and spectacularly shatter years of Western attempts to isolate the Russian president.

Putin strolled down a red carpet on the tarmac at Elmendorf Air Force Base, met with Trump’s applause and a guard of honour. As they posed for pictures, F-22 fighters and a B-2 bomber flew overhead. A Russian vehicle waited on the tarmac for Putin,