JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — President Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have started their Alaska summit with a warm handshake on Friday. They greeted each other like old friends before heading into discussions that could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington. The summit gives Trump a chance to prove he is a master dealmaker and global peacemaker. For Putin, it’s an opportunity to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia’s gains. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders aren’t invited. The meeting could have far-reaching implications, with foreign governments watching closely.
The Latest: Trump and Putin begin talks on possible deal to end Russia-Ukraine war
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun face-to-face talks in Alaska for a high-stakes summit that could determine the trajectory of the war in Ukraine and the fate of European security. Both men arrived in Alaska on Friday. Trump’s allies have cast the U.S. president as a heavyweight negotiator who can find a way to bring the slaughter to a close, something he used to boast he could do quickly. For Putin, a summit with Trump offers a long-sought opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia’s gains, block Kyiv’s bid to join the NATO military alliance and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow’s orbit.
Ukrainian defenses face a challenge as Russian troops make gains ahead of the Putin-Trump summit
