Since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 there have been no face-to-face meetings between the leaders of Russia and the US. Partly because Putin has been unwilling to stop the war he started. And partly because there has been very little for the two to agree on. Putin’s invasion has led to more than a million deaths.

Trump has visited Alaska several times as president, pushed for expanded oil, gas and mining permits there, and even got funding for new polar icebreakers, a popular stance in a state he won with 54% of the vote in 2024.

The pair are meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, for a summit in which they are expected to address the Ukraine War and the future of Russo-American diplomatic relations.