Donald Trump is set to hold direct talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, as he tries to seal a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. The meeting will take place in Alaska and will be held at the US military's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
The White House has tried to play down expectations of a breakthrough in talks, saying the summit was a "listening exercise" and had been requested by Putin. "The goal of this meeting for the President is to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists on Tuesday. Trump has suggested that there could be some "land swapping", a notion immediately dismissed by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So what do you think? Can Donald Trump end the war in Ukraine? Can't see the poll below? Click here.
Tatyana Stanovaya - a political analyst and senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre - believes Putin is prepared to withdraw troops from Kharkiv or Dnipro and Sumy regions.
In exchange, Ukraine must pull out of Donetsk and Luhansk, while a frozen contact line should be established in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
However, she argues Putin's primary concern remains securing what he calls "security guarantees" - in effect, the geopolitical "neutralisation" of Ukraine.
Stanovaya also explains that Putin's main objective is to persuade Trump that Europe and the current Ukrainian leadership are the obstacles to ending the conflict.
You may also like
Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde & Actor Sharad Kelkar Attend Anand Dighe Dahi Handi Event In Thane
Fantasy Preview: MNR vs NOS The Hundred 2025 – Dream11 Picks, Playing XI Pitch Report
Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Member Dies By Suicide In Delhi's Mandoli Jail; Probe Ordered
Health Tips- Is it safe to have sex during pregnancy or not, let's know what the experts say
Taxpayers to get lower interest rates in days as HMRC confirms change