Putin, Trump to discuss settling Ukraine conflict in talks
The meeting will be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since 2021, and comes as Trump seeks to broker an end to Russia's nearly three-and-a-half-year offensive.
"It is probably obvious to everyone that the central topic will be the resolution of the Ukraine crisis," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Thursday.
"Of course, broader issues of ensuring peace and security, as well as pressing international and regional issues, will also be addressed," he added.
The talks are scheduled to start in Alaska at 21.30 CET.
These will be held "one-on-one" between Putin and Trump, with only their interpreters in attendance, Ushakov said.
"This will be followed by negotiations between the delegations, which will continue over a working breakfast," Ushakov added.
Among Russia's delegation will be Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, Ushakov added.
Putin and Trump will give a joint press conference following their meeting, during which they will "summarise the results of the negotiations," Ushakov said.
This would be the first joint press conference between a US and Russian leader since 2018, when Putin met Trump in Helsinki.
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As one recent analysis put it, 'The West can't survive the sanctions it needs to deter China.' When gas prices spike or critical imports dry up, public support crumbles and so does our deterrence. China continues supplying Russia with dual-use items like semiconductors and ball bearings, helping Moscow replace components lost to sanctions. This exchange not only fuels Russia's war against Ukraine, it actively undermines the effectiveness of the West's economic levers of power . Beijing and Moscow are playing the long game. They're sanction-proofing their economies while weaponising our openness and indecision. They're also betting on us being too slow, divided, or distracted to respond. Unfortunately, they're often right. Take the current situation in Libya. Italy and Greece have been sounding the alarm about Turkey and Russian-backed destabilisation in North Africa, along with weaponised migration flows and Russian navy repositioning in the Mediterranean. 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