'His wildest dream': Vladimir Putin aiming to ‘split' Zelensky and Trump and end war on Russia's terms as pair meet in Alaska
The White House said the meeting will take place at 11 am Alaska time (1900 GMT).
While the likelihood of a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine remains uncertain, a last-gasp offer from Putin of a possible nuclear deal could help both he and Trump save face.
Speaking to Sky News Australia, Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge said there were 'two big things' Putin had already gained from Trump.
'The first thing he wanted was to pause Trump's sanctions on Russian oil. He's achieved that,' Mr Shoebridge told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio.
'The second thing he wanted was a face-to-face meeting with the American president on American soil because that's an enormous propaganda coup for him.'
However, Mr Shoebridge said what Putin really wanted was to undermine Trump's relationship with Ukraine even more, having done so already, leading to the infamous Oval Office stoush earlier this year.
'What he'd love to do is split Trump and Zelensky again, and he knows he can because he's done it before. And he really wants to talk about everything but the war, particularly big business deals between Russia and America,' Mr Shoebridge said.
'His wildest dream is to get Trump to help him end the war on Russian terms. So, Putin's very clear what he wants.'
The meeting of the Russian and US leaders at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska will be their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House and comes amid Ukrainian and European fears that Trump might sell out Kyiv.
Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, said on Thursday the three-and-a-half-year conflict had proven a tougher nut to crack than he had thought.
He said if his talks with Putin went well, setting up a subsequent three-way summit with Zelensky - who was not invited to Friday's meeting - would be even more important than his encounter with Putin.
'I think the good news is Donald Trump is a bit clearer going into this than we might have expected a week ago, because he spent the week caucusing with European leaders and with President Zelensky of Ukraine,' Mr Shoebridge said.
'He didn't do that before he met Putin last time. But yes, the risk is Trump gives away too much to try and get a deal. And that risks handing Russia a victory that no aggressor should be receiving.'
Mr Shoebridge said the best outcome of the talks would be a broader ceasefire that starts 'almost immediately' to allow 'real negotiations' to begin.
He said he did not see that as a 'likely outcome'.
Trump is pressing for a truce to bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, something he has made clear is important to him.
Putin, whose war economy is showing signs of strain, needs Trump to help Russia break out of its straitjacket of ever-tightening Western sanctions, or at the very least not to hit Moscow with more sanctions, something Trump has threatened.
The day before the summit, the Kremlin leader held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February next year.
-with Reuters
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