U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska for their first face-to-face talks since Trump’s return to the White House, aiming to hammer out a possible ceasefire in Ukraine.

The summit, scheduled for 11 a.m. Alaska time (1900 GMT), is being billed by Washington as a potential breakthrough in ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited, has warned that a deal struck without Kyiv’s involvement could amount to a sellout, freezing the war while informally recognising Russian control over about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. He and European allies insist Ukraine must be part of any settlement and receive binding security guarantees.

Trump, who once vowed to end the war in 24 hours, has tempered his optimism, acknowledging the complexity of the 3½-year-old conflict. He says a truce would cement his credentials as a global peacemaker, while Putin views the meeting as a diplomatic victory, signalling Russia’s return to top-tier international talks despite years of Western attempts to isolate it.

According to sources familiar with Kremlin thinking, Moscow may be willing to freeze the conflict along current front lines if NATO halts its eastward expansion and some Western sanctions are lifted.

While no formal agreements are expected to be signed, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is credited with laying the groundwork for the discussions.

On the eve of the summit, Putin dangled the prospect of a new nuclear arms control treaty to replace the last existing pact, due to expire next February.

Both leaders have hinted at possible compromises, including a limited truce in the air war, though Putin’s core demands remain unchanged: Ukraine’s withdrawal from remaining territories in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson under Kyiv’s control, and a pledge of neutrality outside NATO.

Ukraine has dismissed these conditions as capitulation. Zelenskyy has accused Putin of stalling to avoid further U.S. sanctions, while Trump has suggested land transfers could help end the stalemate.

For now, the Alaska talks will test whether the two leaders can find common ground, or whether the war’s end remains as elusive as ever.