Yesterday afternoon Donald Trump spoke to the media in the White House about his meeting with Putin - here's what he said:

• Trump said that, if he wasn't president, Putin would "much rather... take over all of Ukraine", adding: "But I am president, and he's not going to mess around with me"
• Trump said he would know in the first few minutes whether he and Putin would "have a good meeting", saying that it would "end very quickly" otherwise
• His goal for the talks, he said, is to "set the table" for another meeting with the Russian leader and Ukraine's President Zelensky
• Speaking to Fox News Radio earlier in the day, Trump said if it is a "good meeting" he will call Zelensky to arrange another, but added there's a "25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting"
• And the US president said there would have to be some "give and take" on boundaries between Russia and Ukraine

Sarah Smith
North America editor

Image source, EPA

Face-to-face for the first time in six years and joined only by their translators, Presidents Trump and Putin will look to see if they can find a way to end the fighting in Ukraine.

Donald Trump says he'll know within minutes if there is a deal to be done.

They will not be discussing an ultimate peace settlement in Ukraine - which Trump has suggested could include a divvying up of territory - something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has so far rejected.

The White House is downplaying expectations of any major breakthrough, describing the meeting as a "listening exercise" rather than a full-scale negotiation.

Image source, Reutesr

The choice of location is historically significant: the two presidents are meeting on American land that was once Russian.

Alaska belonged to Russia until 1867, when it was bought by the US. Then, in 1959, It became an American state.

Russian presidential assistant Yuri Ushakov said it was a “logical” place to meet, with only the Bering Strait separating the two countries.

The pair will be meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on the outskirts of Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage, in the southern part of the state.

With roots tracing back to the Cold War, it is Alaska's largest military base, with more than 30,000 people living on the site.

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Protesters have come out in support of Ukraine in Anchorage ahead of the summit.

People could be seen waving Ukrainian flags and unfurling a large banner with the words "Alaska stands with Ukraine".

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Fighting between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of easing ahead of Trump and Putin's meeting.

On Thursday, Ukraine ordered an evacuation of families with children from the town of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region as intense fighting continued in the area.

According to AFP news agency, Russian forces advanced up to 10km (6 miles) on a section of the front line near the towns of Dobropillia and Druzhkivka on Tuesday. It was their biggest gain for a 24-hour period in over a year, the agency estimated after analysing data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War.

An oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd region caught fire on Thursday after being hit by debris from a Ukrainian drone, local officials said. It has now been reportedly extinguished.

Image source, EPA/Reuters

Trump has been pushing hard to end the war.

He promised to do so within 24 hours when elected, but so far hasn't had success brokering a deal.

He’s given a mixed picture of his hopes for today - saying he’d try to get back some territory Russia had occupied for Ukraine, but that there’d also be “some swapping, changes in land”.

The White House has been trying to win over European leaders’ support for a deal that would hand over swathes of Ukrainian territory to Russia, the BBC's US partner CBS News has reported.

However, Trump has also appeared to try to lower expectations ahead of the talks - he has called today a “feel-out meeting” and his press secretary described it as “listening session”.

Putin also says he wants to end the war, though no details have yet emerged about what he might demand today. At this stage, though, there’s no reason to believe he’s budged on his maximalist preconditions for peace.

Just a few weeks ago, he said his position hadn’t changed since June - when Russia presented Ukraine with a memorandum setting out conditions for a “final settlement" of the conflict. The memorandum said that Ukraine must reduce its military and not join Nato, and that Russia’s territorial gains - including annexation of Crimea and four eastern regions - must be internationally recognised.

Trump comments last week that there could be "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" Russia and Ukraine - sparked concern in Kyiv and across Europe that Moscow could be allowed to redraw Ukraine's borders by force.

Jacqueline Howard
Live reporter

Image source, EPA

You join us ahead of the first talks between US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin in six years - with the Ukraine war top of the agenda.

There is one key party missing from the summit in the US state of Alaska: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

When the summit was announced, Zelensky said any deals reached without his country’s involvement were “dead decisions”. His European allies have also said they will not accept a deal to which Ukraine did not agree.

The Ukrainian leader will be waiting by the phone for a call from Trump to learn whether, as the US president hopes, Putin is amenable to a “fair deal”.

The White House has described the forthcoming summit as a “listening exercise” for Trump, who himself tempered expectations on Thursday, saying there was a “25% chance” the talks “could fail”.

On the frontlines, Ukraine has been steeling itself against a push by Russian forces in recent days into key regions.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest from Ukraine ahead of the summit.