Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent in Anchorage

"High stakes" is how Donald Trump characterised his meeting with Vladimir Putin as he embarked on the seven hour flight from Washington DC to Alaska.

He's already described the chances of failure as around 25% but it's far from clear whether that degree of optimism is shared by the Russian president and there's little indication that he's prepared to agree to a ceasefire, let alone a wider peace deal.

The Kremlin has said it expects the talks to last for six to seven hours - not something that is reflected in the current White House schedule.

Donald Trump is already looking ahead to a second meeting - possibly involving Ukraine itself and some European powers - but today is a huge hurdle to jump before anything like that can happen.

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha says he had a "meaningful" conversation with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on securing a "just and lasting peace for Ukraine" ahead of Trump's summit with Putin.

He says the pair discussed ways to "enhance assistance to Ukraine, including long-term financial aid."

Sybiha adds he spoke with Luxembourg's Minister for Foreign Affairs Xavier Bettel and he's "grateful" for his position that "there can be no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine."

He also spoke with his counterpart in Belgium, Maxime Prévot, agreeing there "must be no reward for the aggressor, as it would set a dangerous precedent for global stability".

Sarah Smith
North America editor, reporting from Anchorage

At 05:30 local time (14:30 BST), around 200 American and international journalists gathered in an Anchorage car park and boarded buses that would take us inside the US military base to cover the joint press conference that’s expected after the Trump-Putin summit.

Three hours later, we are still stuck on those buses waiting for the secret service to security sweep us and our equipment, before they allow us any further.

With no estimate of when we might make it to the building, this is where we are to wait.

Our military escorts are at least allowing some of us to take a toilet break - as long as it’s an "emergency".

Earlier, regional authorities in the Ukrainian region of Sumy accused Moscow of carrying out a new strike targeting the area.

Russia's defence ministry has now denied attacking a market in central Sumy.

The country's state-run news agency RIA Novosti says Ukraine blaming Russia for the attack is designed to disrupt the US-Russia summit in Alaska.

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian Service

Image source, Russian Defence Ministry/Reuters

Independent polls among serving soldiers are, of course, impossible. But there are two noticeable main tendencies amongst the ranks of Russian soldiers. Those involved in active combat seem to show signs of exhaustion - and fatalism.

“I heard that there are lots of discussions now about the meeting and possible peace deal. Discussions with nice graphics, with maps and arrows, beautiful presentations,” one soldier tells the BBC.

“But I sincerely don't care what they agree on. Me and my friends here in the trenches just want it all to end,” the soldier says.

Most of those currently fighting for the Russian army on the frontline were civilians before the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They later signed contracts with the army, attracted by high salaries and social benefits. Others were mobilised and obliged to join the forces by a government decree in September 2022.

Image source, Russian Defence Ministry/Reuters

Many have already spent years on the front lines - often without proper rotation. So, they are both physically and psychologically exhausted. However, soldiers who have permission from their superiors to post their opinions in the public domain using their real names show a different mood.

They admit to being tired - but stress that Russia is ready to keep fighting till the victory.

“We are bitterly angry and deeply suffering by seeing the monstrous mistakes and losses that could have been avoided, we are trying to fix everything, to live despite injustice,” says Nikita Tretyakov, a former journalist who is now a paratrooper.

“But in essence we joined this war to end it with victory, and not to postpone it, not to leave it as inheritance to our children.”

Image source, Reuters

Volodymyr Zelensky says there is no sign that Russia is preparing for peace, as Putin and Trump head to Alaska to discuss the conflict in Ukraine.

"On the day of the negotiations, they also kill people. That says a lot," the Ukrainian president says in a post on Telegram.

"The war continues," he adds. "It continues precisely because there is no order, nor any indication that Moscow is preparing to end this war."

The head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lysak, said earlier that one man died and another was injured in a Russian missile attack on traffic outside the city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine.

In Sumy, in Ukraine's north east, there are reports of a fire that started following a Russian attack targeting a market in the central part of the city. Local authorities say the number of casualties is being clarified.

As we've been reporting, Vladimir Putin visited the city of Magadan in Russia's far east - about a four-hour flight from Alaska - before making his way to Anchorage to meet with Donald Trump.

After touring a fish oil plant and inspecting Omega-3 supplements, the Russian president stopped off at a local sports complex to meet members of a children's hockey team on the ice.

A cheerful Putin was seen shaking hands with players and cheering from the side of the rink as they practiced, in footage released by the Kremlin.

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian Service

Image source, Reuters

Before finally heading to Alaska for his meeting with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin staged what the Kremlin clearly hope would be a loaded photo-op: laying flowers at a memorial to Russian–American cooperation during World War Two.

The statue, depicting Soviet and US pilots frozen mid-handshake against the wing of an aircraft, commemorates the Alaska–Siberia air route, which ferried roughly 8,000 US Lend-Lease combat planes to the Soviet front between 1942 and 1945.

There’s a matching monument in Fairbanks, Alaska - once adorned with both the Russian tricolour and the Stars and Stripes. Since 2022, only the American flag remains.

Russian state TV reporters noted that restoring the Russian flag there would be “very symbolic". And that’s exactly what Russia wants from this summit - being accepted as a mighty power on the international arena again.

The intended message of Putin’s visit to a World War Two memorial is obvious: a reminder of the days when Moscow and Washington were allies, not adversaries.

But in the current climate, the symbolism comes with a pinch of salt. Back then, the cooperation was about survival against a common enemy. Today, ahead of this Alaska summit, genuine trust is in short supply.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent, reporting from Anchorage

Donald Trump is on his way to Alaska, but he’s not taking a break from posting on his Truth Social account.

Ukrainian officials and US allies in Europe may not like the latest bit of news the American president shared - that he just had a phone conversation with Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The president of Belarus, who has served as the nation’s leader since 1994, is a close ally of Russia’s. The nation was a staging ground for Russian military forces prior to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine

In his post, Trump praised Lukashenko as “highly respected” and said they discussed his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin later today.

European leaders had scrambled to hold a “virtual summit” with Trump on Wednesday in an attempt to ensure the American president knew their concerns about possible decisions or agreements Trump could make at the summit without Ukrainian input.

But one of the last voices in Trump’s ear before he meets with Putin will be one friendly to the Russian side.

Image source, Reuters

If you're only just joining us, here's a quick recap of the top lines from today so far:

• Donald Trump posted "HIGH STAKES!!!" in a brief social media message this morning, before setting off for Alaska on Air Force One
• He has been speaking to reporters while on board, saying territorial swaps will be discussed but that would ultimately be a decision for Ukraine, and he is not there to negotiate for them
• Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine isn't attending, but in a post on X he says the meeting is "indeed, high stakes" and "we are counting on America", adding he wants the talks to open up a "path toward a just peace"
• We've not yet heard from Putin directly today, but a Kremlin spokesperson says Trump will meet him on the steps of the Russian president's aircraft, which they say is due to arrive at 11:00 local time (20:00 BST)
• They also say the meeting between the two leaders could last up to seven hours
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is one of five Russian officials attending the summit - he turned up wearing a "USSR" shirt and says the Russian delegation has "clear, understandable position"

• We've recapped the weeks leading up this moment here, and we've set out the key timings for the summit here

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expects talks with Trump to take up to six-seven hours.

A previous summit in Helsinki was about two hours long.

Joel Gunter
Reporting from Kyiv

Donald Trump’s Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin is headline news around the world.

But on the streets of Kyiv, where people have lived through three years of air strikes, pledges of support, threats of abandonment, and everything in between, few residents said they had much interest or faith in the talks.

"I don't think it will lead to anything new or any solutions," says Bohdan Prumachenko, 28, an IT worker. "Things will just continue," he says.

There is a sense that, without President Zelensky present, this summit is just another remote political event that will not change the reality of the war.

"I’m very sceptical," says Sofiia Lypovetska, a cardiologist. "And it is absolutely wrong to decide the problem of the war without Ukrainians present," she adds.

Amid reports that Russia had broken through part of the frontline in the past few days, some worry that the talks could further damage Ukrainian morale.

"The front is weak, so I think if some new ultimatums appear they could weaken us more, emotionally and militarily," says Kateryna Dubovyk, 25, a cultural manager.

"Earlier in the war, when there were big developments, people seemed more active. Now there is more waiting and observing, and more frustration."

• This brings the Q&A to an end

Image source, EPA

Viewer Mark asks: “What are the chances that Donald Trump ambushes Putin in the same way that he did Zelensky in the Oval Office?”

As a reminder, Zelensky left the White House early on a visit in February after a shouting match erupted with Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance, who accused the Ukrainian leader of not thanking the US for its support.

Gary O’Donoghue suggests that “many outcomes” are possible in today’s Alaska meeting, but adds that the kind of “kebabing” that Zelensky got isn't on the cards.

“Putin is a very different kettle of fish” as a nuclear power, which means he has to be taken incredibly seriously, O’Donoghue explains.

Instead, Trump might prefer to reiterate some of the threats he’s issued, in terms of sanctions and tariffs on Russia and the partners who trade with it.

O’Donoghue says Trump might also sanction Russian banks, as not all of them are currently sanctioned.

“So there are still options for the United States if Vladimir Putin doesn’t play ball today, to up the pressure and to isolate him further,” O’Donoghue says.

North America correspondent Gary O’Donoghue is asked what Donald Trump could offer Vladimir Putin that Ukraine would accept.

O’Donoghue says we’ve heard “multiple versions” from the White House about what this week’s summit is about, switching between calling it a listening exercise to saying a swapping of territories may be discussed.

One possibility is that Trump could offer Putin a return to the international order - a return from the G7 to the G8.

Another could be business opportunities, O’Donoghue explains, as Putin has brought lots of businesspeople with him today.

But, O’Donoghue says, the real issue is that there is a war going on, and Putin has been very clear about his war aims.

As a result, the issue for Donald Trump is whether he really understands that this is ideological for Vladimir Putin - this is about Russian history, going back to the USSR and Peter the Great.

So Trump and Putin may be arguing past one another, to some degree, about what’s achievable and about what they’re both after, O’Donoghue adds.

James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent

This question was sent in to us: "What are the views of those living in the disputed territories?"

Getting the views of Ukrainians living under occupation isn’t easy, because the Russians control the internet and phone networks. They also detain anyone who resists, so the consequences for open criticism could be fatal.

Those currently living under occupation either don’t want to leave or can’t. When you travel to a front line town on the verge of being captured by invading troops, you find a minority of people waiting, likely wanting to be ruled by Moscow. It’s often frustrating for the Ukrainian rescue teams trying to evacuate them.

But the vast majority of Ukraine wants to continue being an independent country, which it overwhelmingly voted for in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia’s invasion is seen as a threat to that very existence.

With Crimea being occupied for 11 years, psychologists say there will have been a level of indoctrination. Consuming state-controlled media and living under a security state alters perceptions over time. Thousands of Russians have also moved to the peninsula since its annexation in 2014. Crimea also “voted” to be part of Russia in a referendum branded as illegal by Ukraine and the West.

There are resistance groups who carry out acts of sabotage, but if Crimea was liberated tomorrow, it’s hard to know what reception the Ukrainian forces would get.

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian Service

"What do the Russian people want from the Trump and Putin summit?" asks Neil from Richmond.

It’s hard to grasp what people living in the authoritarian state really think, because they rarely share their real opinions even with their relatives, not to mention pollsters. Also in today’s Russia, most independent pollsters have been shut down, forced into exile, or labelled as “foreign agents", which severely limits their ability to operate openly.

State-affiliated organisations dominate the field, but their results may be biased. Independent sociologists noted that wording from state-affiliated pollsters can often be loaded to steer responses toward official narratives. However, even official polls now show that fatigue from the war is growing in Russian society.

While official polls suggest that around 50% of Russians support the invasion, analysts emphasise that this approval is often shallow under the weight of censorship and fear. Many Russians try to distance themselves from the war and simply accept what the state does.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Matt in Cheltenham asks: "There’s an international arrest warrant out for Putin - why won’t he be arrested once he lands on American soil?"

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin related to alleged war crimes.

While President Joe Biden repeatedly deemed Putin a "war criminal" and said the warrant was justified, the US is not a party to the ICC.

President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute, which created the court, in 2000, but the US Senate never took the necessary step of ratifying that treaty, which would make it legally binding.

Two years later, President George W Bush formally ended all US involvement with the court, claiming that the institution violated US sovereignty.

So the court’s warrants have no validity on American soil.

The Trump administration has been openly hostile to the ICC, as it has sanctioned some of its officials for investigating US soldiers for alleged war crimes during the war in Afghanistan.

The lack of ICC jurisdiction may be one of the reasons the Russians and Americans settled on Alaska as the location for Friday’s meeting.

It should be noted, however, that Putin visited Mongolia, an ICC signatory, in August 2023. That nation has faced no consequences for declining to enforce the arrest warrant during the Russian leader’s visit.

In the end, international law is only as enforceable as national governments - and their leaders - desire it to be. And in this case, President Donald Trump wants to meet with Vladimir Putin and there is nothing stopping him from doing it on his terms.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

This question was sent in: “Some critics suggest that both Washington and Moscow may be pursuing this summit less for Ukraine’s peace and more for their own strategic leverage against China and the EU. Is Ukraine's fate being used as a bargaining chip in a larger geopolitical game?”

Good question. So, I would say: yes and no. There can be no doubt that both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin see potential strategic leverage from this summit that goes well beyond discussing ways to end the war in Ukraine. Both leaders have an eye on big prizes that have nothing to do with the fate of that embattled nation.

For Putin, this is about regaining Russia’s place at the top table, lifting sanctions, restoring business as usual and, while he’s about it, getting Trump to see the Ukraine war through his eyes, ie. an internal Russian matter, a war of necessity provoked by an expansionist Nato that threatened Russia’s existence.

Trump still believes he is a consummate deal-maker who ends wars around the world so the fact that he has failed to end this one in Ukraine, seven months after he took office, is a constant irritant for him. He too wants to see American firms back in Russia.

As for China, it's true that Washington does perceive Beijing as its biggest long-term strategic challenge, but the idea that Trump can somehow wrest Russia away from its newly reinforced alliance with China is frankly wishful thinking by some.

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian Service

One person asks: Assuming the war can’t be won by either side - what compromises might Russia be expected to make?

Speakers close to the Kremlin and prominent pro-war bloggers are already discussing what Moscow’s end of the bargain might look like. All these discussions seem to be carefully framed to preserve the image of strength.

On territory, few in the pro-Kremlin space dare to speak of large-scale withdrawals. Instead, they float ideas like freezing the current front lines, turning parts of the Donbas and Zaporizhzhia into buffer zones, or postponing a decision on this question to keep options open. It seems their general message is: no retreat, but maximum flexibility on paper.

Security guarantees are discussed in guarded terms - such as limiting certain weapon systems near the front, or agreeing to “mutual non-aggression corridors". Naval restrictions in the Black Sea are mentioned as possible bargaining chips, provided they don’t hinder Russia’s wider strategic position.

Politically, some bloggers suggest the Kremlin could tone down or drop rhetoric about “denazification” while still insisting Ukraine accept “new realities on the ground”. Humanitarian measures - like prisoner of war exchanges are framed as goodwill gestures, not obligations.

To sum up these pro-Kremlin voices: any compromise must look like a Russian initiative, not a concession under pressure, and must leave the narrative of “not losing” intact.

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Chris from Sheffield sent this question: "How far is the gap between what Ukraine and Russia want in terms of ending the war?"

Chris, the gap is vast. Many would say unbridgeable.

For Ukraine, this is about an end to a war that has now gone on for 11 years, since Moscow orchestrated a separatist rebellion in the Donbas in 2014. It wants its sovereignty and borders respected (even if it realises that some territory may never be recovered), its security guaranteed and its right to determine its future respected.

Moscow’s position appears unchanged going into these talks. It’s demanding that Ukraine withdraw completely from the four administrative regions, or “oblasts”, that Russia partially occupies. Moscow annexed all four – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – in September 2022, following referendums widely regarded in the West as a sham.

Moscow also wants guarantees of Ukrainian neutrality, total demilitarisation and a promise not to join Nato.

In other words, little short of total Ukrainian capitulation will suffice for Moscow.

Given these utterly contradictory positions, what can Donald Trump realistically achieve? What Kyiv and its European allies want, first and foremost, is an unconditional ceasefire, something Moscow has so far resisted.

If Trump can achieve that – and almost no-one, including the White House, expects him to pull it off at this first meeting – then a diplomatic process could conceivably start to unfold.