Why Donald Trump meeting Vladimir Putin is a big deal

US President Donald Trump is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in Alaska today.

The main reason is for both leaders to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Although officials on both sides have met in recent years, this will be the Presidents' first meeting since 2016, and the first since Russia invaded Ukraine.

But what do we know about the meeting and what we can expect to happen?

Read on to find out.

When and where are President Trump and President Putin meeting?

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are due to meet in Anchorage, the largest city in the US state of Alaska.

The venue for the high-profile meeting is the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson - Alaska's largest military base.

The summit is planned to take place today Friday and is scheduled to begin at 11:30 local time (20:30 UK time).

Did you know: The USA bought Alaska off Russia in 1867.

Why are President Trump and President Putin meeting?

The main reason that the two men are set to meet is to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.

The war started on 24 February, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

The conflict has caused a lot of destruction to towns and cities, with many buildings in Ukraine damaged, and millions of people forced to leave their homes.

While both Russia and Ukraine have said that they want the war to end, both countries want different things from any peace deal.

World leaders have been looking for a path to end the conflict, and Donald Trump has often spoken about how he can be the person to make it happen.

You can read more about the history between Russia and Ukraine here.

Who is attending the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not expected to attend the meeting

As it stands, only President Trump and President Putin - as well as a small group of officials from both countries - are due to meet.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not expected to attend.

Earlier this week, President Trump said: "I would say he could go, but he's been to a lot of meetings."

He added however, that President Zelensky would be the first person he would call afterwards.

It's thought that President Putin has requested that President Zelensky not be invited, although the White House has previously said that President Trump was willing to hold talks in which all three leaders were present.

What will happen at the meeting between President Trump and President Putin?

The pair last met face-to-face six years ago

Even though Ukraine will be the main topic of the meeting, the two leaders are also expected to discuss other issues.

Topics such as US-Russia cooperation and trade between the two countries are due to be debated too.

According to officials, President Trump and President Putin will first hold one-to-one talks with interpreters present.

A group lunch will also take place, as well as a press conference after the meeting.

The joint news conference will be attended by both President Trump and President Putin and will serve to "summarise the results of the negotiations" according to Russian officials.

When did President Trump and President Putin last meet?

The summit in Alaska will be the first known face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in six years.

The pair are believed to have last met at the G20 summit in 2019, which took place in the city of Osaka in Japan.

It'll also be their first meeting since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and President Trump's return to office as US President earlier this year.

What have world leaders said ahead of the meeting between President Trump and President Putin?

Ahead of the Alaska summit, Sir Keir Starmer met with President Zelensky at Downing Street on Thursday

On Thursday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street.

In a post on social media, the Ukrainian leader says the pair spoke of their expectations for Friday's Alaska meeting and the security guarantees Ukraine has been calling for to ensure long-lasting peace.

In a statement after their meeting, Sir Keir said that there is a chance for "progress" at the Alaska summit "as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace".

Earlier this week, President Trump met with European leaders to discuss his upcoming meeting with President Putin.

Afterwards, Trump said that Russia would face "very severe" consequences unless it stopped its war in Ukraine.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that President Trump is hoping to use "diplomacy and negotiation" to end the war in Ukraine.

"There are sanctions and many other measures that the president can use if he has to," she explained.

Ahead of their meeting in Alaska, President Putin praised Trump's "sincere efforts" to end the Ukraine war - with the Kremlin saying the leaders will discuss the situation in "one-on-one" talks.