President Donald Trump has often bragged about his warm relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. But in the months leading up to the leaders’ first meeting in six years, Trump began asking Europeans and White House aides what’s changed about his counterpart.

European allies have pushed for Ukraine’s involvement in any peace talks, fearful that discussions that exclude Kyiv could otherwise favor Moscow.

Alaska’s military power and Arctic proximity make it a critical yet exposed site for US-Russia diplomacy. Callie Carmichael and LeeAnne Lowry

President Donald Trump sought to lower expectations for his scheduled meeting in Alaska on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling reporters that a second meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be more consequential.

See inside Elmendorf, the U.S. military base in Alaska where President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladmir Putin will meet.

When U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska on Friday, it will be the latest chapter in the 49th state’s long history with Russia — and with international tens