This has sparked fury in Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying his country “won’t give land to the occupier” and that “any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace”.

Here’s what we know about the summit so far:

When and where

At the White House on Saturday, Trump said “there’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Ukraine and Russia, without providing further details.

Why Alaska?

“But, of course, the presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” he added.

Putin had previously mentioned the United Arab Emirates as a possible host for the talks, while media speculated Turkey, China or India could be probable venues.

Why is Ukraine not involved?

French President Emmanuel Macron, following phone calls with Zelenskyy, Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said “the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukrainians” and that Europe also had to be involved in the negotiations.

In his evening address on Saturday, Zelenskyy stressed: “There must be an honest end to this war, and it is up to Russia to end the war it started.”

When did they last meet?

Trump and Putin last sat together in 2019 at a G20 summit meeting in Japan during Trump’s first term. They have spoken by telephone several times since January.

The last time Putin met a US president in the United States was during talks with Barack Obama at a UN General Assembly in 2015.

Negotiating positions