SINCE his return to the White House Donald Trump has bent the world to his will. 

Nato countries scrambled to finally cough up for their own defence, and its boss publicly — and very painfully — called the President “Daddy”. 

The last eight months has seen the newly blinged-up Oval Office act as a beauty parade for world leaders ­coming to take the knee at the court of King Don. 

Those that have not fallen in line, like the Iranians, found themselves on the wrong end of a B-2 bomber. 

Trump’s tariff wars have not blown up the global economy as the experts warned, while even the US media that spent his first term in hysterics have calmed down — a bit. 

Almost everyone has fallen in line, bar one leader: Vladimir Putin. 

Despite promising to end the Ukraine war within hours of taking office, the self-declared “President of Peace” clearly bit off more than he could chew if he thought the Russians would dance to his tune. 

Trump laments that Putin talks a good game in private while continuing to kill and maim civilians, and simply shunning calls for a ceasefire. 

The White House enraged allies with a bold offer of bringing the Russians back in from the cold and ending sanctions, but it’s not clear today’s showdown will come anywhere near to ending the bloodshed. 

Those that have not fallen in line, like the Iranians, found themselves on the wrong end of a B-2 bomber

Meanwhile Britain, France and ­Germany are scrambling to make sure any deal done will not sell out Ukraine after their heroic and odds-defying three-and-half-year stand. 

When the pair last met in 2019, Trump was still haunted by accusations the Russians helped tilt his wafer thin election victory in his favour. 

He flies to Alaska to stare down the Kremlin tyrant in a far more powerful position, but there is no doubt this is still a gamble for the White House. 

Trump warns there will be “very severe consequences” if they cannot do a deal, but for Putin even having the meeting goes a massive way toward ending his status as a global pariah. 

So why would he fold now? 

Many would wager the odds of Trump walking out of the talks tonight are far higher than any meaningful step toward peace.