The U.S. Secret Service is preparing for the summit in the Central European nation led by Prime Minister Victor Orbán, who has been close with President Donald Trump since the American president’s first term in office. A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After a meeting at the White House on Monday, the French president said that if there is no progress in talks, Russia should be hit with more sanctions.

Melania Trump took the unique step of crafting a letter calling for peace in Ukraine, having her husband Donald Trump deliver it to Vladimir Putin.

The remarks were a considerable shift for France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who called Moscow a potential threat for many European countries.

Built in tsarist times to show off the glory of the Russian empire, the hall was the setting for Mr Putin’s account of his achievements during the visit to Alaska, a former imperial possession. He praised Mr Trump’s “sincerity” and efforts to end the war.

Bianna Golodryga speaks to Former Russian foreign minister, Andrei Kozyrev about whether Putin is genuine about pursuing any form of peace in Ukraine.

President Trump had suggested a meeting between Russia and Ukraine’s leaders could be a potential next step on the path to peace, but Russian state news media barely mentioned such a meeting in its coverage.

The Kremlin hasn't ruled out summits but has said they could only meet in the very final stages of clinching a peace agreement.

President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met at the White House Monday alongside European leaders to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. Joe Scarborough called the meeting “historic,” noting Western leaders’ repeated references to Article 5: “That’s them poking at