At what was billed as an “historic” presidential summit, hastily put together in Alaska on Friday afternoon, the optics were as clear and overshadowing as the vast Chugach mountains glistening over Anchorage in the summer sun.

After leaving Alaska, Trump says he would prefer to "go directly to a peace agreement" to end the war in Ukraine as he prepares to meet Zelensky on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not reach a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine after talks in Alaska on Friday, as the two leaders offered scant details on what was discussed but heaped praise on one another.

In Alaska, military parader President Donald Trump literally had U.S. soldiers on their knees to roll out the red carpet for wanted war criminal Vladimir Putin, who Trump greeted with applause as Putin played him like a pawn.

Russian attacks on major Ukrainian cities killed at least 10 people on Monday, hours before President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was expected to press his case in Washington against a quick deal to end Moscow's war.

The strikes come as Moscow continues rejecting calls for an unconditional ceasefire, instead intensifying its use of drones and missiles against Ukraine.

President Donald Trump traveled to Alaska on Friday in an attempt to find peace between Russia and Ukraine, telling reporters he wants the killings to end.

Trump on Sunday said “big progress” had been made with Russia on the Ukraine conflict, as envoy Witkoff outlined that Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled for the first time he could accept Nato-style security guarantees for Kyiv.