Momentous occasion brings Putin in from the cold – but is Trump walking into a trap?
By Martha Kelner, US correspondent, in Alaska
Alaska is a vast wilderness which is sparsely populated. But the quiet is being pierced now by a cacophony of questions over this summit.
Why was Putin invited here? What does he want? What’s he willing to concede? And is Donald Trump about to walk into his trap?
The summit will take place on a military base on the outskirts of Anchorage, Alaska’s biggest city.
It was thrown together at short notice, so there were few venue options available, given the security that is required.
Even so, many of the visiting journalists and support staff for politicians are staying in Airbnbs because there are not enough hotel rooms available for everyone.
There is the sense that this is a momentous occasion.
The last time Putin met a US president was in 2021, when he exchanged starkly differing views with Joe Biden in Geneva.
But that was before his invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He’s been a pariah ever since, wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, including the abduction of Ukrainian children.
With this invite, Trump is bringing him back in from the cold.