Air Force One has departed as U.S. President Donald Trump travels to Alaska for his first one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in six years, aiming to address the ongoing Ukraine war. “HIGH STAKES!!!” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social, setting an atmosphere of heightened expectations and drama.

The summit comes amid firm rhetoric from Moscow, with Russia’s foreign minister stressing that their “position is clear and unambiguous.” Notably absent from the talks is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has warned that any decisions made without Ukraine’s participation will be “meaningless.”

In Kyiv, skepticism runs deep. At a local church, residents told reporters they have little faith the meeting will alter the grim realities of war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and has since claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides.