Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have met for the first time on American soil in 10 years on the runway of a US airbase in Alaska as the two men hold a historic summit to discuss the fate of the war in Ukraine.
Donald Trump earlier issued a three-word warning ahead of his high-profile meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Speaking to Fox News' Bret Baier on his way to Alaska, the US President said "I would walk", should the meeting not go well. Amid his departure from the White House at approximately 12pm today, he also threatened Putin with "very severe" consequences if the pair cannot hammer out a ceasefire deal in their Alaska showdown later today. This comes after he warned his Russian counterpart "not to mess around" with him on the eve of the crunch talks in Alaska. Mr Trump said Putin would "much rather... take over all of Ukraine" but urged him to take ceasefire negotiations seriously. He told reporters in the Oval Office: "I am president, and he's not going to mess around with me."
The leaders will convene in Anchorage at 11:30am local time (8.30pm BST) for a one-on-one discussion regarding peace in Ukraine, followed by a highly anticipated press conference. Mr Trump also claimed he would be able to determine whether Putin was serious about negotiations "probably in the first two minutes". If he is, there could be another meeting between the Russian president and Volodymyr Zelensky, notably absent from today's summit.
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