The meeting between President Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is taking place in a region rich with significance for Moscow. Once Russian territory, Alaska was sold by Alexander II in 1867 for $7.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held calls on Saturday with his Turkish and Hungarian counterparts, the Russian foreign ministry said, hours after a summit between the U.S. and Russian presidents yielded no deal on ending the war in Ukraine.

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

One major vulnerability for Russia heading into the Alaska summit is its faltering economy. While analysts say that a weakening economy isn’t likely to deter President Vladimir Putin from pursuing his goals in Ukraine,

The latest attempt to bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine has been dubbed a “win for Putin” after President Donald Trump walked away from demands for an immediate ceasefire.

In particular, cutting off the “shadow fleet” of tankers that deliver Russia’s oil under the radar would send the war economy into a “deep financial crisis,” according to Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former chief economist at the Institute of International Finance.

The Modi government will hope that Washington and Moscow will arrive at a final agreement on how to deal with Ukraine and Trump will discard the 25 per cent additional tariff. At the minimum, Delhi would want Trump to postpone the deadline of August 27 for implementing the additional tariffs against India.

ANCHORAGE—Dozens of Russian Orthodox faithful joined in prayer ahead of Friday’s summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin, hoping for peace between Russia and Ukraine. “Let our leaders yearn for peace when they meet,