By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) -In a few short hours in Alaska, Vladimir Putin managed to convince Donald Trump that a Ukraine ceasefire was not the way to go, stave off U.S. sanctions, and spectacularly shatter years of Western attempts to isolate the Russian president.

Russia's decision to sell Alaska was influenced by its financial struggles following the Crimean War and the desire to strengthen ties with the United States, a fellow rival of Great Britain. Selling Alaska provided Russia with much-needed cash and ensured that Britain would not gain control of the territory.

Trump and Putin finally shook hands at their much-anticipated meeting, but despite the US President's promises, Ukraine seems no closer to peace

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Kharkiv region expressed skepticism over diplomatic negotiations to the end the war in Ukraine after U.S.

Trump will be accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Air Force One for his flight to Alaska for his meeting with President Putin, the White House said.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was not invited to the Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage, but 1,000 Ukrainian refugees in Alaska will be watching with trepidation.

Live updates and the latest news as a D.C. law enforcement checkpoint draws protestors and Trump and Putin prepare for their summit in Alaska.

Trump will meet Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday as the U.S. leader hopes for a breakthrough in the three-and-a-half-year war, following previous negotiations involving his envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian president's rejection of a U.S. ceasefire proposal.