WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a potential breakthrough after weeks of expressing frustration that more was not being done to quell the fighting.

On Friday evening, Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social that a "highly anticipated meeting" between him and Putin would take place on 15 August in the "great state of Alaska". "Further details to follow," he said. Trump had said the meeting location would be "a very popular one for a number of reasons".

Warm relations between Alaskans and Russians began to shift with the rise of Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. In Alaska, feelings on the two leaders’ meeting seemed mixed.