A potential later meeting between the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and the US will be “more important”, Trump adds.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin -- and, from a distance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky -- have dueling interests going into a high-stakes summit in Alaska on Friday.

President Donald Trump, who will meet with Putin at a U.S. military base in Alaska on Friday, has threatened “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to end the war with Ukraine. Still, Trump hasn’t followed through on ratcheting up pressure on Russia after previous deadlines to end the war came and went.