President Trump visits Alaska Friday for a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin — a discussion the White House has called a "listening exercise."

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.

The act of meeting and the nature of the interaction were such that the summit did considerable damage to the U.S. and broader western position on Ukraine.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

When U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska on Friday, it will be the latest chapter in the 49th state’s long history with Russia — and with international tensions.

Promising severe consequences if Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine and then apparently reversing himself is what sends a signal of weakness, not only to Putin,

Ukraine's air force reported a major Russian attack on Monday night and into Tuesday morning -- the largest barrage for weeks.

Alaska summit between Trump and Putin featured military displays and diplomatic talks about Ukraine conflict but produced only modest progress toward peace

Ukraine and its European allies have been buoyed by Donald Trump's promise at the White House of security guarantees for Kyiv to help end its war with Russia. But the president stressed on Tuesday that those would not not involve U.