U.S. President Donald Trump’s August summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, is looming large as the White House presses its peace efforts.

Vladimir Putin does not want a deal, and the sweetness of being begged to entertain one is something the Russian president relishes. Five hours of US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law meeting with the Kremlin head seemed to yield little publicly.

Did the late Rob Reiner publicly say he was developing a television series about Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump called "The Spy and the Asset"? Yes, that is true: Reiner announced the project in 2020 on the Mehdi Hasan

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner had a "reasonably good meeting" with Russian President Vladimir Putin during high-stakes negotiations in Moscow, adding that the U.S. negotiators believed Putin "would like to end the war."

O N DECEMBER 4th, as The Economist went to press, Vladimir Putin was due to touch down in Delhi for the 23rd instalment of the India-Russia summit, an annual affair with many manly hugs and lots of bonhomie.

European Union leaders are gathering this week at the end of political year dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump.

It comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out a ceasefire by Christmas, saying Russia is likely to reject a new European-backed peace proposal and that Ukraine must be ready to continue fighting.

President Donald Trump said a meeting between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin was “reasonably good” but acknowledged he doesn’t know what the outcome will be after successive rounds of talks over a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine.

Susie Wiles brands Vanity Fair report 'hit piece' after it details reported internal tensions, divisions over Russia-Ukraine war - Anadolu Ajansı

President Donald Trump has directed U.S. officials to help to facilitate a “lasting and durable peace" between Ukraine and Russia, with a "very, very strong" package being presented.