Putin allegedly told America that he would stop the war in exchange for eastern Ukraine, and it seems that the agreement will include some exchange of territories. Trump himself said that between Russia and Ukraine there will be an"exchange of territories for the benefit of both sides", which Kiev and its European allies oppose.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that"Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupiers".

"A small victory for Putin"

The fact that Trump is meeting with Putin in Alaska is a small victory for the Russian president, said Tresa Guenov, program director of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

- It seems that Trump enters this conversation as if Putin is negotiating in partnership or friendship. It will continue to make these discussions difficult if Ukraine is not involved, she said.

And Ukraine will not participate in this meeting. Trump, when reporters asked him about such a possibility, just waved his hand at it, according to the"New York Times". If the summit in Alaska is successful, as the American media reports, a meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelensky could be held.

According to what Putin reportedly presented to Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, Russia would agree to a full ceasefire if Ukraine withdrew its forces from the rest of the eastern region, which would give Russia control of Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as the Crimean peninsula.

"Instead of finding themselves in trouble - they got an invitation to the summit"

Trump's attitude toward Putin's Russia and the war in Ukraine has changed almost overnight since he entered the White House. From the initial hope to reach an agreement quickly - although not in 24 hours as he said - to frustration with Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and refusal to accept a permanent ceasefire, which Moscow conditions on removing the"cause" of the conflict. But, after Witkoff left for Moscow, just two days before the expiration of Trump's ultimatum to Russia - cease fire or sanctions - instead of putting the Kremlin to the test, Putin was invited to Alaska.

Sam Green, a professor of Russian politics at King's College London, said the summit was the result of both Putin and Trump"finding themselves backed into a corner."

Putin, Green said, never intended to announce the deal in accordance with Trump's ultimatum, which would have indicated weakness under pressure, and Trump was uncertain about the possibility of imposing sanctions that could ultimately prove ineffective and"show weakness a second time."

- The fact that Putin is not going to the US as a prisoner, that he has turned from a frustrating subject into someone who is welcome and that the meeting is being held without Ukrainians and Europeans - all this is a diplomatic victory for Russia - said Green.

What can be expected at the summit

According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump will"test" Putin.

- On Friday, it will be important to see how serious Putin is, and the only one who can do that is Trump. If he is not serious, it will stop there. If he is serious, then from Friday onwards the process will continue, Ukraine will be involved, the Europeans will be involved - Rute said.

He pointed out that, when it comes to discussions about the territory, security guarantees, peace negotiations and what's next,"they will have to be and will be involved","CBS News" reported.

What about Europe?

Europeans fear they will be"outflanked" as Putin makes a deal with Trump. Russian war blogger Roman Alekhin said that Europe has been reduced to the role of an observer.

- If Putin and Trump reach a deal directly, Europe will face a fait accompli. Kiev, even more than that - he said.

- We are at risk of becoming a footnote in history - said an unnamed European diplomat to CNN.

Europeans fear that Trump's "exchange of territory for the benefit of both sides" is an unlikely outcome.

- There is no feeling in Paris, Berlin or London that the occupation of foreign territory means anything to this American administration, and (Europeans) find it deeply disturbing - said the diplomat.

Therefore, on the eve of the summit, the EU stood by Ukraine. Several NATO countries in Europe are openly skeptical of any agreement that"rewards Russian aggression" in the three-year war.

What is Ukraine afraid of?

Ukraine is afraid of losing the right to vote on its future, writes"New York Times".

For almost three and a half years of war in Ukraine, Washington's main slogan in the fight against the Russian invasion was that"there are no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine."

But there will be no Ukraine in Alaska. About as Trump entered the White House, their fear is that his vision of a"peace agreement" represents an agreement directly between him and Putin, similar to how Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill divided Europe at the Yalta Conference in 1945, the newspaper said.

Russians welcomed the summit

While European and Ukrainian officials struggled to respond, the Russians welcomed the summit in Alaska, because this is the first time that a Russian leader has been invited to the US outside the United Nations since 2007, and the Kremlin apparently will not have to make any concessions in the war, writes"Washington Post".

Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's special envoy and a key informal mediator between the Kremlin and the Trump administration, said the decision to hold the summit in Alaska -- which the U.S. bought from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million -- was symbolically important for the U.S.-Russia partnership.

- Born as Russian America - Orthodox roots, fortresses, fur trade - Alaska reflects those connections and makes the US an arctic nation - wrote Dmitriev on the"X" network.

Russian military bloggers also celebrated, but the war correspondent Aleksandar Koc on"Telegram", stating that the meeting"has every chance of becoming historic", warned that it will be"on the condition that the West does not try to carry out another scheme".

Dmitriev warned that"titanic efforts of some countries" are underway to undermine the upcoming summit, Fox News reported. He did not name specific countries, but warned that critics of the negotiations could try to sabotage the summit with diplomatic maneuvers or provocations in the media.