US President Donald Trump, in a last-minute statement before the Alaska Summit, said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin went to the summit to make a deal that would end the war. Meanwhile, the plane carrying Putin has arrived in Alaska.

Trump spoke on"The Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox Radio Thursday morning:

"Right now, I believe he's determined to make a deal. He'll make a deal. I think he will. And we'll see, I'll find out very quickly."

'IF IT GOES BAD, I WON'T CALL ANYONE, I'LL GO HOME'

But Trump added a significant caveat: "If it's a bad meeting, I won't call anyone and I'll go home. But if it's a good meeting, I'll call President Zelenskyy and the European leaders."

When asked whether he would offer economic incentives to Russia during the meeting, he did not give a clear answer:

• "Well, I don't want to say this because I don't want to play my cards publicly, but whatever I have, including economic incentives and maybe disincentives, will be on the agenda."

Trump and Putin will meet this Friday, August 15th (tomorrow), at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in the city of Anchorage.

WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS AT THE WHITE HOUSE?

Trump kept expectations high for the meeting, even as White House officials lowered expectations earlier this week by describing the face-to-face meeting as a"listening exercise."

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Trump also stated that his goal is to move toward a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying there are"three different locations" on the table, including the possibility of"staying in Alaska."

WHAT TIME WILL THE MEETING TAKE PLACE?

The Kremlin statement noted that the meeting will be private, with only translators present, and will take place on Friday at 11:30 a.m. Alaska local time (19:30 GMT, 22:30 Turkish time).

According to Interfax, preparations for the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have entered their final stages, and an agreement has been reached on the program. The information was shared by Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.

"Preparations for the meeting of the Russian and US presidents have entered the final stage," Ushakov told reporters.

Ushakov also stated that, in addition to Putin and himself, the names that will be present on the Russian side at the summit are Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) President Kirill Dmitriyev.

The summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15th holds powerful symbols for relations between the two countries. Alaska was purchased from Russia by the US in 1867; this historical connection is sometimes brought to the fore by Russian nationalists who claim to"reclaim" it.

After the US has so far isolated Russia and Putin diplomatically, the"welcome to Alaska" message means Washington is opening the door to Moscow.

The fact that the meeting was held on US soil is noteworthy in terms of both the balance of power and diplomatic gesture. The Russian side's desire to hold a second summit in Moscow and offers of cooperation in the Arctic indicate that the Alaska meeting could be a strategic opening not only for diplomatic purposes but also for geopolitical and economic interests.

The specially equipped IL-96 aircraft, which took off from Vnukovo Airport, landed today in Anchorage, Alaska. According to Flightradar, the flight concluded after a journey of approximately eight hours.

The IL-96 is known for being an aircraft preferred by the Russian President and high-ranking state officials during their official visits, equipped with special communication and security systems.