Trump Enters His Putin Meeting With High Stakes and Low Expectations

The U.S. and Russian presidents will meet in Anchorage, Alaska, with hopes of making progress toward peace — or at least another meeting.

President Donald Trump waves from the stairs of Air Force One
Luis M. Alvarez/AP

President Donald Trump will meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, face-to-face Friday for the first time in six years — a summit some foreign policy experts fear could do more harm than good for Ukraine and the world.

It’s a high-stakes meeting. The president’s aides have said that no one is better suited to make a deal with Putin than Trump. “Don’t underestimate Trump,” a White House official told NOTUS, requesting anonymity to speak about the meeting.

But Trump and his aides have also sought to temper expectations.