What does Putin want from Trump talks in Alaska?

Russian President Vladimir Putin may already feel like a winner when he sits down in Alaska with Donald Trump about ending the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin may already feel like a winner when he sits down Friday in Alaska with President Donald Trump.

Putin, who has ruthlessly secured unprecedented power at home, has seen his army finally eke out a slight advantage on the battlefield in Ukraine after years of brutal back-and-forth fighting.

Now, invited in from the diplomatic cold, the Russian leader headed for Anchorage full of praise for his American counterpart’s “energetic and sincere efforts” ahead of the talks, which will see him set foot on U.S. soil for the first time in a decade.

For his part Trump warned en route to Alaska that Putin would face “very severe” economic consequences unless he agreed to stop the war.

Asked about overnight attacks on Ukraine, Trump told reporters Friday aboard Air Force One that this ongoing aggression actually hurts his Russian counterpart. “He thinks that makes him — gives him strength in negotiating. I think it hurts him, but I’ll be talking to him about it later,” Trump said.