President Vladimir V. Putin has long said he wants to sit down with President Trump. The reason: He believes that such a meeting, rather than just progress on the battlefield, is his best chance for securing a victory in his war against Ukraine.

Trump became the first sitting US president to meet a North Korean leader when he sat down with Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June 2018. The summit was choreographed as a historic breakthrough, complete with gestures such as handshakes, flags and sweeping promises of denuclearisation.

The Kremlin says a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump has been agreed.