Hello and welcome to NewsHour, live from the BBC World Service in London.
I'm Rebecca Kesby.
When Donald Trump welcomes Vladimir Putin to Alaska on Friday,
he says he'll know within two minutes if he can get a deal to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
What worries many, certainly in Ukraine, but across Europe, is what kind of deal.
Mr Trump has spoken of land swaps,
but does that mean giving up Ukrainian land to the invading Russian force?
That would be rewarding aggression, according to European leaders,
who have issued a joint statement today.
More on that later this hour.
But barely a week ago,
President Trump was threatening to cripple Russia's economy with new sanctions and secondary sanctions and tariffs on countries that trade with Russia
if President Putin did not declare a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his tough stance and welcomed the economic pressure on Moscow.
But now President Trump is preparing for face-to-face talks with Putin on US soil.
and Zelensky is not invited.
A week is a long time in politics.
So where are the weaknesses in the Russian economy?
Perhaps one indication the system is under strain is Moscow's increasing reliance on North Korea,
first for ammunition, then soldiers, and now it seems labourers.