Russian President Vladimir Putin’s final words at the Alaska summit were delivered with a smile, spoken in an uncharacteristic burst of English.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a joint news conference following Russia-US talks. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, We held our talks in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere, and they have proved substantive and productive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday after a Russia-U.S. summit ended without an agreement to stop the fighting in Ukraine after 3 1/2 years.

Both President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered brief remarks, but took no questions, in Alaska.

Mr. Putin has done it with his orchestrated photo shoots: the ones that capture him braving the snow in Siberia, hugging a polar bear, hunting shirtless. They may look silly (at least from outside) but that doesn’t make them any less effective. Or headline-grabbing.

The former British Ambassador to Russia said Saturday that the high-stakes meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a diplomatic victory for Russia.

When U.S. President Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, one of his bargaining chips to encourage Putin to make progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine will be to ease U.S. sanctions on Russia's energy industry and exports.

Russia has long pushed for a direct peace deal that would address a broad range of issues and impose onerous demands on Ukraine, including territorial concessions. Avoiding a cease-fire would allow Russia to continue pressing its advantage on the battlefield in the meantime.

The much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin began with a warm welcome a military flyover but ended with a thud after the two leaders conceded they had failed to reach any agreements on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war.