Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the U.S. administration was making "sincere efforts" to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and suggested Moscow and Washington could reach a deal on nuclear arms control.

American officials quickly discovered a major snag in planning for the summit: summertime is peak tourist season in Alaska, and options both available and equipped to host the two world leaders were severely limited.

The White House is lowering expectations for any breakthrough from President Trump’s summit Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, using terms like “listening session” and “feel-out meeting” to describe the planned discussion about the war in Ukraine.