WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday he has begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a pathway to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and key European leaders met at the White House on Monday afternoon to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's air force reported a major Russian attack on Monday night and into Tuesday morning -- the largest barrage for weeks.

Russia's decision to sell Alaska was influenced by its financial struggles following the Crimean War and the desire to strengthen ties with the United States, a fellow rival of Great Britain. Selling Alaska provided Russia with much-needed cash and ensured that Britain would not gain control of the territory.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The act of meeting and the nature of the interaction were such that the summit did considerable damage to the U.S. and broader western position on Ukraine.

Alaska summit between Trump and Putin featured military displays and diplomatic talks about Ukraine conflict but produced only modest progress toward peace

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed at their summit in Alaska last week that the U.S. would be able to offer security guarantees to Ukraine, according to Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy,