The upcoming meeting on Friday between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska remains in the focus of world media today, BTA writes.
The US president described the upcoming meeting as little more than an "familiar meeting", but in reality it could turn out to be a meeting that will determine the future of Europe and global security for decades to come, writes the British newspaper "Independent".
From Trump's point of view, the meeting may be part of his quest for the Nobel Peace Prize in his attempt to end the war in Ukraine by using the "art of the deal" with Putin. The Russian president, for his part, is likely to prevail, and his agenda includes the "art of theft" – specifically, the massive land grab of his neighbor, the publication notes.
The most affected country - Ukraine itself - will be absent from the meeting.
Trump, Putin and many others (including the media) seem to think that Ukraine's future can be decided by two nuclear powers and then presented to Kiev as a done deal.
Europe - the region that will be most affected by what happens to Ukraine - is working hard to show that this is neither right nor wise, while keeping the volatile US president at bay while all signs point to him being firmly in Russia's camp, the Independent adds.
However, in its report, the "Washington Post" notes that the White House has sharply downgraded its expectations for the upcoming meeting.
President Donald Trump expects his conversation with the Russian president this week to be a "listening exercise", said Trump administration spokeswoman Caroline Levitt, indicating that a deal on the war in Ukraine may not be reached, despite the president's warning last week that Kiev must be "ready to sign something".
Levitt made it clear that the White House sees the upcoming meeting as an early stage in negotiations, not as an opportunity to strike a deal now. When asked whether Trump would be willing to discuss topics unrelated to resolving the conflict, such as warming trade relations between Russia and the United States, she replied that the president intends to focus on Ukraine.
The French newspaper "Le Monde" draws attention to a new breakthrough by the Russian army against the backdrop of the upcoming meeting, which threatens the last two settlements in the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control.
On Monday evening, the pro-Ukrainian interactive map Deepstatemap.live revealed a double advance by Russian forces, probably carried out one or two days earlier by Russian infantry towards the villages of Zoloti Kolodyaz and Khruzke.
In the absence of images proving the Russian advance, experts turned their attention to NASA's real-time map - NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) - which signals unusual heat on the ground, west of Nove Shakhove, in Nove Donbas (east of Dobropilia), as well as in Bylitske (southeast of Dobropilia) and in Rodynske. They are most often a sign of active fighting in the area.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War concluded that Russian forces have likely taken control of nine settlements in the immediate vicinity of Dobropilya.
Despite these likely successes by the Russian army, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains firm in his position that he will not agree to the Russian offer to give parts of its territory in exchange for a ceasefire, as Moscow could use the lands it would receive as a field for starting a future war, writes the British newspaper "Guardian".
Zelensky said that he did not believe that Trump supports Moscow's demands and expressed hope that the American leader would act as an honest mediator when he meets with Putin in Alaska.
The Ukrainian president repeated his claims that there are no signs that Russia is preparing to implement a ceasefire agreement, after information about the new Russian progress in Eastern Donbas and warned that Moscow was planning new offensives at three frontline locations.
Trump's European allies want to talk to him before his meeting with Putin on Friday, notes the "New York Times" and recalls the video conference planned today with the participation of the US president, his Vice President J.D. Vance, Ukrainian President Zelensky, some of "Trump's favorite" leaders of European countries, such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as well as the leaders of the EU and NATO, which was organized at the initiative of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Many public statements in recent days indicate that Merz and other leaders will insist that Trump not conclude a peace agreement with Putin behind the backs of Zelensky and his European allies.
European leaders are expected to emphasize that any discussions on the conditions for ending the war must begin with a complete ceasefire. They also believe that European approval is essential for any plans to enforce a ceasefire with the help of European troops.
This will be the last attempt by Merz and his European colleagues to prevent Trump's unilateral impulses and prevent him from falling under Putin's influence, the publication notes.
"The New York Times" quoted the German chancellor as saying that Europe cannot accept that territorial issues between Russia and America "will be discussed or even decided through the heads of the Europeans, through the heads of the Ukrainians". "I assume that the American government sees things the same way. That is why there is this close coordination," Merz added.