the fact that europe bafflingly continues to insist on it's intention to use an occupation force in ukraine as some kind of answer to the conflict, rather than the cause of it, indicates there is no possibility of success in alaska.

putin has been insisting on meeting the us president for years, because he thinks it's running the ukrainian military. this is half based on probably correct analyses that nato has been directly involved from the start (there has been a substantive canadian troop presence in ukraine since well before the war, and the british are providing clear tactical support) and half idiosyncratic russian paranoia, which we saw in many russian leaders before stalin. he won't talk to zelensky. just getting the meeting is a win for putin.

i think the best case outcome is that putin wakes up a little from the experience and realizes that this war really isn't being directed from washington and he's going to need to deal with the facts on the ground.

but the european proposals clearly indicate that they have no interest in peace and want the war to continue. so, it will.