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 meeting will be the first time in four years that a U.S. president has met with Putin since the Russia-Ukraine war began.

Even as the president has repeatedly groused about Putin’s “bulls--t” and double talk, the administration believes Putin has given signs that demonstrate this time is different.