Pressure mounted ahead of a landmark summit in Alaska between the United States and Russia, as Donald Trump warned that Vladimir Putin had only one chance but Moscow pressed ahead with major battlefield gains in Ukraine.

Local reports have it that President Putin and his counterpart, Trump will meet on Friday at an air base in the far-northern US state, which would be the first time the Russian leader would be permitted on Western soil since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine which has killed tens of thousands of people.

Off the base, on the rainy streets of Anchorage, there were few signs that the world's eyes would soon be on the city, other than an influx of media who have booked up virtually all rooms.

The US Treasury Department announced that it would temporarily ease sanctions on the visiting senior Russian officials, who normally would struggle to carry out simple transactions, such as withdrawing cash in Western countries.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has refused to surrender territory to Russia, spoke with President Trump, just as European leaders voiced confidence afterward that the US leader would seek a ceasefire rather than concessions by Kyiv.

Similarly, President Trump himself sent mixed messages, saying that he could quickly organize a three-way summit afterward with both Zelensky and Putin but also warning of the latter’s impatience.