Russian President Vladimir Putin is due in Anchorage, Alaska for the much anticipated bilateral summit with the US President and on Thursday he has praised the Trump administration’s "energetic" efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

What's more is that he suggested the two leaders could use the opportunity to strike a deal on nuclear arms control during their direct talks.

“The current American administration… is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict,” Putin said.

He described while chairing a meeting of top security officials that the summit with the US aims to "create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, as well as in Europe, and in the world as a whole."

So despite Ukraine's Zelensky and a number of European leaders decrying being cut out of the talks, it seems both Trump and Putin are optimistic that real deal-making can occur related to the Ukraine conflict.

Putin said further in the fresh comments said that the "next stages" of discussions with the administrations could include reaching "agreements in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons."

New START remains among the last nuclear arms control agreements between Moscow and Washington, and it will expire in February 2026 unless a half-decade extension can be reached.

Both leaders have shown willingness to reach a breakthrough on this issue.

The treaty is intended to limit and reduce nuclear arms on either side, setting a limit of no more than 1,550 deployed warheads and 700 missiles. START I began in 1991, with New START signed under the Obama and Medvedev administrations in 2010 as a successor agreement.

In August 2023 the US accused Russia of violating the treaty in disallowing US on-site inspections under its stipulations. In response, Washington halted Russian inspectors' ability to do the same on American soil.