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.

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.

More than 200 days after Donald Trump’s self-imposed deadline to end Russia’s war against Ukraine on the first day of his second term, the White House is quietly acknowledging that his upcoming summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin isn’t likely to result in a ceasefire.