A Trump-Putin meeting has been floated by both sides for some time. So why might either side want it to happen now?

The enthusiasm for a negotiated deal is a sharp reversal from 2022 — the year the war began — when Gallup found that about three-quarters of Ukrainians wanted to keep fighting until victory.

The Kremlin is weighing options for a concession to US President Donald Trump that could include an air truce with Ukraine to try to head off the threat of secondary sanctions, even as Russia remains determined to continue its war.