President Donald Trump’s deadline for Russia to end its war in Ukraine or suffer severe economic punishment expires Friday, but it’s unclear how he plans to proceed amid new efforts toward a summit with Vladimir Putin and delicate trade negotiations with China.

Secret talks with Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko show the risks of Trump's latest diplomatic gambit with Putin

T he White House on Thursday afternoon said President Donald Trump is "open" to meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, after a White House official earlier in the day said Putin also would have to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.