At what was billed as an “historic” presidential summit, hastily put together in Alaska on Friday afternoon, the optics were as clear and overshadowing as the vast Chugach mountains glistening over Anchorage in the summer sun.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not reach a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine after talks in Alaska on Friday, as the two leaders offered scant details on what was discussed but heaped praise on one another.

The US president said a peace agreement would be better than a "mere" ceasefire, hours after summit with Putin that produced little.

However U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff revealed that Putin agreed to allow the U.S. and its European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee at his meeting with Trump.

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their meeting after more than two-and-a-half hours.

The leaders of the UK, France and Germany will accompany Ukraine's president for crunch talks on ending Russia's war against Ukraine.

President Donald Trump has offered his critics, the world and U.S. allies contrasting images on how America treats its friends and adversaries after failing to broker a ceasefire in Russia's unprovoked war to annex Ukraine.