In Alaska, military parader President Donald Trump literally had U.S. soldiers on their knees to roll out the red carpet for wanted war criminal Vladimir Putin, who Trump greeted with applause as Putin played him like a pawn.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Donald Trump's position on the war in Ukraine hasn't changed after Friday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and that Ukraine's involvement is essential for a peace deal.

President Trump offered security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression. But the offer was vague, prompting Kyiv to seek clarity.

The highly anticipated summit ended without a breakthrough. Afterwards, Trump said Ukraine and Russia should proceed straight to seeking a full peace deal instead of a cease-fire.

Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war.

One key party who will not be in attendance Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump said Thursday he hopes the summit will lead to a second meeting that would include Zelenskyy.

The much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin began with a warm welcome a military flyover but ended with a thud after the two leaders conceded they