Russian President Vladimir Putin with US counterpart Donald Trump

Russian president Vladimir Putin expressed optimism about ties with the United States, while Donald Trump grew jittery that the Alaska Summit might end in stalemate, as both Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy dug in their heels on a one-on-one meeting.Acknowledging Moscow’s all-time low relationship with Washington, Putin said “there is a light at the end of the tunnel now that President (Donald) Trump has come to power.“As for our relations with the United States, they are at an extremely low level. I have said this many times. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel now that President (Donald) Trump has come to power,” Putin said, according to news agency PTI, in televised remarks during a meeting with nuclear industry workers in the town of Sarov, the birthplace of the Soviet atomic programme.Meanwhile, Trump, who had been pompous about ending the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours, appeared clueless over the three-year-long conflict and said, “I think over the next two weeks, we’re going to find out which way it’s going to go”.Trump said he was not happy about the war and that he “be better happy” after two weeks.“I’m not happy about anything about that war — nothing… I think over the next two weeks, we’re going to find out which way it’s going to go, and I better be very happy,” Trump told reporters.Trump said Friday he expected to make a decision on his next actions in two weeks if direct talks aren’t scheduled. He raised the possibility of imposing new sanctions or tariffs on Russia, a threat he has previously floated but not followed through on.“We’re going to see whether or not they have a meeting,” Trump told reporters in an Oval Office appearance. “It’ll be interesting to see. If they don’t, why didn’t they have a meeting, because I told them to have a meeting. But I’ll know what I am going to do in two weeks.”Relations between Moscow and Washington have sharply deteriorated over issues ranging from the Ukraine conflict, Nato’s eastward expansion, and sanctions against Russia.Putin said Russia and the US are discussing the possibility of working together in the Arctic and Alaska.“We are discussing with our American partners the possibility of working together in this field, not only in our Arctic zone but also in Alaska,” he said.Earlier, Putin had endorsed Trump’s claim after the Alaska Summit on August 15 that the Ukraine war would not have started if he had been in the White House.