President Donald Trump has often bragged about his warm relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. But in the months leading up to the leaders’ first meeting in six years, Trump began asking Europeans and White House aides what’s changed about his counterpart.
The line of questioning, described to CNN by three people familiar with the matter, speaks to Trump’s growing frustration with Putin leading up to their summit in Alaska Friday to discuss ending Russia’s years-long invasion of Ukraine. Trump promised to quickly broker a peace deal even before he took office. Not only has Putin resisted ceasefire proposals, but Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine this year.
While there have been some indications that Putin’s short-term objectives in Ukraine may have shifted – underpinnin