By MICHELLE L. PRICE and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could be a decisive moment for both the war in Ukraine and the U.S. leader’s anomalous relationship with his Russian counterpart.

Trump has long boasted that he’s gotten along well with Putin and spoken admiringly of him, even praising him as “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine. But in recent months, he’s expressed frustrations with Putin and threatened more sanctions on his country.

FILE – First lady Melania Trump, left, watches as President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin welcome each other at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018, prior to Trump’s and Putin’s one-on-one meeting. (Alexei Nikolsky, Spu

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