Russian President Vladimir Putin had to pay nearly $250,000 (about Rs 2.2 crore) in cash to refuel three jets while returning from the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In the early hours of Saturday morning following a summit in Alaska between the leaders of Russia and the United States, senior politicians in Moscow were quick to trumpet the meeting as a win for Russia and its narrative of the war in Ukraine.

Russia's decision to sell Alaska was influenced by its financial struggles following the Crimean War and the desire to strengthen ties with the United States, a fellow rival of Great Britain. Selling Alaska provided Russia with much-needed cash and ensured that Britain would not gain control of the territory.

Alaska, the US state that will host the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Friday, is a source of imperial nostalgia and often less-than-serious territorial claims in Russia.In 2014, Vladimir Putin,

ANCHORAGE—Dozens of Russian Orthodox faithful joined in prayer ahead of Friday’s summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin, hoping for peace between Russia and Ukraine. “Let our leaders yearn for peace when they meet,

The U.S. Navy said it frequently conducts exercises and operations in the North Pacific Ocean to support maritime homeland defense.