President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The White House is calling it an early step in what could be a much longer process to end the war in Ukraine.

Before Trump and Putin hold a highly-anticipated summit in Alaska to discuss Moscow’s war on Ukraine, experts emphasize the historical significance of this location.

The talks on Friday in Alaska pull the Russian leader out of diplomatic isolation from the West, and Ukrainian and European leaders fear it gives him an opening to sway the American president.