Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow launched its invasion, as the two leaders prepared for a pivotal U.S.Russia summit Friday in Alaska.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would see what he could do to help “save” detained Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, even though Chinese President Xi Jinping would not be “thrilled.”

President Trump asserted that Vladimir Putin won’t “mess around” with him ahead of their summit in Alaska, where they plan to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump believes Putin desires full control of Ukraine but insists this won’t happen under his presidency. He also proposed a second meeting involving European leaders and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to foster peace negotiations.