The Russians and Ukrainians do not expect any major progress at the planned Trump-Putin summit

People in Russia and Ukraine on Friday expressed hope for progress but did not expect any major progress on ending the war at the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders agreed in a phone call Thursday to meet in Budapest, Hungary in the coming weeks, according to Trump, who was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House later Friday.

“When (Trump and Putin) meet, I don’t think anything will be achieved quickly,” Moscow resident Artyom Kondratov, 36, told the Associated Press.

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At a previous summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska in August, Putin did not budge on his demands and raised objections to some key aspects of the US-led peace effort. Three rounds of direct peace talks in Istanbul did not result in any major breakthroughs.

“There will be some progress (in Hungary), yes, again, regarding the exchange of prisoners and the return of children from both sides, but I am sure that there will be no concrete action in the coming days,” Kondratov said.

Alexander Fedotov, a 58-year-old Moscow resident, believes Trump’s peacemaking efforts could bear fruit.

He said, “Trump will not go to Europe in vain. It is a big trip for him anyway.” “I think there will be progress.”

More than three years after Russia began its full-scale invasion of its neighbour, and more than a decade after it seized Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, many are war-weary.

“I wish goodness and peace for everyone,” said 55-year-old Svetlana, who did not give her last name, in Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea. “We are all waiting for this, all Russians want this.”

The public mood in Kyiv was less optimistic.

“There are no expectations from any of these meetings, because previous meetings have shown to be unproductive,” Marishka Vartoshna, an army medic, told the AP.

“Trump has made his position clear. He does not support Ukraine,” she said.

Ukrainian veteran Ivan Palatsky said he expected the United States to stand by Ukraine amid the intense diplomatic maneuvers.

“We have shown the whole world that we are capable of fighting, and we are ready to fight until the end,” he said. We expect support from our American friends and the American people.”