President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is now "convinced he’s going to make a deal" when the two leaders meet in Alaska on Friday. Trump, speaking in a Fox News Radio interview, cast the talks as a chance to test whether Moscow is prepared to negotiate substantive agreements after more than three years of war in Ukraine. Trump credited the threat of U.S. sanctions—and what he called the "very powerful" impact of broader economic incentives—for drawing the Kremlin to the table. He cited recent secondary sanctions on India as further evidence of Washington’s leverage, arguing that punitive measures had prompted Moscow to request the meeting. The U.S. president said he hopes to broker progress toward a Ukraine cease-fire and is open to including nuclear arms control in a broader package. If the Alaska talks show momentum, Trump plans to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to a subsequent round of negotiations at one of three undisclosed locations. He cautioned, however, that an immediate cease-fire may not be reachable in a single session.