Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin headed to Alaska as the US and Russian presidents girded for a major face-to-face summit and talks aimed at a possible resolution to nearly 42 months of Russias all-out war on Ukraine.

"High Stakes!" Trump wrote in a social media post just before his jet departed from a Washington-area air force base.

Though the two leaders have spoken at least five times since Trump returned to the White House in January, the Alaska meeting will be their first face-to-face.

With Ukrainian officials left out of the talks, the August 15 meeting, being held at an air base near Anchorage, is shaping up as pivotal moment for Ukrainians exhausted by war, Trump's peace-making aspirations, and Putin's efforts to recast Russia's standing on the world stage.

European leaders, who have also been left on the sidelines, were nervous about potential deals that would leave Ukraine in a weaker position or undermine Europe's ability to support Ukraine and stand up to Russia's threats.

Map: Putin Flies To Alaska

For Russians, the symbolism of Putin meeting on US soil, moreover on territory that used to be controlled by Russia, was itself a small victory. Putin's ability to travel abroad has been limited by a war crimes arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, and the West has made Putin a pariah for his unprovoked war on Kyiv.

For many, negotiating directly with Washington -- and leaving Ukraine on the sidelines of peace talks -- has echoes of the 1945 Yalta Conference, where the Soviet Union, the United States, and Britain all but divided up post-World War II Europe.