Putin confident of victory: Trump will agree?

"Putin is confident that his troops will be able to break through Ukrainian defenses by the end of the year and take full control of the four regions that he has declared part of Russia... which means that the Russian president is unlikely to make significant concessions to Trump during the talks between the two leaders," reports Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with Putin's views.

European officials are currently concerned that Trump may try to strike a deal no matter what.

Bloomberg reiterated that Trump is pushing for a quick end to the four-year-old all-out war and is seeking to reach an agreement. Putin, for his part, shows no signs of being ready to end hostilities as his troops slowly advance on the battlefield.

• Trump is going after Putin

"There is a growing sense that US efforts to impose a ceasefire have culminated, and officials in Europe are unsure whether Trump will increase pressure on Russia or simply move on to the next test if they fail. Trump has promised to inform Zelensky and some of his NATO allies as soon as he finishes talking to his Russian counterpart," writes Bloomberg.

Sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg that Putin is prepared for a protracted war if necessary to achieve his goals, despite all talk of an end to hostilities. He is also "optimistic" about the possible introduction of further US sanctions.

Meanwhile, the agency writes that Putin's confidence in Russia's prospects on the battlefield is at odds with Western assessments. According to European officials, Russia, which has suffered huge losses in more than three years of military actions, does not have enough potential to achieve Putin's goals.

"According to a person close to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, this skepticism is shared by many Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. According to this person, Ukraine's drones have made conducting large-scale offensive operations expensive and ineffective for Russia," Bloomberg said.