He's called the UK a random country that's backsliding on freedom of speech and heading down a very dark path.

That didn't stop US Vice President J.D. Vance from holidaying in the Cotswolds this week,

accompanied by his lengthy motorcade of 25 vehicles.

Yes, the UK welcomed Maga to Chipping Norton this week,

heralding an intense round of British diplomacy ahead of the Trump-Pooten summit in Alaska on Friday.

And for those of you who live beyond our shores,

Chipping Norton is a small rural town in the heart of the Cotswolds in central England,

apparently now known as the UK Hamptons.

This week we'll be looking at how Britain has been trying to influence the outcome of that historic Alaska summit.

And we'll also be having a look at the role of soft power in diplomacy, whether it's

the allure of the Cotswolds or Scottish golf courses to US politicians, or the exchange of

cultural icons, notably the 900-year-old buyer tapestry to repair the UK's diplomatic riff with

France. Welcome to Political Fix from the Financial Times with me, George Parker.

To discuss it all, I'm joined by my Whitehall colleague, David Shepard.

Hello.

And Ben Hall, the FD's Europe Editor.

Hello, George.

So how has Stama used all the levers at his disposal to try to wield some influence with Donald Trump

as he seeks to end the war in Ukraine while also supporting Ukraine and its territorial integrity?

Ben, first of all, set the scene of what's happening in that summit in Alaska.

Well, let's just wind back.

Last week, Donald Trump had set an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin to agree a ceasefire or else. And just when we thought the else might happen, he announces that he's going to have a summit with Vladimir Putin. And it transpires later that Vladimir Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, wouldn't be there,

...