The Russian leader has been under mounting pressure to meet with Mr Zelenskyy in recent days, after European leaders gathered at the White House to find a path to peace. At the summit, which included Donald Trump, Mr Zelenskyy and Sir Keir Starmer, plans were drawn up for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia and the United States.

US President Donald Trump has ditched his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, backing instead Russian President Vladimir Putin’s push for a permanent peace agreement. That has not stopped some European leaders from pushing for a temporary truce first, even though the US president has seemingly decided one is not necessary.

The presidents of Ukraine and Russia "have not been exactly best friends," U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week, as he pushed for an in-person meeting.

As Trump pushes for peace, Ukraine accuses Russia of a deadly drone and missile strike, "as if there were no efforts by the world to stop this war."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday pressed for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine before President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet.

Trump will be accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Air Force One for his flight to Alaska for his meeting with President Putin, the White House said.

The internet has eviscerated President Donald Trump over a photo portraying the president as a tough negotiator following his widely panned summit in Alaska with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. “The goal is peace,

President Donald Trump said Monday during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders that a potential ceasefire and who gets Ukrainian territory seized by Russia