This live page has now closed, for all the latest developments on this story please head to our updated coverage
'A long way for nothing?' BBC correspondents on Alaska meeting
Image source, Getty ImagesThe White House has released the names of officials due to travel with President Trump aboard Air Force One to Alaska.
Sixteen are listed including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
As is Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt - pictured above - and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
US President Donald Trump has left the White House.
President Trump left in The Beast - the presidential car - at around 07:31 local time (12:31 BST).
Image source, ReutersWhile we wait for Donald Trump to leave for talks with Vladimir Putin, lets turn our attention to someone who will be absent from the meeting - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump has suggested a further meeting could be arranged - including Zelensky - if today's is "good".
We haven't heard from Zelensky yet today, but he has been meeting with European leaders in recent days, including a video call involving Trump on Wednesday.
When Trump first confirmed details of his meeting with Putin, Zelensky said in a video address that decisions made about Ukraine without Ukraine are "stillborn decisions" and "unworkable".
"President Trump announced preparations for his meeting with Putin in Alaska. Very far away from this war, which is raging on our land, against our people, and which anyway can't be ended without us, without Ukraine," he said.
After a video call with European leaders - which Trump joined - Zelensky reiterated that "the path to peace cannot be determined without Ukraine".
He also thanked Trump for supporting Ukraine, adding that the US is ready to continue that support.
US President Donald Trump has just posted on his Truth Social platform: "HIGH STAKES!!!"
That's as he gets ready to leave Washington for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
We're watching the scene live on the tarmac - you can too by pressing watch live at the top of the page.
Image source, PoolWe're expecting to see Trump leave the White House and head for the talks in Alaska shortly.
His official schedule says he was supposed to set off at 06:45 EDT (11:45 BST) - but we're yet to see him leave.
We don't know if he will speak to the press, but we'll be watching closely and bringing you updates.
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesNo one is expecting a sudden end to the war in Ukraine from this summit.
The presence of Vladimir Putin on US soil, a leader indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, is a blow to other Western nations’ efforts to keep him isolated as a global pariah.
Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser, Lt Gen H R McMaster, told me this week that Putin will "try to appeal to Trump’s ego with flattery and holding out the prospect of a big deal".
But if, further down the line, that "big deal" can include renewed limitations on nuclear weapons then that at least will be a silver lining.
Russia, China and the US have already embarked on a dangerous and hugely expensive strategic arms race.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) - which limited ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500-5,500km (310-3,400 miles) - has collapsed altogether this year.
The New Start treaty, which caps the number of nuclear warheads the US and Russia can deploy at 1,550 each, expires in February.
Putin has signalled he is interested in renewing talks on limiting nuclear weapons. While this should not be an excuse for dodging a ceasefire in Ukraine, it could eventually make the world a slightly safer place.
Liza Fokht
BBC News Russian
Image source, Russian Foreign MinistryA well-known Putin ally, Sergei Lavrov, is in Alaska, and reportedly spoke to journalists while wearing a T-shirt with 'USSR' written across it
The Kremlin has announced which officials will be accompanying President Vladimir Putin to the first US-Russian leaders’ summit since 2021.
The list of people sheds some light on the possible agenda of the meeting in Alaska.The five-member delegation includes:
Lavrov and Ushakov are veteran diplomats who are central to shaping Russian foreign policy. Lavrov has led the foreign ministry for over 20 years and Ushakov, a key presidential adviser for more than a decade, previously served as Russia’s ambassador to the US.
The inclusion of Belousov and Siluanov signals that the agenda will cover not only the war in Ukraine, but also strategic security issues and the question of sanctions relief.
Dmitriev is known for his ties to the Putin family and for helping the Kremlin build connections with the US and international business.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn Ukraine, villagers from Bilytske were evacuated just two days ago following the advance of Russian troops in Donetsk
The announcement of today's unexpected face-to-face meeting between the US and Russian presidents saw diplomats and world leaders spring into action.
A number of last-minute announcements and encounters took place as European leaders sought to show their support for Ukraine - ahead of talks neither Ukraine nor European leaders will be involved in. Here's what has happened so far:
Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent in Potter Marsh, Alaska
The world is steadying its cameras on Alaska. And in this American wilderness you don’t always get what you’ve come for.
At a wetlands just south of Anchorage, the giant antlers of a moose are poking up - well away from the sign that tells you of the lethal dangers of invading a moose’s “personal space”.
Here at Potter Marsh, many people have tempered expectations for the summit.
Alan Lorimer, a military veteran, tells me he believes Putin’s intentions are dishonest. “He's trying to acquire as much territory as he possibly can.
"He's from the old guard, KGB. What does he want to do - he wants to have USSR again.”
Another local man seems reluctant to talk but concedes Trump could make progress: “They're both pretty hard-headed,” he says.
I ask him what he hopes it can achieve.
He taps me on the shoulder and strides past saying: “I don't know, I just want to see the moose.”
Jake Lapham
Reporting from Anchorage, Alaska
Hanna Correa, who left Ukraine for love in 2019, says Russian President Vladimir Putin "should be in jail"
On Thursday afternoon in Anchorage, supporters of Ukraine held a fairly large protest beside a main road leading into the city.
Hanna Correa spoke to me amongst a sea of Alaskans waving Ukrainian flags.
Correa, 40, left Ukraine in 2019 for love, and six years later, the future of her country could be decided in her adopted home town.
"When I entered through that parking lot, and I see a lot of Americans, they're supporting, it made me cry," she says.
"Putin is supposed to be in jail, and he just comes to Alaska like that."
Among those protesting their arrival is Christopher Kelliher, a 53-year-old military veteran and Alaskan native.
"It's gross, it makes you want to take a shower," he says of the meeting.
"Putin doesn't need to be in our state, much less our country. We have an idiot in the White House that will kowtow to this guy."
We’re expecting to see similar protests during the meeting and over the weekend.
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesAnalysis by BBC Verify has found that Russia has more than doubled the number of drones and missiles fired towards Ukraine since President Trump returned to the White House
Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian MP and chair of the country's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, says he doesn't have "high expectations" ahead of today's Trump-Putin meeting.
Speaking to BBC World Service's Newsday programme, Merezhko says the summit in Alaska is "already a diplomatic win" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has brought him "into the limelight", Merezhko says.
"I don't expect any tangible results for the simple reason that Putin doesn't want to stop the war. His goal is to destroy Ukraine, and Trump doesn't seem to be keen to provide sanctions to Russia and those supporting Russia," Merezhko says.
He stresses a point made several times by Ukraine and its European allies, that "the fate of Ukraine should be decided by Ukrainians" and with the "direct participation of our president".
Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to the talks, although Trump told Fox News yesterday that the Ukrainian president would be contacted if the meeting went well and a second one was in order.
"Maybe they already have come up with some kind of agreement which they may finalise during the summit, Merezhko says, adding: "We don't know anything and [it] creates lots of risks for our security and our future."
Will Vernon
Europe regional editor for BBC World Service
In comments ahead of the summit, President Trump raised the possibility of offering President Putin “economic incentives” to end the war in Ukraine - and appeared to praise Russia’s copious reserves of oil and gas.
Previously, Putin and Trump have reportedly discussed possible cooperation on rare earth deposits - a favourite topic of Trump's - which are locked up inside Russia’s vast territory.
The Kremlin has been trying to pitch to the Americans the potential advantages of economic cooperation with Russia, especially in the Arctic. Privileged access to markets for US companies could be on the table.
But American firms aren’t exactly dashing to the door for entry into the Russian market, which is still seen as a risky place to do business.
That might not matter to Donald Trump though. Any economic deal, even one beset by unclear outcomes, could be seen as a win for the president.
Joel Gunter
Reporting from Kyiv
Today is a significant holy day in Ukraine, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the day on which she hears the needs of all those who pray to her.
But as church goers filed into St Michael’s in central Kyiv on Friday morning, ahead of Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, there was a distinct lack of faith that the nation’s prayers would be heard with regard to the war.
“The fact that we weren’t invited to these negotiations shows that nothing good will come from them for us,” says Tetiana Lopushanska, the head of a Ukrainian youth charity, who was selling sweets outside church to raise funds.
“Support from our allies is essential, of course,” she says, adding: “But we cannot rely on Trump to make a deal for us.”
Sofiia Lypovetska, a Kyiv-based cardiologist attending St Michael’s, says she is “very sceptical about Alaska”.
“It is absolutely wrong to decide the problem of the war in Ukraine without Ukrainians,” she says. “Only Ukrainians can decide.”
Today, of all days, she has more faith in God to help the people of Ukraine than she does in Trump and Putin, she says.
Attacks from both sides have continued in the 48 hours before the scheduled talks between Trump and Putin.
In Ukraine, a fire broke out at a petrol station following a Russian strike in the north-eastern city of Sumy this morning, according to the Ukrainian emergency services. It reports that at least one person has been injured.
Image source, State Emergency Service of UkraineDamage at a petrol station in the Ukrainian city of Sumy
Image source, State Emergency Service of UkraineUkrainian firefighters attended the blaze at the petrol station
Meanwhile in Russia on Thursday, buildings were damaged after a drone strike targeted Rostov-on-Don - our colleagues at BBC verified this footage yesterday. Local governor Yuri Slyusar says 13 people have been injured.
Image source, GettyBuildings in Russia's Rostov-on-Don were damaged in a drone attack
The Ukrainian military says special forces have carried out a number of attacks on Russia overnight.
In a statement on Telegram, it says it has struck the Syzran oil refinery in Russia's Samara region.
It says that fire and explosions were seen at the refinery, which it says produces a range of fuels to supply Russian forces.
Image source, ReutersThe venue for Trump and Putin's meeting is the US military installation Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on the northern edge of Anchorage, Alaska's most-populated city.
It is Alaska's largest military base, and was a critical air defence site and central command point to ward off threats from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
White House officials said the base was chosen because it satisfied security requirements for hosting the two leaders.
Trump visited the base during his first term, in 2019, and said the troops there "serve in our country's last frontier as America's first line of defence".
The 64,000 acre site is a key base for US Arctic military readiness. At its peak in 1957, it hosted 200 fighter jets, multiple air traffic control and early warning radar systems.
Jake Lapham
Reporting from Anchorage, Alaska
Don Cressley is visiting nearby Ship Creek on a fishing trip with his grandson
Ahead of the summit, I took a wander down to Ship Creek in Anchorage - just a few miles from the military base where Trump and Putin are planning to meet.
It's known as one of the best spots to catch Alaska’s renowned salmon.
Don Cressley, who lives in the Alaskan city of North Pole and is visiting on a fishing trip with his grandson, says: "I think it's a good idea [the summit], I wish Zelensky would be out here too... get this thing over with."
He wants an end to the war "because of the destruction they're doing to all the cities, all the buildings, making everybody more homeless, taking their foods away, their supplies away, their living right away”.
Donald Trump, he says, is doing an "awesome job" in ceasefire negotiations.
A little further downstream I come across Russell Wilson, who has lived in Anchorage for decades.
I ask him how it feels to have this historic meeting come to his hometown. “It’s the middle of everything, Russia’s our neighbour, so it only makes sense to have it here,” he tells me as he fishes.
“I just hope it brings an end to the war for both sides, and if not, hopefully we keep supporting Ukraine.”
More now from UK Defence Secretary John Healey.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Healey says beyond the scheduled talks between Trump and Putin, Ukraine must be involved in determining its own future.
Healey says: "The Ukrainians are the ones who are fighting, with huge courage - military and civilians alike. It's for President Zelensky and the Ukrainians to determine the end to the fighting and the terms on which that takes place."
He adds that the UK's job as an ally, with others, is to "lead the charge on intensifying diplomacy" by delivering military aid and showing a readiness to step up economic sanctions on Russia.
What does each leader want to get out of Friday's summit?
Watch as BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher and Russia editor Steve Rosenberg discuss how both Trump and Putin are approaching the high stakes reunion.
In Alaska, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is asked about Donald Trump's assessment that there is a 25% chance Friday's meeting will not be successful.
Lavrov tells reporters they don't make plans in advance, but they have "arguments" and "a clear, understandable position" they will state.
He adds that "much has already been done" during a visit by Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow earlier this month, and says he hopes the two sides can "continue this useful conversation" in the talks.