Image source, Getty Images

When Keir Starmer meets Donald Trump later on, they are likely to mull over security guarantees for Ukraine that might follow a ceasefire with Russia.

Starmer has suggested that the UK may send military members to the country as a peacekeeping force after a truce is agreed.

But, during negotiations over a possible minerals deal with Ukraine, Donald Trump has refused so far to assure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the US might do the same.

Now, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha says that a focus on getting “boots on the ground” might not even go far enough to guarantee Ukraine’s protection.

“Securing Ukraine’s sky and sea is equally, if not more important,” he suggests in a social media post.

“Land, sky, and sea must all be in focus”.

Talks in Istanbul between delegates from Russia and the US have concluded, Russia's state-run Tass news agency reports.

Representatives from the two nations spoke for more than six hours today. The talks' stated aim is to resolve ongoing disputes between Washington and Moscow.

A little earlier, Putin said "Western elites" were unhappy with the renewed dialogue and are trying to disrupt it.

Image source, Reuters

We can bring you a bit more now from Putin's remarks at the FSB security agency meeting a little earlier, which were released by Russia's state-run news agency TASS and translated by our colleagues at BBC Monitoring.

Putin claims that some "Western elites" are trying to disrupt the new dialogue between Washington and Moscow.

"We understand that not everyone is happy with the resumption of Russian-American contacts. Some Western elites are still determined to maintain instability in the world. These forces will try to disrupt or compromise the dialogue that has begun", the Russian president says.

"We need to take it into account and use all the possibilities of diplomacy and special services to prevent such attempts," he adds.

Putin also says the West is beginning to collapse "from within", saying this is "evidenced by the problems in the economy of many Western countries".

As we reported earlier, Russia and the US have today sent delegations to Turkey for a new round of talks - a move Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says is bringing the two countries "closer to overcoming the disagreements".

Representatives have been meeting in Istanbul in what is expected to be the first in a series of meetings between the two countries, aiming to remove "irritants" from their relationship.

Speaking to reporters, Zakharova adds that the dialogue will strengthen "confidence-building measures".

Russia's President Vladimir Putin says that talks between the US and Russia today give him "hope" that "problems" such as the Ukraine conflict can be solved.

"The first contacts with the new US administration give some hope. There is a mutual desire to work on restoring relations," Putin says during a meeting with Russia's FSB security agency, as reported by the AFP and Reuters news agencies.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier today, Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said she thinks it is "excellent" that Starmer is visiting Trump to convey messages the UK and Europe are aligned on.

Valtonen told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme that Finland has defended itself from the aggression of neighbouring Russia before, and knows the "long-term threat is there to stay, independently of what happens with Ukraine".

"It's in the European interest to, of course, aid Ukraine and also weaken Russia", while working to negotiate a deal on lasting peace, because the "entire world is watching," she said.

There is "no way" UK PM Keir Starmer's new baseline for defence spending will satisfy US President Donald Trump, Lord Simon McDonald, the UK's former head of the diplomatic service, says.

McDonald says the pledge to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP by the next parliament will "be treated as a baseline".

"There is no way that will satisfy the president."

McDonald notes that, when the pair met for dinner in September last year, Trump referred to Starmer as his friend. This meeting is "a basis on which they can build," McDonald tells the BBC.

He also says that the British Royal Family is "a card that only Starmer can play" during the talks.

Trump has expressed admiration for British royals, with one of the highlights of his first presidency being his state visit to Buckingham Palace.

McDonald believes these elements will help Starmer present a compelling case to Trump during their private talks.

As we've been reporting, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be meeting US President Donald Trump in the White House, where the war in Ukraine and European defence will be important issues on today's agenda.

This week marked three years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine as well as the 11th anniversary of Crimea's annexation. If you're just coming to our live coverage now, here is a recap of the other main events this week:

• During his visit to Washington, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a truce could be brokered between Russia and Ukraine within weeks
• Starmer announced plans to increase the UK's defence spending to 2.5%by 2027, while cutting the foreign aid budget
• As Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky butted heads over a deal on US access to Ukraine's minerals in return for the US's past funding, Putin offered a mineral deal of his own, including access to resources in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories
• A US-Ukraine mineral deal was then agreed, but does not include security guarantees for Ukraine, which Zelensky hopes to see
• Representatives from the US and Russia have been holding closed-door talks in Istanbul, aimed at resolving disputes over the work of their respective embassies

And just a reminder that Zelensky will be visiting Washington on Friday, during which Trump has said the minerals deal will be signed.

Russian forces have slowly expanded the amount of territory they control in Ukraine over the past year, mostly in the east of the country.

But Ukrainian forces have made those advances as slow and difficult as possible and have staged a counter-offensive into Russian territory, breaching the border into the Kursk region.

• Before the full-scale invasion, Russia seized Ukraine's southern peninsula of Crimea in February 2014, annexing it soon afterwards
• Within a few weeks of the invasion in February 2022, Russia was in control of large areas of Ukraine and had advanced to the suburbs of Kyiv, but they hit very strong Ukrainian resistance
• By October 2022, the picture had changed dramatically and, having failed to take Kyiv, Russia withdrew completely from the north
• Western support for Ukraine in 2022 endured in 2023. Frontlines hardly moved through the year
• But 2024 saw Russia grind forward in eastern Ukraine, with Moscow's war machine churning mile by mile through the wide open fields of the Donbas, overwhelming villages and towns
• By 12 February 2025, Russia had advanced about 40km (25 miles) west of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. They have also recently taken the town of Kurakhove and have continued advancing to the north east, towards the city of Pokrovsk

You can take a look at the map below to see how these occupied territories have changed since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

Peskov also details Russia-US talks taking place in Turkey today:

“Today’s meeting in Istanbul is at expert level. Our diplomats are working to develop the understanding that was reached in the telephone conversation between the two presidents and the agreements reached in Riyadh by the high-level delegations. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves for now.”

On prospects for mending relations between Russia and the US, the Kremlin spokesman said “nobody expects quick and easy decisions”, but added that they can be repaired if the two countries continue displaying the current “political will”.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rules out territorial concessions to Ukraine.

“The territories that have become parts of Russia and are included in our country’s constitution and an inalienable part of Russia. This is a fact that absolutely cannot be denied or discussed,” he told a daily press briefing.

This also suggests that Russia intends to continue fighting at least until it captures all of the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims as its own. According to the Russian constitution, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions are part of Russia even though Russian forces do not fully control them.

Peskov’s remarks come one day after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov similarly suggested that Russia was seeking full control of the four regions.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

Six civilians have been confirmed dead and 10 injured following Russian attacks on the Ukrainian frontline town of Kostyantynivka yesterday, Ukrainian authorities say.

Donetsk regional administration head Vadym Filashkin also says, external that elsewhere in the region one civilian was killed and one was injured in Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian police say, external 42 residential houses have been destroyed in the Donetsk region in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours.

A look back to the frontline in eastern Europe now as the Ukrainian military says it shot down 90 out of the 166 drones launched by Russia overnight, targeting various regions.

An additional 72 drones were "lost" without causing any damage, the air force adds in a Telegram post.

According to the military, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy were affected by the attack.

While we wait for Washington to wake up, let's take stock on what today has in store:

• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to arrive at the White House at 12:15 local time (17:15 GMT).
• At 12:20 local time US President Donald Trump and Starmer will meet privately, before making public remarks and answering some questions
• Starmer and Trump will then hold a joint news conference at 14:00 local time

Meanwhile in Istanbul, Russian and US officials have begun talks at the US consul general's residence.

Unlike Starmer and Trump's meeting later today, these talks are being held behind closed doors and the names of those involved have not been made public.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that the US has done more than Europe to financially support Ukraine in the war. He says the US has spent between $300bn to $350bn on the Ukraine war, contradicting figures Ukraine's figures, which suggest American expenditure is a lot less.

The Kiel Institute, a think tank based in Germany, estimates the US has sent $119bn in aid to Ukraine, while their total funding for wider-ranging activity - including replenishing defence stocks and military support in Europe - amounts to $182bn, which isstill less than the amount Trump claims the US has spent on Ukraine.

It's likely US President Donald Trump will ask for a higher defence spending commitment from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former staff member of the US embassy in the UK says.

He'll also ask for this commitment to come about in a shorter amount of time, Michael Martins - who has been in the room during previous negotiations between Starmer and Trump - tells BBC Radio 5 Live.

"An increase of 0.2% of GDP over two or three years is not going to cut it with President Trump. I think he wants to see a higher number and that'll be something he continues to push for within Europe and with Nato member states," he says.

Michael says it's unlikely Trump will deploy US troops to Ukraine. Instead, he'll push for "economic deterrence" by trying to get American businesses into Ukraine, he says.

Image source, Reuters

Earlier this week, UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer addressed the Commons with his new approach to defence spending, ahead of his visit to the White House later today.

Here's four key pledges he announced in his statement:

• The government is promising to increase UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, up from 2.3% - this is the biggest increase in defence spending since the Cold War, Starmer said
• The UK will increase defence spending to 3% of its GDP in the next parliament
• With these new commitments, he says the UK will spend £13.4bn more on defence every year from 2027 onward
• To fund this increase, foreign aid will be slashed from 0.5% to 0.3% in 2027 to fund the greater investment into defence. That represents billions of pounds worth of cuts

The announcement was welcomed by opposition leaders, as the PM said Ukraine will be happy to see "unity in our house".

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Sir Keir Starmer's promise to increase defence spending will have several consequences.

It may one day actually strengthen the UK's ability to defend itself. More immediately it will mean billions less spent on foreign aid.

But what will it buy the prime minister diplomatically in Washington?

In times past visiting dignitaries would give emperors gifts and tributes. Starmer will now turn up at the White House on Thursday with a large goodie bag marked "more defence spending".

Donald Trump is just the latest in a long line of US presidents urging European powers to spend more on their own defence.

The prime minister will be able to say to the president that he has heard the call and acted.

So Starmer's announcement may well get his foot in the door at the White House and a hearing from the president.

Will it help Starmer make the case for the security of Ukraine and Europe? Will Trump now be more amenable to allowing both a seat at the negotiating table?

The answer to those questions is not clear cut.

• You can read more here on what diplomatic power Starmer's defence plans may have in Washington

Elsewhere in Europe, a Russian delegation has arrived in Istanbul for talks with American officials.

The dialogue is aimed at resolving disputes over the work of their embassies in Washington DC and Moscow.

It comes as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also said that Turkey would play "important roles" in ending the Ukraine war.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Turkey has sought to carve out a mediator role and has maintained close ties with both Ukraine and Russia.

BBC Monitoring

Image source, Getty Images

We've been reporting on how the US and Ukraine have now reached a new agreement on access to rare earth mineral deposits.

But earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin also hinted at a possible collaboration with Washington on the development of its rare earth metals.

"Russia is one of the undisputed leaders in terms of reserves of these rare earth metals. We have them in the north - in Murmansk, in the Caucasus - in Kabardino-Balkaria, in the Far East, in Irkutsk Region, in Yakutia, in Tyva. These are quite capital-intensive investments," Putin claimed.

The development of the Tomtor rare earth deposit in Yakutia, one of the largest in the world, is the most promising for attracting foreign investors, Maxim Khudalov, chief strategist of the Vector Capital investment company, told business daily Vedomosti.

From a US perspective, Washington may be most interested in rare earths such as neodymium and praseodymium, which are used to make permanent magnets for microelectronics, as well as lanthanum and cerium, Khudalov said.

However, as exiled outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe pointed out, current US sanctions prohibit the country from investing in Russia's rare earths.