Asya Robins
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Today saw a heated back and forth between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump escalated his comments a few hours ago by calling Zelensky a "dictator" - he had previously claimed that the Ukrainian leader was down to 4% approval rating among the Ukrainian public - a claim that is not true, as our correspondent Sarah Rainsford explains.

His comments followed a statement from Zelensky, who said Trump is living in a "disinformation space" fuelled by Russia.

The exchange sparked reactions from world leaders, with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz calling Trump's comments "false and dangerous".

Speaking to reporters earlier, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said he would meet his US counterpart "with pleasure", but added that such a meeting would have to be well prepared.

Meanwhile, the US special envoy for Ukraine arrived in Kyiv ahead of a planned meeting with Zelensky, which is scheduled for tomorrow.

And today saw further attacks in the region. At least two people were killed in a Russian strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, in Donetsk, according to the regional head. Later in the day, one person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's border region of Belgorod, according to the regional governor.

We're ending our live coverage for the day but will be back again tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, here's a list of BBC content you can continue reading:

• Trump calls Zelensky a 'dictator' as rift between two leaders deepens
• Fact-checking Trump claims about war in Ukraine
• Steve Rosenberg: How Putin and Trump shook up the world in a week

We'll shortly be wrapping up our coverage of the diplomatic row between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for today. Before we go, here’s a reminder of what happened:

• In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump labelled Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelensky a “dictator” and said Europe failed to bring peace in the conflict
• The White House confirmed that Trump was responding directly to comments made earlier by Zelensky, who that morning said Trump was living in a “disinformation space” created by Russia
• BBC Verify fact-checked the claim and found thatUkraine has been under martial law since Russia invaded in February 2022, meaning elections are suspended
• The UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Zelensky in a phone call this evening that he supports the Ukrainian leader, calling it “perfectly reasonable” to suspend elections in a war
• Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would meet Trump "with pleasure", and that an “increase” of trust is needed between the two countries
• He added that “nobody is excluding Ukraine” from negotiations to end the war, after they weren’t invited to US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
• On the ground, Ukrainian residents told the BBC that Trump is a “bully” and his comments are “painful to hear”
• Fighting continued in the background. One person was killed in an attack on Russia’s border region of Belgorod, according to the regional governor. And in Ukraine, two were killed and two injured in a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Donetsk

Hanna Chornous
Reporting from Kyiv

"All my experience and 30 years of negotiations with the Russians show that you can be successful in talking to them only from the position of strength," former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin says.

"The best position of strength would be to have us, the US and Europe on the same side, with a clear definition of what we want to achieve," he adds.

Mykola Bielieskov of the National Institute for Strategic Studies points out that it sends a bad signal when Ukraine and Europe are not included in the peace talks.

"Transatlantic unity is one of the major leverages to pressure Russia. And if there is no unity, there is less readiness for Russia to pursue deals that would be in the interest of Ukraine and Europe," he says.

"If Ukraine loses the war, it won't be only Ukrainian failure. It would be failure of Europe, with all the negative consequences. It would be failure of the US," Bielieskov warns.

Ukraine needs to continue developing its army and “try to wake Europe up”, says Mykhailo Samus of the New Geopolitics Research Network in Ukraine.

"Europe should finally understand that the US won't protect Europe against any threats and challenges anymore. And only Europe, including Ukraine, is capable to protect itself and to create guarantees not only for Ukraine but for Europe."

Image source, Getty Images

Zelensky has posted to social media to thank the UK for its support following his call with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"UK’s support matters indeed, and we will never forget the respect the British people have shown for Ukraine and our citizens. Thank you for your support," he posted to X.

Earlier, Zelensky also posted about a conversation with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who he said shared Ukraine's need for "broad representation" from Europe, the UK, Turkey and the US.

He added that the pair "coordinated our next steps".

"We cannot allow Putin to deceive everyone again. Before any potential negotiations, all partners must clearly understand that strong security guarantees are the priority for lasting peace," he wrote on X.

Zelensky said that after he was informed about Rutte's meeting with US envoy Keith Kellogg, "the key messages align with our goal of achieving guaranteed peace, not just a temporary ceasefire".

"There must be confidence that in a few months or years, Putin won’t return with his war."

Image source, YouTube:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the world faces a choice between aligning with Russia's president Vladimir Putin on the one hand, and peace on the other.

In his nightly video address, external, Zelensky alluded to US President Donald Trump, who today called the Ukrainian leader a "dictator" who had "done a terrible job".

"A future not with Putin, but with peace. It is a choice for everyone in the world, including the strongest, to stand with Putin or with peace," Zelensky said.

"I count on Ukrainian unity, on our Ukrainian courage, on our relations with partners, on our European unity, and on America's pragmatism - America, which needs success as much as we all do."

Image source, Reuters

More from Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson now, after he spoke at a press conference a little earlier.

Kristersson says the outcome of the war will affect European security for generations to come.

Asked about Trump branding Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator," Kristersson said that was an "incorrect" description.

"President Zelensky is democratically elected. I think nobody wants elections more than Ukraine, because elections would mean that there is peace in Ukraine and that they can rule over their country again," he said.

His comments followed a video conference of European leaders, initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron, to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Image source, EPA

In the last few hours, Europe's leaders are making it clear they take Trump's escalating comments seriously:

• Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Trump's labelling of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dictator" is "false and dangerous". He told German newspaper Der Spiegel "It is simply wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelensky his democratic legitimacy"
• Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says Trump's branding of Zelensky a "dictator" is "incorrect" and that he is "democratically elected". "I think nobody wants elections more than Ukraine, because elections would mean that there is peace in Ukraine and that they can rule over their country again," he says
• Following a meeting today with European leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron said France and its partners "stand alongside Ukraine" and will assume every responsibility to ensure peace and security in Europe. He reiterated that Ukraine must be involved in any peace negotiations

• Denmark, meanwhile, announced 50 billion kroner ($7bn) for defence spending over the next two years, citing an increased threat from Russia. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters the message sent to her country's military is "buy, buy, buy". The move will bring the country's total defence spending to the highest in more than half a century

It’s Russia that most wants to replace Zelensky, not Ukrainians.published at 20:52 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February

20:52 GMT 19 February

Sarah Rainsford
BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent

When Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president he won by a landslide. A comedian and political novice, he was a welcome breath of fresh air.

Then came the shock of a full-scale war and the TV star became the leader who had stayed with his people, defiant as Russian tanks rolled on the capital.

As the war has ground on, Zelensky’s popularity has slipped: Ukrainians are dying, injured, exhausted, with no victory in sight and some do blame the president.

There has been discussion inside Ukraine about his mandate: the fact that his term would normally have expired last year. But how do you hold a fair vote with a fifth of your country occupied and millions displaced from their homes?

Ukraine hasn’t found the answer. There has been no real clamour for it either, though - until now from Donald Trump and before that from Russia.

It has always been Moscow that claims most loudly that Volodymyr Zelensky is illegitimate. It’s Russia that most wants to replace him, not Ukrainians.

Image source, Reuters

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Zelensky this evening, to express his support as "Ukraine's democratically elected leader", according to Downing Street.

Starmer told Zelensky it is "perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did" during World War Two, the statement adds.

Downing Street says the PM also "reiterated his support for the US-led efforts to get a lasting peace in Ukraine that deterred Russia from any future aggression".

Image source, EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he will be meeting Washington's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, on Thursday.

During his daily evening address, a tradition since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky says he hopes for "constructive" work with the US.

"We are scheduled to meet with General Kellogg tomorrow, and it is very important for us that the meeting and our work with America in general be constructive," Zelensky adds.

It comes after a rift between the two nations, as US President Donald Trump described the Ukrainian leader as a "dictator" who had "done a terrible job".

Trump's comments followed earlier remarks by Zelensky, who criticised the US president, accusing him of "living in a disinformation space".

Hanna Chornous
Reporting from Kyiv

In Ukraine's capital, people are well aware of Trump's latest comments about the war and the shift in the US policy towards Russia.

"If Trump doesn’t want to be with us, doesn’t want to support Ukraine, then essentially Trump is betraying his voters, America, and its ideals, says Oleksandr, a real estate agent.

"[Those are the] very ideals that we are defending here."

Alina, selling cured meats at Kyiv's central Bessarabskyi market, tries to stay cheerful.

"For Ukraine, everything will be alright. Our guys are not fighting in vain there. We're optimistic and hopeful," she tells me.

"We will definitely win. But I don’t think we’ll feel joy from that," says Roman, who was buying fish for dinner.

"My brother and my cousin were killed. And it's the same for nearly every family. We've already had such losses that we'll be unlikely to feel a sweet taste of victory."

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

Ukraine is already experiencing a shortage of air defence missiles following interruptions in supplies from the US, a Ukrainian expert says.

“There’s not enough of them already. Yes, that’s the reality, because Ukraine has simply not been receiving new weapons packages from the US since 22 January,” says Oleh Katkov, an analyst with leading Ukrainian military affairs website Defence Express.

“Trump’s position raises the question - where are we supposed to get them from?” he asks in an interview with Ukrainian TV, external.

President Zelensky said earlier today that Ukraine was running out of US-made Patriot air defence missiles.

“We’re counting them every day,” Zelensky said. “We haven’t got air defence missiles. I think this is wrong."

The Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy has come to an end.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Kelin questions a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine without fresh elections in Ukraine.

"We believe that since (Zelensky's) legitimacy has come to an end in May last year, he should have elections," he says. (BBC Verify has fact-checked Russia's claims over Ukrainian elections - it reports thatUkraine has been under martial law since the Russian invasion in February 2022, which means presidential elections are suspended.).

"But we can go into negotiations with him if there is no other way."

Kelin goes on to praise the Trump administration, saying it has "an understanding of what (Russia) is doing, why we are doing it, and what should be the outcome of it".

"For the first time we have noticed that they (the US) are not simply saying that this is Russian propaganda and disinformation. They have listened and they hear what we’re saying," he said.

Kelin also noted that Russia doesn’t want a temporary ceasefire or truce but an overall settlement.

Asked if Russia would give Ukraine some of their territories back, Kelin said: “Why should we? We have liberated these territories, upon which Russian people are living for centuries."

Kelin added that Russia won't accept European troops in Ukraine, even if Trump approves it.

Tom Joyner
Live reporter

I've just been speaking to a young Ukrainian civil engineer in Kyiv, Oleg Romanyshen, about how he feels about Trump's comments today, particularly his assessment of Zelensky as a "dictator".

"We had democratic elections in 2019. He's definitely not a dictator," Romanyshen says. "We've been on a democratic path since 1991," he added, referring to the year Ukraine voted for independence.

The 28-year-old, who stayed in Kyiv after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has watched as even his most optimistic friends have soured in recent days. Trump's comments feel more than anything like a nail in the coffin, he says, and Ukrainians feel like there's no friend they can rely on any more.

"The optimists in my friend group, they are becoming realists," he says. He believes now that Ukrainians should have seen this coming: "It's our fault why we didn't study Trump's personality during the first term of president."

Romanyshen disagrees with Trump that Zelensky is to blame for those who "unnecessarily died" in the war.

"Our government are not angels, we are making a lot of mistakes," he says.

"But the Ukraine government and population are not guilty."

Iqra Farooq
BBC World Service

Image source, Handout

The BBC World Service's Outside Source programme has been reaching out to Ukrainians for their thoughts on the statements from US President Donald Trump.

Victoria lives in Kyiv with her son and says Trump is "acting like a bully".

"Zelensky is the people's president and has our full support," she says.

"We do not aim to have elections soon. That can be done after the war is over. We will stand with our president and protect our country till the very end."

We earlier heard from another Kyiv resident, Tania, who said that Trump's comments are painful to hear.

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent

Image source, Reuters

King Charles visited a medical project in London today which provides support for Ukrainian service personnel injured in the war with Russia.

He joined a video link with medical staff in Lviv - and a Ukrainian doctor gave the King his thanks: "Britain has not only remained our steadfast ally, but has also demonstrated true global leadership in defending Ukraine and standing up for freedom."

The King said he was glad that the help could be provided, but it felt like a more guarded exchange than the outspoken support that the royals had once shown for the Ukrainian cause.

The King previously attacked the "unprovoked aggression" against Ukraine and hoped that "our cherished freedoms will prevail". He hosted Zelensky at Buckingham Palace and visited Romania to see refugees coming across the border.

But monarchs speak on the advice of ministers, and now presumably there's great diplomatic caution about UK relations with Trump, wanting to build bridges rather than blow them up. The royals could be a useful soft power approach to dealing with Trump.

So while the visit was a symbolic show of royal support for Ukraine, there were no speeches to rock the boat.

Iqra Farooq
BBC World Service

Image source, Handout

The BBC World Service's Outside Source programme has been speaking to Ukrainians about Donald Trump's comments over the past two days.

Kyiv resident Tania, 23, tells us "everyone here is trying to keep up with statements coming from Trump".

"Before, he was a bit of a dark horse - nobody knew what type of policies he was going to implement," she says.

But now, looking at his statements, "Ukrainians are really shocked."

"Trying to make any decisions without Ukraine involved is not fair," Tania says.

"It's really painful to hear 'we shouldn't have started this war'. Ukrainians are trying to protect ourselves.

"This is our life - elections are not possible here because of the missiles. The help of the US is a question of life or death for us."

A White House official says that Trump's Truth Social post slamming Zelensky was in direct response to the Ukrainian president earlier saying that Trump is living in a "disinformation" space.

We reported on the post by Trump, who called Zelensky a "dictator" and said he's done a "terrible job".

Nick Beake
Europe Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Further EU sanctions on Russia are due to be formally announced on Monday, the third anniversary of the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As well as targeting Russian aluminium and dozens of vessels suspected of illegally transporting oil, this latest round of EU sanctions disconnects more Russian banks from the global Swift payment system and bans additional Russian media outlets from broadcasting in Europe.

The impact will be diminished, of course, if the US lifts some of its own sanctions on Moscow, something the EU fears may be more likely following the US-Russia bilateral meeting.

Europe’s exclusion from that top table has prompted France's President Macron to try forge a united continental response.

Today, he hosted another meeting of leaders – mainly online – following Monday’s summit at the Elysee Palace.

This afternoon’s discussions included Sweden, Finland & the EU’s three Baltic countries, all of whom border Russia.

For the past three years Europe has boasted, repeatedly, it will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

But in the past 24 hours, so far only one European leader – the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson – appears to have openly challenged Trump’s false claim that it was Ukraine that started the conflict.

One person has been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's border region of Belgorod, the regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov says in a statement on Telegram.

"In the village of Kolykhalino, Valuysky District, a service bus was attacked by a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone," the statement reads.

Gladikov says one person was killed before doctors arrived at the scene.

"According to preliminary information, one woman was injured among the passengers," he adds.

Ukraine has not commented on the attack.