As we just reported, Keir Starmer will be travelling to Washington DC on Monday alongside other European leaders for the scheduled meeting between President Zelensky and President Trump.

In a statement, Downing Street said:

"This follows the Prime Minister commending President Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, reasserting his position that the path to peace cannot be decided without President Zelensky, and co-chairing a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing this afternoon (Sunday 17 August) to discuss the progress to provide Ukraine with robust security guarantees in the event of any deal.

"At the meeting that will take place at the White House tomorrow, the Prime Minister, with other European partners, stands ready to support this next phase of further talks and will reaffirm that his backing for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes."

Image source, Reuters

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed he will be among the cohort attending the White House meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky tomorrow.

It follows other European leaders - including Germany's Friedrich Merz, France's Emmanuel Macron and the European Commission's Ursula von der Leyen - announcing they will be attending.

Joel Gunter
Reporting from Kyiv

Several European leaders are now confirmed to be joining Zelensky and Trump at the White House, but how have the two presidents rebuilt their relationship since the fiery exchange in the Oval Office in February?

President Zelensky heads to Washington on Monday for the first time since he was publicly dressed down in February by President Trump and Vice-President Vance.

The world watched that spectacle open-mouthed. Nothing like it had been seen in the Oval Office before, or possibly in all of international diplomacy.

Zelensky was kicked out of the White House. It was hard to imagine a way back for the relationship. But in the months afterwards, European leaders worked diligently behind the scenes to repair it.

The Ukrainian leader was coached to flatter, to talk in terms of deal making. In other words, to speak Trump.

At the same time, Russia kept hitting Ukraine, and Trump realised that what Vladimir Putin said in closed-door meetings was not necessarily what he did in reality.

In April, Ukraine signed a minerals deal that gave the US a financial stake in the country, and Trump and Zelensky spoke privately at the Vatican. Ukraine made it clear they were willing to pay for American weapons.

By July, the two leaders were on the phone for a call the Ukrainian president would describe as “the best conversation we have had”.

Trump is still seen to be highly susceptible to flattery and impressed with strongmen-style leaders, so Putin’s power to influence him remains a concern for Ukraine.

But Zelensky is learning. And he has good friends to call on Europe, ahead of Monday’s Oval Office round two.

"We will give some good advice," Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said.

Image source, Getty Images

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will join the contingent travelling to Washington DC tomorrow for the White House meeting on Ukraine.

Image source, EPA

We're getting more leaders confirming they will attend Monday's White House meeting.

Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte will also be taking part, the organisation confirms.

Matt Spivey
Live editor

In the past few minutes there have been a flurry of updates, as several European leaders confirm they will be joining Zelensky for a meeting with Trump at the White House.

Statements are coming in thick and fast, so let's take stock of which leaders have said they're going:

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
• Finnish President Alexander Stubb
• French President Emmanuel Macron

We're scanning for more developments and will bring you the latest updates and analysis, stay with us.

Europe keeps itself in Trump’s picturepublished at 11:47 British Summer Time 17 August

11:47 BST 17 August

James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent, reporting from Brussels

Despite the blow of failing to secure the ceasefire it wanted, Europe’s catch up strategy is in full swing.

European leaders are trying to show Donald Trump they are crucial to the peace deal he craves.

After Washington initially ruled out the bloc’s involvement in its efforts to stop the war, it seems they will finally be represented as they “support” President Zelensky.

As for Ukraine’s leader, it’s a chance to make up for his disastrous last visit to the White House, where he had a now infamous verbal dust up with Donald Trump.

Europe has had to support the US President’s decision to bypass a ceasefire, will they also try to convince him to get tougher with Vladimir Putin?

Image source, Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron is the latest European leader to announce he will be joining Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington DC on Monday.

In a statement released moments ago, the French presidency office says the leaders will pursue "coordination between the Europeans and the United States with the goal of coming to a just and lasting peace that preserves the vital interests of Ukraine and the security of Europe."

Image source, Getty Images

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has confirmed he will also be attending Monday's meeting at the White House with Zelensky and Trump.

The announcement was made via the President's website and follows von der Leyen and Merz announcing they would also be going.

So far, Ursula von der Leyen and Friedrich Merz have confirmed their attendance, we're keeping a close eye on these developments and will keep you up to date, stay with us.

Image source, Getty Images

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be travelling to Washington DC on Monday to join talks between Zelensky and Trump, according to a fresh statement released by the Federal Government.

"The trip will serve as an exchange of information with US President Donald Trump following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska," the chancellor's spokesman says.

"Chancellor Merz will discuss the status of peace efforts with the heads of state and government and underscore Germany's interest in a swift peace agreement in Ukraine.

"The talks will address, among other things, security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.

"This includes maintaining the pressure of sanctions."

Image source, Reuters

In the last few moments, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced she and "other European leaders" will also travel to Washington DC tomorrow. She does not specify which leaders will be joining her at the White House.

"This afternoon, I will welcome Zelensky in Brussels," von der Leyen says on X.

"Together, we will participate in the Coalition of Willing. At the request of President Zelensky, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow," she adds.

With no ceasefire or long-term peace plan appearing imminent, the fighting between Russia and Ukraine has continued over the last 24 hours.

Russia

In the last few minutes, the Russian Ministry of Defence has said they shot down four bombs and 300 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in one day.

In an earlier update, the ministry said 46 Ukrainian UAVs were shot down overnight including 16 over Belgorod.

Ukraine

Separately, Ukraine's Sumy regional military administration said the area came under up to 100 attacks from Russian troops yesterday.

There were also drone and UAV strikes, according to the official account, but no dead or wounded civilians.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service also said Kherson continues to be attacked by Russia - reporting that a number of fires broke out in both residential and non-residential buildings over the last day as a result of shelling.

It added that two people have been killed in Sviatohorivka in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Emergency services have also been tackling fires in the region.

Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Telegram

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The phrase “security guarantees” has reverberated across Europe in recent months. But what does it mean?

With Nato membership for Ukraine off the table for the foreseeable future, the need for meaningful assurances to Ukraine is central to the entire diplomatic push for a ceasefire.

Without them, the argument goes, there will be nothing to stop Russia attacking again in the future.

European allies, led by Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron, have been discussing a “coalition of the willing” since early this year.

Starmer has previously said “mature operational plans” had been developed to deploy a “reassurance force” to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

According to Downing Street, this would “help secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces.”

But who and what the force will consist of remains unclear.

Ukrainian opposition MP Mariya Ionova tells the BBC that "close coordination between the US, Ukraine and Europe is crucial in achieving a sustainable peace".

She says that for Ukraine the "main security guarantee and only true one is Nato membership". She urges for a "coalition of actions" to bring about an end to the Ukraine war.

Speaking to the BBC News Channel about the military operation on the front line, she says "Russians are moving forward and they have all the capacities".

It is Ukraine which is striving for peace the most, she adds.

Image source, Reuters

The last week has seen key diplomats spring into action following the unexpected announcement of face-to-face meeting between the US and Russian presidents.

Their meeting did not end with a deal, but it's sparked a flurry of international conversations and paved the way for talks between the US and Ukraine on Monday.

We've taken a look back at the key moments:

• 6 August: US envoy Steve Witkoff holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow
• 8 August: Trump announces "highly anticipated" Putin meeting, which is later confirmed by the Kremlin
• 11 August: European Union foreign ministers call for an unconditional ceasefire before any deal is agreed
• 11 August: US President Donald Trump tells a White House news conference there could be "some swapping" of territory between Russia and Ukraine to bring an end to the war
• 13 August: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travels to Berlin. European leaders and Nato members host a call which Trump and JD Vance join part way through
• 13 August: Trump says there is a chance of a future meeting between Putin and Zelensky
• 14 August: Zelensky travels to the UK to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer - neither make comments to the media
• 15 August: Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska fails to result in a deal but both parties say some progress made, without providing details

And, here's what we've got coming up:

• 17 August: European leaders will convene a virtual meeting, though the specific aims and details remain sparse
• 18 August: Zelensky is set to fly to Washington DC for a meeting with Trump, his first since their showdown in the White House in February

Image source, EPA

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent

The so-called coalition of the willing last met on Wednesday and, at that point, a ceasefire was one of their key aims.

They agreed that "meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or a lasting and significant cessation of hostilities".

Since then, the prospect of a ceasefire has changed course.

President Trump said after his meeting with Putin that he wants to skip a ceasefire and move straight to a lasting peace deal, a move which has worried many people in Ukraine.

Trump claimed that other Nato leaders agreed with him on this – when I put that to a senior Downing Street source yesterday, they wouldn’t confirm whether that was the case.

In a joint statement from European leaders on Saturday, and another from Starmer, the word ceasefire wasn’t used.

The leaders’ language on what they now think a peace deal looks like could be one of the most interesting developments today.

I’m told that following the meeting of the coalition of the willing later, we can expect a joint statement from the leaders on the call.

One thing to look out for will be whether they talk about a potential ceasefire.

Image source, EPA

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent

Image source, EPA

Later today Keir Starmer will jointly chair a virtual meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing – the more than 30 countries working together to support Ukraine.

The conference call will look ahead to the meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky in Washington DC tomorrow.

We’re not yet sure whether there’ll be any other European involvement in that meeting.

Yesterday the New York Times reported that European leaders had been invited to DC, but the BBC understands that right now there’s no plan for Starmer to attend.

What’s less clear is whether the invite was sent out – and if the European leaders could discuss their potential presence later.

There are a couple of topics that we know will be on the agenda.

The first is what they can do to make sure that Zelensky is more involved in any future talks between the US and Russia.

The second is what sort of security guarantee could be given to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, and the extent to which the Americans will need to be involved in that.

Image source, PA Media

While Washington prepares to welcome Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, European leaders will convene a meeting on the war this afternoon.

The virtual call is being co-chaired by the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with more of Ukraine's allies set to join.

They form part of the "coalition of the willing", which is aimed at defending a deal in Ukraine and guaranteeing lasting peace.

The leaders last met last on Wednesday, when their call was joined part way through by US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance.

We'll be keeping a close eye on developments as the day progresses and will bring you the key lines from their meeting.

Image source, EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that "stopping killing is a key element of stopping the war", as he said Russia is complicating efforts to end the war.

In a post on X he says: "We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing.

"This complicates the situation."

He adds that it may take "as lot of effort" for Russia to reach a "peaceful coexistence" with Ukraine, accusing Putin of lacking "the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes".

In a joint statement, shared by the Ukrainian president, the leaders of the Nordic Baltic Eight say that Putin "cannot be trusted" but countries "remain steadfast" in their support for Ukraine.

Zelensky stresses that he continues to work with other countries for peace and security, he says leaders must clarify details and determine which steps are necessary to bring the war to an end.

Matt Spivey
Live editor

Good morning from the London newsroom.

After talks between the US and Russian presidents failed to reach a deal on ending the Ukraine war, Volodymyr Zelensky said Vladimir Putin is "complicating the situation" by refusing to a ceasefire.

Despite not having a seat at the table during the Alaska summit on Friday, Zelensky told Donald Trump in a call that sanctions on Russia "should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war".

Following his meeting with Putin, Trump had a major shift in position. He wants to bypass a ceasefire in Ukraine and move directly to a permanent peace agreement.

But, Zelensky - who will travel to Washington DC on Monday to meet Trump - has reiterated calls for "a truly sustainable and reliable peace".

Later today attention will turn to Ukraine's allies as the UK, France and Germany will hold a joint call with other European leaders on the Ukraine war.

We'll be keeping you up to date with the latest developments throughout the day, so do stay with us.