Daniel Wittenberg
Reporting from London

I was in the Oval Office the last time Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met at the White House – and it was jaw-dropping.

What was largely meant to be a photo opportunity, centred on the signing of a minerals deal, erupted into a full-blown argument after Vice-President JD Vance leaned forward and asked Zelensky: “Have you said thank you once?” for America’s support in the war.

Even Zelensky’s outfit was a flashpoint.

A journalist pressed the wartime leader on why he wasn’t wearing a suit. Zelensky replied that he would wear one once the war was over – and that it would be cheaper and nicer than the reporter's.

When Trump began to rebuke Zelensky, seasoned White House correspondents beside me stood open-mouthed and told me they’d never seen anything like it.

The visiting Ukrainian reporters looked just as stunned – some already worrying about what the clash might mean for their country’s future.

When the 45-minute encounter ended, journalists bolted for the press room. Everyone knew they had just witnessed a moment that would ripple far beyond Washington.

As Trump and Zelensky meet again today, both sides will be hoping the atmosphere isn’t anything like as tense – and that Zelensky can return to wearing a suit sooner rather than later.

There is a "common understanding" among Europe's leaders that "we have to support Ukraine in the sense of possible future security guarantees" says Jan Lipavský, the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Czech Republic.

Lipavský tells the BBC News Channel that he has been calling all his European counterparts over the weekend to "make sure that we have the same notes".

As well as security guarantees, he says "there is a clear understanding that you should not reward Russia for its imperialistic policies" and this attitude should be reflected in negotiations.

Trump's proposal that a ceasefire should come after a peace agreement, rather than before one "is hard for me to grasp" Lipavský says.

"We discuss peace and see Russian bombs falling on Ukrainian cities daily."

We've just seen an entry on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's calendar to participate in "a preparatory meeting with President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders".

Below that, we see the entry for the meeting including US President Donald Trump.

As a reminder, you can see the full list of the day's timings in our earlier post.

Joel Gunter
Reporting from Kyiv

President Trump reportedly supports a plan for Ukraine to surrender the entire eastern region of Donbas in exchange for a freezing of the rest of the front line.

But in Ukraine, it is not clear by what mechanism such an agreement could even be reached. Any formal handover of the nation's territory requires the approval of the parliament and a referendum of the people.

The more likely option would be a de-facto surrender of control, with no formal recognition of the territory as Russian. But even in that event, the process is not well understood, says Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun, whose Voice Party is part of Zelensky's coalition.

"There is no real understanding as to what the procedure should be," she says. "Does the president simply sign the agreement? Does it have to be the government? The parliament? There is no legal procedure set up because, you know, the constitution writers didn't think about this."

Joel Gunter
Reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

Our international reporter Joel Gunter has been asking Ukrainians what it would mean to them to give up Donbas - the area Zelensky may be asked to give to Russia in return for freezing other parts of the frontline.

An erosion of Ukrainian identity

To surrender Luhanks and Donetsk - known together as Donbas - would be a "tragedy", says the Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Hrytsak.

The regions are rich in minerals, industry and have produced "famous politicians, poets and dissidents", Hrytsak says.

"The people of these regions - particularly the miners - played a huge role in the strengthening of the Ukrainian identity".

'Life is more important than territory'

"I measure this war not in kilometres but in human lives," says Yevhen Tkachov, 56, an emergency rescue worker in the Donetsk city of Kramatorsk.

"I'm not ready to give tens of thousands of lives for several thousand square kilometres," he says.

'Treason'

"President Zelensky is at a crossroads with no good route in front of him", says Volodmyr Ariev, a Ukrainian MP from the opposition European Solidarity party.

"We don't have enough forces to continue the war for an unlimited time," Ariev says. "But if Zelensky were to concede this land it would be not only a breakdown of our constitution, it could have the hallmarks of treason."

Read the full article: Resignation and betrayal: What handing Donbas to Putin would mean for Ukraine

David Cornock
Reporting from Westminster

Speaking before talks in the White House, the prime minister's official spokesperson says the US offer of security guarantees for Ukraine is a "significantly positive step" but the details remained to be discussed.

Today's talks, he says, are "an important moment on the journey towards lasting peace" and that Ukraine must have "ironclad" security guarantees.

"Obviously, the detail of that will be subject to discussion, but you see at length the preparation that the 'coalition of the willing' has put into a readiness to deploy a re-assurance force once hostilities have ceased, and to help secure Ukraine's skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine's armed forces, and we'll obviously continue to discuss this with the United States.!

Asked about suggestions that land seized by Russia could be traded for peace, the spokesperson says Ukraine's borders are for it to determine in negotiations and that international borders must not be changed by force.

He adds that the UK's position on Ukraine joining Nato has not changed despite Donald Trump's suggestion that Kyiv should not be allowed to become a member of the alliance.

The spokesperson adds that "Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to the EU or Nato".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to arrive in Washington DC at 10:10 EST (15:10 BST), according to Downing Street.

In a video posted on X from the plane, Starmer says "everybody wants this to end, not least the Ukrainians".

He says they've got to make sure they "get it right" for a lasting peace which is "fair and just".

"It's in the UK's interest we get this right," the video statement says.

As a reminder, Starmer will join several European leaders attending talks at the White House between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Image source, Getty Images

It was JD Vance who led the attack on Volodymyr Zelensky before Donald Trump joined the fray at the White House in February's meeting.

It had been cordial until the vice-president spoke up to laud the president for seeking what he described as a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine-Russia war, wrote the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale.

"What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?" said Zelensky, who has been critical of direct talks between Washington and Moscow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country," Vance responded, tearing into the stunned Ukrainian leader.

"Mr President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media."

He also accused Zelensky of having campaigned on behalf of Democrats during the 2024 presidential election. The Ukrainian leader visited a munitions factory in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania last September and met Trump's rival, Kamala Harris, at the White House.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

I've just arrived at the White House, where in the pre-dawn hours camera crews and reporters are already setting up for Volodomyr Zelensky's visit in a few hours' time.

I was also here for Zelensky's last visit in February, which ultimately descended into a heated exchange in the Oval Office.

Just moments before that shouting match started, the tone in the room took an ominous turn when a reporter - from conservative outlet Real America's Voice - questioned Zelensky's choice to wear combat gear rather than a more formal suit for the occasion.

"Why don't you wear a suit? Do you own a suit? A lot of Americans have a problem with you not respecting the dignity of the office," the reporter asked.

With so much at stake for Ukraine today, we're likely to see a different side to Zelensky today.

According to media reports, this time Zelensky is likely to wear a black jacket - the same he wore when he met Donald Trump at the Nato summit in June.

Trump was reportedly pleased with that choice. He is, after all, a president who places considerable importance on decorum and respect for the office.

More broadly, we're also likely to see Zelensky choose his words carefully before reacting to anything that could be considered a provocation from the US side.

In February, some observers opined that Zelensky "took the bait" by reacting emotionally - and angrily - to Vice President JD Vance's claim that it was "disrespectful" to "litigate" US involvement in the war in front of the world's media.

This time, it is highly likely that he has been warned to avoid a similar situation, which would be a worst-case scenario for him and his European allies alike.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring, reporting from Washington

The recent statements from the US president are very worrying signs for Ukraine ahead of the summit in Washington.

The points made by Donald Trump over the past day or so match Russian talking points almost word-for-word.

The war will be over if Zelensky stops fighting, Trump said, while also ruling out Nato membership for Ukraine and emphasising there is no chance of returning Crimea.

Trump also said the region - illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, was captured "without a single shot fired" - which I explained earlier is not true.

I've been been hearing such statements from from Russian state TV for years.

Image source, Reuters/ State Emergency Service of Ukraine

We can bring you more detail on those Russian strikes against Ukraine that Zelensky has condemned as a "deliberate" move by Putin to "maintain pressure on Ukraine" and "humiliate diplomatic efforts".

The Ukrainian Air Force says Russia launched 140 drones and fired four missiles overnight, of which 88 were shot down.

In the Black Sea port of Odesa, a fuel and energy infrastructure facility was struck, an attack Zelensky says was aimed at Ukraine's energy independence and relations, given it is owned by an Azerbaijani company.

A further attack killed three people and injured 23 in the city of Zaporizhzhia, regional head Ivan Fedorov says.

Kharkiv was also hit overnight - a drone on a residential area killed seven people including an 18-month-old toddler and a 16-year-old, regional head Oleh Syniehubov says.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

It's now past 07:00 on the east coast of the United States - we are still hours away from Donald Trump hosting Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, but plenty has been happening.

Catch up on what we've been covering this morning:

• Zelensky has arrived in Washington for talks with Trump, three days after Trump discussed ending the war in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska
• The Ukrainian leader posted to social media to condemn Russian strikes on Ukraine, which he described as "demonstrative and cynical" from Putin ahead of his talks with Trump at the White House
• European leaders, including Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz and the head of Nato will also meet Trump to express their support and back-up for Ukraine
• Trump said in a Truth Social post that Zelensky could end the war almost immediately if he wanted to, but stressed that Ukraine would not be allowed to join Nato - a key sticking point, writes Frank Gardner
• Zelensky has also taken to social media to express his confidence about security guarantees for Ukraine - Vitaliy Shevchenko analyses the key will be in the detail of what the US can provide
• For key timings in the coming hours, we are expecting Zelensky to be greeted by Trump at 13:00 EST (18:00 BST) and a meeting between Trump and the European leaders roughly two hours later
• Meanwhile, deadly Russian drone attacks on Ukraine continued overnight, killing at least 10. Kharkiv's mayor said bodies had been found under the rubble of a residential building in the region; at least one other person is known to have died in a separate attack in the Zaporizhzhia region

President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned a "demonstrative and cynical" strike on a block of flats in Kharkiv overnight, making the case Russia "should not be rewarded" for its war on his country.

In a post on X, the Ukrainian leader says Russia is aware a meeting to end the war is taking place in Washington today - and is attacking the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Odesa regions this morning.

"The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything. Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts," he writes.

"That is precisely why we are seeking assistance to put an end to the killings. That is why reliable security guarantees are required. That is why Russia should not be rewarded for its participation in this war."

Image source, Reuters

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

This is the final of three posts where our security correspondent Frank Gardner is looking at what key players - Ukraine, Russia, the US and Europe - want from these peace talks.

US

Donald Trump wants to see the end of the war in Ukraine.

He has had some successes already this year in ending - or at least pausing wars - in the Caucasus, Iran and arguably between India and Pakistan. But so far, a Ukraine peace deal has eluded him and he has vacillated between placing the blame on Moscow and Kyiv.

He has listened to his MAGA support base and knows there is little appetite for ongoing US support for a war that Ukraine cannot win. But partly due to his clear personal friendship with Vladimir Putin, he appears very reluctant to apply the kind of economic pressure on Russia that his critics say is necessary to force Putin to stop fighting.

Europe

Europe’s leaders, most notably those present in Washington today, are painfully aware that Ukraine’s security is inextricably tied to Europe’s wider security.

Earlier this summer Germany’s chief of defence staff told me that within three to four years, or less, Russia could be in a position to launch an attack on a Nato country.

European leaders are firmly opposed to the idea of an international border being changed by force, yet that is exactly what is being floated after the Alaska summit and US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff’s visits to Russia.

The leaders gathering in the White House have come to Washington to show unity with Ukraine, to convince Trump that there should be no deal agreed without Kyiv’s involvement and to try to protect President Zelensky from being strong-armed into some impossible proposition that his own national constitution will not let him accept.

The key sticking points - land and security guarantees

Russia wants all of the Donbas, Ukraine wont want to give it up.

And just what form will this "Article 5-style security guarantee" take that is being potentially offered to Ukraine? Will it have cast-iron US backing or just a vaguely worded promise of intent?

Ultimately it comes down to this: if a deal can be hammered out that stops this war here and now then how does the West collectively ensure it does not reignite further down the line?

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Our security correspondent Frank Gardner is looking at what key players - Ukraine, Russia, the US and Europe - want from peace talks.

President Putin, it is often said, has not moved from his "maximalist demands" since day one of this full-scale war in 2022. His position essentially amounts to Ukraine’s complete return to the Russian fold, with a pliant pro-Moscow president in place - i.e. a sort of 'Belarus on the Black Sea'.

This is what Russian officials like to refer to cryptically as "addressing the root causes of the war".

Under US pressure though, there are signs Putin could be willing to accept an end to the fighting if Ukraine was prepared to give up the remaining 30% of Donetsk that Russia has yet to conquer.

This would not only be a bitter pill for Ukraine to swallow as that area is where it has some of its best defences, holding back the Russians to prevent a future advance on Kyiv. It would also be against Ukraine’s constitution.

But so far Russia has successfully dodged every demand for a ceasefire, as well as all Trump’s threatened sanctions, while clearly convincing the US President that there are bigger prizes to be won from US-Russia cooperation as soon as this inconvenient war can be wrapped up.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Over the next three posts our security correspondent Frank Gardner looks at what key players - Ukraine, Russia, the US and Europe - want from peace talks.

Ukraine wants first and foremost a ceasefire.

Its cities are under constant, nightly bombardment and Ukraine’s leadership says it is impossible to negotiate a lasting peace deal while this assault is going on every day, killing and maiming its people.

Until now, this "ceasefire first" condition has been fully backed by Ukraine’s European allies.

But the US president, who previously set numerous ultimatums for Russia to sign up to a ceasefire, seems to have abandoned the idea. Instead, Donald Trump joins Russia in suggesting talks move straight to aiming for a permanent peace deal.

In an ideal world for Ukraine, a peace deal would return it all the land that Russia has seized, or partially seized, and then illegally annexed since 2014 - i.e. Crimea and the four southern and eastern oblasts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk and Luhansk.

But three and a half years of full-scale war have proved that even with massive material support from the West, Ukraine simply doesn’t have the manpower to win this conflict militarily. It is likely that it will be presented with a deeply unpalatable deal that involves renouncing control of much or most of those oblasts which Russian forces are already occupying.

Ukraine would like to join Nato, which it sees as its best guarantee against future Russian aggression. But Donald Trump has ruled that out. Instead, Ukraine will be asked to settle for a notional security guarantee from its allies, the details of which have yet to be worked out.

Danny Aeberhard
Europe regional editor, BBC World Service

Things may have changed since the early weeks of President Donald Trump's second term, when he called Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" and someone who was risking "World War Three".

But his latest remark seemingly puts the onus on the Ukrainian leader to end the war.

He did not put a similar spotlight on Russian President Vladimir Putin - who's responsible for repeated aggressions against Ukraine - ahead of their recent Alaska summit.

The tone will concern Ukraine's European allies, even if they'll likely not challenge this directly.

Key European leaders will be in Washington to support Zelensky today, having their own meeting with the US president later.

They will want to avoid a repeat of the spiky encounter between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office in February - which many saw as a hatchet job on the Ukrainian leader.

Katy Watson
Reporting from Kyiv

In Kyiv’s Independence Square – or Maidan – there’s a makeshift memorial to those who’ve been killed since Russia's full invasion began in 2022. It’s a sea of blue and yellow Ukrainian flags, as well as photos of those who’ve lost their lives in the fighting.

Staring at two photos side-by-side, 65-year-old Natalia explains that her daughter Valentyna and boyfriend Danylo were killed last November on the frontline. Both were 29.

“On the very first day of the war, [my daughter] said if not us, then who? I want to live in a free Ukraine,” Natalia tells me.

Valentyna fought in several parts of Ukraine - and spent a considerable time in the Donetsk region, which is part of the Donbas. That’s the area that President Zelensky may be asked to give up to Russia in return for freezing other parts of the frontline.

“She said that she had never seen such a beautiful land as Donbas,” Natalia says. “She fell in love with it, you know?

Valentyna died in the north eastern Kharkiv region.

Natalia’s family is from Sumy, also in the north east of Ukraine, close to the Russian border.

“They're erasing everything there, you know?” she says. “It's terrible what's being done there.”

On last week’s Alaska summit between Presidents Trump and Putin, Natalia was frank. “They laid out a red carpet [for the Russian president],” she tells me. “It makes a mockery of Ukraine.”

And of today’s meeting at the White House, Natalia has little hope.

“I’m afraid they might expose Volodymyr Zelensky again, like last time,” she says, referring to the disastrous meeting he had with Donald Trump in February. “It was a mess for the president, he didn’t deserve it, the way he was treated.”

Image source, EPA

We've been hearing from Eric Norbakhsh, a Ukrainian living in Nottingham, who has called in to the BBC 5 Live phone-in.

Asked what he thinks about the idea of Ukraine giving up the Donbas to secure peace, Norbakhsh says he thinks Ukraine has to give up land.

"But in return, [Ukrainians] want something that really, really protects them from further aggression," he says, pointing out that without firm guarantees Russia illegally annexed Crimea and part of the two regions which make up the Donbas in 2014 - and then launched their full scale invasion in 2022.

"They just get more and more. There was nothing to deter them, nothing internationally to deter. So if we are supposed to give up land right now, what we are going to receive in return?”

Over three years of war in Ukraine, some key terms have come up again and again. Here's a brief refresher of some key ones likely to come up today as part of Zelensky's meeting with Trump:

What is Nato and Article 5?

Nato is a military alliance of 32 countries in Europe and North America. Created as a bulwark and deterrent against the Soviet Union, it has expanded in the decades since its founding in 1949. At its heart is Article 5, part of the Nato treaty that says an attack on one of its members is an attack on all.

For example, if someone attacks one Nato member country, all its members must come to its defence. Ukraine is not currently a member, but has expressed a desire to join - which Russia strongly objects to.

What is Crimea?

Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula on the Black Sea in the very south of the country. For more than a decade, it's been under Russian occupation after Moscow's forces illegally annexed it in 2014. Its position on Ukraine's coastline gives it strategic importance for Russia.

What is the Donbas?

The Donbas is a strategically important area rich in minerals and industry in the far east of Ukraine, comprising two provinces, Luhansk and Donetsk. For much of the war, Russian and Ukrainian forces have been locked in a grinding battle for control of the region. Russian forces control all of Luhansk and approximately 70% of Donetsk. Between them, more than three million Ukrainians are estimated to be living under Russian occupation.