Image source, Reuters

Following a summit in Alaska with Putin which didn't yield a ceasefire, Trump has signalled more willingness to help bolster Ukraine’s war efforts with more US weapons.

This week, he said his administration is considering giving Tomahawks to Ukraine. Those are highly sophisticated long-range cruise missiles and have a range of 2,500km (1,500 miles), which would put Moscow within reach of Ukraine.

Asked by reporters on Air Force One whether he would provide Kyiv with Tomahawks, Trump replied: "We'll see... I may".

The missiles would be "a new step of aggression" in Ukraine's war with Russia, he said.

"I might tell them [Russia] that if the war is not settled, that we may very well, [send Tomahawks to Kyiv] we may not, but we may do it," he said.

"Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so," the US president added.

Moscow has previously warned Washington against providing long-range missiles to Kyiv, saying it would cause a major escalation in the conflict and strain US-Russia relations.

• Read more of our coverage here: Trump says he may send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine

A retired US Navy officer has told the BBC it's unlikely the US will give Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine because of the level of American assistance required to operate them.

Mark Montgomery tells our colleagues on the news channel that "with intelligence, targeting, mission routing, it’s going to involve the US in a way that Donald Trump would become very uncomfortable [with] over time.”

He adds that the missiles require "special gear" the US is unlikely to want to hand over.

He says there's potential Trump might offer the missiles to Kyiv, but that he thinks it's "more of a political issue and not a military issue - I don’t think we’ll see it on the battle field any time soon."

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

It's a bright and sunny day here at the White House ahead of Volodomyr Zelesky's visit in a few hours.

A Ukrainian flag is flying above Blair House across the street, where Zelensky spent the night.

Security at the moment is extremely tight, with ominous black fencing set up around the White House, the public cleared from the nearby park and dump trucks set up around nearby intersection ahead of a "No Kings" protest expected to take place this weekend.

As of now, the meeting between Zelensky and Trump will take place behind closed doors in the White House's cabinet room, rather than the Oval Office.

That, however, could - and often does - change at the last moment. If it opens, the White House "press pool", which today includes the BBC, will be allowed into the room.

There's much for the two men to discuss, but the primary topic is likely whether or not the US will supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

Trump has repeatedly teased that he may do so, but yesterday seemed less convinced, telling reporters that "we need them also".

Stay with us for more updates.

On Thursday Donald Trump said he held a very productive phone call with Vladimir Putin and expects to meet with the Russian president within the next few weeks.

It was agreed that top advisers from the US and Russia will meet next week, followed by a face-to-face summit in Budapest, Hungary.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added: "It lasted more than two hours.

"There were various issues that were discussed. President Putin congratulated President Trump for solving the conflict in Israel and Gaza and bringing peace back to the Middle East."

Image source, Reuters

This is Volodymyr Zelensky’s third visit to the White House since US President Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January.

He made his first trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in February - a visit that spiralled into argument with Trump and Vice-President JD Vance in front of the world’s news cameras.

Zelensky was asked to leave the White House after the Oval Office confrontation.

But when the Ukrainian president returned in August, the relationship with US officials appeared less frosty.

We've been reporting that the possibility of the US sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine is causing "extreme concern" in the Kremlin.

That's because these missiles could drastically increase Ukraine's range capabilities.

As the map below shows, Tomahawks can strike objects up to 1,600km (995 miles) away - putting dozens of Russian military bases, air defence sites and command centres in the range of fire.

Image source, Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington yesterday, ahead of his Oval Office sit down with Trump later today.

But since touching down in the nation's capital, Zelensky has already been holding meetings with key stakeholders on an issue that is top of mind for the Ukrainian president: Tomahawk missiles.

Posting on Telegram on Friday morning, he says that he has met with representatives from the American defence company Raytheon - which produces the long-range missiles that he is trying to persuade Trump to give Ukraine.

"We discussed Raytheon's production capabilities, possible ways of our co-operation to strengthen air defence and increase Ukraine's long-range capabilities, and the prospects for Ukrainian-American production," he writes.

Hungary's foreign minister says the country will ensure that Putin can enter the country to attend a summit with Trump.

Reuters news agency reports that Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó has told a press briefing that the country "will ensure that he enters Hungary, has successful negotiations here, and then returns home."

There is currently a ban on Russian flights entering EU airspace. But Hungary has assured that Putin will be welcomed.

"Hungary is ready to host the US–Russia summit. We’ll ensure all conditions for productive talks so peace can finally return to Europe," Szijjártó writes on social media.

Trump said on Thursday that he would meet Putin in Budapest to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

Anna Holligan
Reporting from The Hague

Image source, Getty Images

Hungary’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) will take effect on 2 June 2026, a year after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government formally notified the United Nations of its decision.

Under the court’s rules, Hungary remains bound by the Rome Statute until withdrawal takes effect — meaning it would still be obliged to arrest persons under ICC warrant, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, should they enter its territory before June 2026.

• For context: The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes allegations in March 2023, focusing its claims on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine since the start of the war. Russia has denied the allegations and labelled them as “outrageous”

Budapest has accused the Hague-based court of being politically motivated. The move makes Hungary the first EU member state to leave the ICC since it was founded in 2002.

In a statement, the Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties, which oversees the ICC, said it “regrets this turn of events,” adding that the decision “clouds our shared quest for justice and weakens efforts to fight impunity”.

The ICC has faced repeated challenges enforcing such warrants. South Africa failed to detain Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir during a 2015 visit, despite a warrant for war crimes and genocide.

Mongolia and Hungary also declined to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during recent visits, prompting formal findings of “non-cooperation” by ICC judges.

However, there were no further sanctions or penalties.

The court relies on member states to carry out arrests, as it has no enforcement mechanism of its own.

Human rights observers note that failures to act on ICC warrants — often citing diplomatic immunity or domestic political concerns — undermine the court’s authority and embolden others accused of grave international crimes.

As we’ve been reporting, Zelensky is expected to make his case for the US to supply his country with long-range Tomahawk missiles today - a move that Putin has previously warned against.

The Russian president said earlier this month that such a step would lead to the “destruction” of Moscow’s relationship with Washington.

He has also said that US military personnel would have to be directly involved in the use of the missiles - meaning the move would trigger a “completely new ... stage of escalation”.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that the issue of Tomahawks was of “extreme concern” to Russia.

"Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides," he said.

The European Commission says it welcomes any meeting that "moves forward the process of achieving lasting peace for Ukraine", a spokesperson says.

"It is long overdue for Russia to stop its senseless and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine," the spokesperson says, adding "If the proposed meeting moves this forward we would view that as a positive thing."

EU Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anitta Hipper adds that the bloc is supporting Trump in his efforts for peace and says the EU wants to put "pressure on Russia".

It comes as the regional bloc has placed a 19th sanctions package on Russia.

Although Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are under a asset freeze, they are not under a travel ban. There is also a ban on Russian flights entering EU airspace.

That has led to speculation that the meeting might not go ahead, but Hipper says permission for Russian flights to enter the EU must be given by individual member states.

Image source, Getty Images

Former US ambassador to Nato says that the threat of providing Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles has likely triggered the proposed meeting between Trump and Putin.

"Trump thinks that he's dangling the Tomahawks in order to get Putin to make peace - Putin thinks that he's dangling peace in order to get Trump to stand down from the Tomahawks," Kurt Volker tells the BBC's World Tonight programme.

He adds that a decision on giving Ukraine the Tomahawk missiles will depend on how the meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest goes.

"Trump wants the deal, he doesn't want the confrontation," says Volker.

Pavel Aksenov
BBC News Russian

The possibility of the US sending Ukraine long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles is taken seriously in Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that "the Tomahawk issue is causing us extreme concern."

Cruise missiles cannot directly impact the front line in Ukraine, as they are used against targets deep in the rear.

Tomahawks can strike targets at the range of 1,600km (995 miles). They fly at low altitude and can adjust their routes. They are very difficult to intercept. This allows the missiles to strike targets with high precision.

The use of such precise and long-range missiles requires accurate intelligence, and the use of Tomahawks by another country would call for a close cooperation with the US.

At the same time, the US likely could not transfer a large number of such missiles to Ukraine.

However, we have already seen how Ukrainian strikes on oil refinery facilities have complicated the economic situation in Russia.

Therefore, even dozens of Tomahawks in Ukraine, in combination with other weapons, would play a significant role in the war.

Image source, Getty Images

President Zelensky will be meeting President Trump in Washington DC later today, as Trump weighs whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.

It comes a day after Trump said "great progress" was made during a phone call with President Putin, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.

As Zelensky arrived in the US, his third visit since January, he said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".

The White House visit comes as Ukraine faces a fresh wave of attacks around the country by Russia, including on Zelensky's home town. At least two civilians were killed and 24 others are injured the strikes, according to local authorities.

We'll be covering - and unpacking - the meeting between the two leaders, with analysis from our correspondents across the world - so stick with us.