Trump begins the meeting by saying it is an "honour" to be joined by Zelensky. He says the Ukrainian president is a "very strong leader" who has "been through a lot".

Trump says they will discuss his phone call with Putin yesterday and their planned summit in Hungary.

"I think that things are coming along pretty well," he continues, saying "we want to see if we can get this done" after "certain guidelines were discussed" at the meeting in Alaska.

We're watching now as the two presidents have taken their seats in the White House cabinet room, flanked by Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

We'll bring you the key updates from their meeting here, or you can follow along by clicking watch live above.

Image source, Reuters

As the two leaders shook hands, reporters shouted questions at Trump.

We heard reporters asking: "Do you believe you can convince Putin to end the war?" and "is Putin negotiating in good faith?"

Trump did not respond to the questions and went inside with Zelensky.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived to the White House for his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The pair shook hands before heading inside.

We'll bring you any details about their meeting when we receive word - stay with us.

Myroslava Petsa
BBC News Ukrainian at the White House

Everything is set for Zelensky’s arrival here at the White House. The flags are ready, the press is waiting, and even the weather is quite welcoming - it’s warm and sunny in DC today compared to the chilly conditions in Kyiv.

We saw members of the Ukrainian delegation carrying what appears to be a big map.

Will Zelensky and Trump discuss the reach of Tomahawk missiles deep into Russian territory?

We wait to hear.

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

In terms of Ukraine’s military power, Tomahawk missiles likely wouldn’t change much for the war-torn country, says Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at The Royal United Services Institute, a UK-based defence and security think tank.

"The ability to strike targets in depth can be both militarily and economically disruptive but ultimately will not fundamentally alter the situation at the front line," Kaushal says.

There are a limited number of ground-based launchers for the Tomahawk missiles, and the US only has a small number of missiles to offer Ukraine in the first place because it has already expended hundreds in the Middle East, he says.

And because significant numbers of Tomahawk missiles would likely be shot down, the US probably wouldn’t give Ukraine the latest Block V variant due to the risk of compromise, Kaushal adds.

But in the larger strategic sense, Ukraine’s potential acquisition of Tomahawks is more likely to change the situation, Kaushal says.

"Russia has long viewed ground-based Tomahawk launchers near its borders as a major threat - something which partially accounted for its deep-seated reservations regarding Nato missile defences," Kaushal adds.

On top of that, Kaushal says: "If Russia views Ukrainian possession of Tomahawk not through the lens of the war in Ukraine per se, but rather through the prism of the wider strategic balance.

"They may have an altogether different significance since Russia would view them not as a small Ukrainian arsenal, but as a forward-deployed element of a much larger US strike capability."

And that threatens to push Russia into escalating its stance towards Nato countries.

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Here at the White House the Marines holding flags are starting to line up ahead of Zelensky’s arrival.

It looks like there might be a bit of press access at the start of the working lunch with Trump but that’s still not certain.

Zelensky has his work cut out as he attempts to get the US president’s backing for Ukrainian access to expanded air defences and Tomahawk missiles.

It’s another meeting that involves much jeopardy for the Ukrainians whose leadership is still scarred by the February Oval Office attack on Zelensky by Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Back then they accused him of being ungrateful and disrespectful and temporarily cut off weapons and intelligence support.

The relationship has now warmed back up.

But Ukraine can’t afford to risk any part of its US support. There’s a new cadence to Trump-Zelensky meetings now as the Ukrainian president has tended towards a tactic of deference.

If there is a moment in front of the cameras between the two men, watch for the "thank yous" Trump is likely to receive from Zelensky.

Myroslava Petsa
BBC News Ukrainian, in Washington

Image source, Getty Images

We are not going to see a repeat of the meeting we saw in the Oval Office in February.

Back then, during a heated exchange between president Zelensky and Vice President Vance, I asked the latter what would they do if Putin violated the ceasefire. To which President Trump responded, “What if a bomb falls down on your head right now?”

His reply went viral in Ukraine, particularly because Ukrainians had been experiencing the Russian bombardment on a daily basis.

This time around it’s different. Trump is flirting with the idea of supplying Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles, putting extra pressure on Russia.

We’re expecting a cordial atmosphere, Zelensky to be wearing a suit and Trump to be complimenting the resilience of the Ukrainian nation.

It seems that Trump has now realised it’s Russia that can stop the war. And he’s ready to coordinate steps with Zelensky on how to achieve it sooner rather than later.

Following calls from Zelensky for the US to supply his country with Tomahawks, Trump was asked about the prospect earlier this week.

“We'll see... I may,” he responded.

Asked the same after his call with Putin on Thursday night, the president said he couldn’t “deplete” the US’s stock of the missiles.

"We need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that," he said.

Tomahawks would not be the first longer-range missiles given the green light by the US for use against Moscow.

Last November - after months of pressure from Kyiv - President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to strike Russia with US-supplied missiles called Army Tactical Missile Systems (Atacms).

But in August, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon had been blocking Kyiv from using them to strike inside Russia for months.

Atacms have a range of 300km (186 miles) - compared with the 2,500km (1,500 miles) of a Tomahawk.

Sarah Smith
North America editor

Still revelling in the success of his ceasefire deal in the Middle East, Donald Trump says he now wants to end the war in Ukraine. But he’s admitting it’s been much more difficult than he thought it would be.

Today, President Zelensky will try to persuade him that the fastest route to peace is for the US to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

These are powerful long-range weapons that could hit more targets inside Russia. Zelensky says that will scare Russia into talks about a ceasefire

Those missiles were discussed during a two-and-a half-hour phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin yesterday. The two presidents agreed to meet in Budapest, possibly within the next two weeks.

After talking to Putin, President Trump often backs down from his threats to get tough with Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky must be worried that the Russia leader may have persuaded Trump not to sell Tomahawks to Ukraine. He will find out when they meet in the White House shortly

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

According to a senior source cited by Reuters, Ukraine's delegation has prepared a presentation on how they would use the Tomahawk missiles if provided, and how they believe they would alter the war.

As we reported earlier, those missiles have ranges of over 1,000 miles (1,600km), which would allow Ukraine to strike targets deep in Russia. It's a battle-tested weapon that the US has used in combat thousands of times to strikes targets in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

Zelensky has, in the past, compared strikes inside Russia as a "long-range sanctions" capability, particularly if those strikes are aimed at oil and other energy facilities.

The missiles would also, in theory, allow Ukraine to strike Russian military facilities far from the frontline, as well airbases used to launch aircraft that carry missiles fired into Ukraine from inside Russian airspace.

It's not clear whether Trump would be swayed by any Ukrainian presentation. While he's previously said he's mulling over providing Ukraine with the missiles, yesterday he said that the US needs theirs and that he was concerned about American stocks being depleted.

Having arrived in Washington yesterday, we're expecting Ukraine's President Zelensky to head to the White House in the early afternoon.

He's set to be greeted by President Trump - and we're expecting them to head inside shortly afterwards for their bilateral meeting.

It's possible they will address the press later in the day, but this hasn't been confirmed yet.

Stick with us - whatever happens, we'll be here to bring you all the updates and analysis.

Image source, Reuters

People in Moscow have expressed mixed feelings about a possible meeting between Trump and Putin in Hungary.

Grigory tells Reuters news agency that he hopes the meeting means the war will come to a "logical conclusion."

Speaking about the Zelensky's request for US-made Tomahawk long-range missiles, Lyudmila Smirnova says: "Russia can't be intimidated with Tomahawks. We have our own missiles to counter these missiles."

A third Moscow resident, Baska, isn't impressed with news of the upcoming summit between Trump and Putin. "It's just another meeting, another phone call," he says, adding that he sees it as another "PR stunt" and no peace agreement will come from the meeting.

Irina was more optimistic, saying she has "positive expectations" and has "high hopes" for Putin.

Putin-Trump call a curveball for Zelensky ahead of White House meetingpublished at 17:19 BST 17 October

17:19 BST 17 October

John Sudworth in Kyiv and Sarah Smith, North America editor

Image source, Getty Images

News of the phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, in which they agreed to meet in person to discuss the war in Ukraine, will have come as an unwelcome surprise to Kyiv.

The country is being hit hard.

The last 24 hours alone have seen Russia launch dozens of missiles and more than 300 drones at multiple targets.

Once again, they include a large amount of civilian infrastructure with further damage to the country's gas supply network, just as the first signs of cold herald a long, hard winter ahead.

Attacks on the electrical grid are already leading to nationwide power outages.

For Ukraine's government it's a sign of Russian desperation.

A familiar pattern is developing. Every time Trump grows increasingly frustrated with Putin's intransigence over Ukraine he is then placated by a conversation with the Russian president.

Each time they speak he seems to be persuaded of Putin's point of view and backs off his threats to apply tougher sanctions or supply more destructive weapons.

The Hungary summit, offered without concessions, doesn't look like much of a loss of American patience.

• Read more about how Trump's decision to call Putin will have come as an unwelcome surprise to Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

In recent weeks Russia has been intensifying its attacks on Ukraine's trains - 30 people were injured when Russian drones hit a train at a station in Shostka - in the northern Sumy region.

Ukraine's 21,000km-long (13,000-mile) railway system is not merely a mode of transport, it is a central pillar of the country's war effort and a powerful national symbol of resilience.

According to national rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ), there were twice as many attacks in September as there were in August - not just on trains but on the infrastructure that supports the rail network.

Russia has also been targeting Ukraine's power grid in recent days - with emergency power outages coming into effect across the country after an intensive campaign of Russian air strikes on its energy infrastructure.

This will be the fourth consecutive winter of blackouts through Ukraine.

• Read more here about train conductor Olha Zolotova's ordeal after her train was hit by a Russian drone

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

The last time Zelensky met with Trump was on 23 September, when the two met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

I was traveling with Trump that day, and the meeting was one of a series of similar consultations with foreign leaders in a small, windowless room that we were ushered into to pepper Trump and other leaders with questions.

The meeting with Zelensky - at least the bit that we were there for - was extremely brief, but it was a newsworthy day.

After meeting and in a subsequent social media post, Trump said that he believed Russia was a "paper tiger" and that Ukraine could potentially take back the territory it has lost in the war - an abrupt shift in position that seemed to catch even the Ukrainian delegation by surprise.

"Let them get their land back," he said of the Ukrainians.

The previous month, Trump - during a meeting with Zelensky and NATO leaders - was seemingly still convinced that a swap of territory would be the way forward.

Ukrainians - and many around the world - will be listening today to see if Trump's assessment of the conflict has changed.

Image source, Photo by Office of the President of Ukraine via Getty Images

February 2025: US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in a tense public meeting in the Oval Office. Trump and Vice-President JD Vance accused Zelensky of being "disrespectful" to the US and Zelensky is told to leave the White House

April 2025: Trump and Zelensky met privately on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral, their first known face-to-face since the disastrous Oval Office meeting.

June 2025: The two leaders then met at a Nato summit, with Trump saying that reaching a ceasefire deal in Ukraine was proving "more difficult" than he had expected during a news conference. Zelensky seemed pleased with the meeting and the US president floated the idea of supplying Ukraine with further air defences.

August 2025: Following a positive meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska that failed to result in a ceasefire agreement, Zelensky and European leaders rushed to the White House to win back Trump's favour.

September 2025: Trump and Zelensky are reunited at the United Nations General Assembly. After a meeting, Trump posts on social media that Kyiv can "win all of Ukraine back in its original form".

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

One reason Zelensky wants Tomahawk missiles is to attack Russian energy facilities.

He thinks Ukrainian strikes on oil production sites would inflict serious damage on a key source for funding for Putin’s war economy, and has compared this to a “long-range sanctions capability” for Ukraine.

But it all depends on how willing Trump is - and on Thursday night the president seemed to cool on the idea of selling US-made Tomahawks to Ukraine.

Nevertheless, the high-level Ukrainian delegation in Washington this week led by Prime Minister Svyrydenko and Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak met with major US defence contractors, including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, ahead of Zelensky’s arrival.

Raytheon manufactures both Patriot and Tomahawk systems, both core parts of Ukraine’s defence requests.

Myroslava Petsa
BBC News Ukrainian, in Washington

Image source, Reuters

Navigating the stormy seas of Trump-era politics has never been an easy ride for Ukraine.

America is the number one partner Ukraine can’t afford to lose – failure to secure US military aid would drastically diminish Ukraine’s chances of survival at war.

Yet something has shifted in DC-Kyiv relations in the past few months.

The once icy temperature of Trump’s tone - his harsh choice of words and policies towards Ukraine - has grown warmer.

The US leadership is now openly praising the strengths of the Ukrainian army and resilience of the Ukrainian people.

And while Washington has continued to supply arms to Kyiv by selling weapons via NATO member states, Trump continues to criticise Russia and has flirted with the idea of supplying Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles.

This is an act of pressure on Russia that the current administration hasn’t exercised before.

Today, Donald Trump is welcoming Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House for the third time in eight months, which makes Zelensky one of the few foreign leaders Trump sees that often.

The US has been the biggest source of military aid to Ukraine, providing weapons, equipment and financial support.

Between the start of 2022 to August 2025, Washington gave Kyiv $73.6bn (£64bn) in military aid, according to German think tank the Kiel Institute. , external

Germany has provided $20.1bn and the UK $15.7bn. The graph below shows where other aid comes from: