Sakshi Venkatraman
Live reporter

The eyes of the world are focused on the US state of Alaska as American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin get ready to travel there for their historic summit set to take place tomorrow.

Global leaders on Thursday continued to negotiate, discuss and posture ahead of the meeting.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street. They did not jointly address the media after their hour-long meeting, but Zelensky said on X that the talks were "productive" and that the two leaders discussed "support programmes" for Ukraine's army.

A statement from Downing Street issued later says Putin must "prove he is serious about peace" at tomorrow's summit.

Putin, meanwhile, praised Trump in the lead-up, saying today that the US president is making "sincere" efforts to end the war. The Russian leader also hinted at nuclear arms control being a topic up for discussion.

Trump seemed to try to play down any developments tomorrow's meeting might bring. He told Fox News Radio that there's a "25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting". It's unlikely Putin will agree to a ceasefire tomorrow, he said, adding that there will be "give and take" of territories between Russia and Ukraine.

And he told reporters in the Oval Office in the afternoon that he hopes Friday's meeting will be focused on setting up for a second potential meeting involving Putin, Zelensky and Trump and possibly European leaders.

Those European leaders, including Starmer, say they will be closely watching tomorrow.

We're ending our live coverage for now, but you can stay up-to-date by reading any (or all) of the following:

• Left out of Alaska talks, exhausted Ukrainians fear an unjust peace
• Crunch time in Alaska: Trump set to meet Putin in push for Ukraine peace
• What to know about Trump and Putin's meeting at an Alaska military base

Courtney Subramanian
Reporting from Washington DC

All of Europe is on edge ahead of tomorrow's talks in Alaska, but President Trump is already looking ahead to a meeting he hopes to broker between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having," Trump told reporters during an Oval Office event to honour the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act - adding that he would perhaps invite along other European officials.

Zelensky, of course, has yet to agree to such a meeting and tomorrow's outcome could determine whether Kyiv and Moscow are any closer to peace.

Pressed on whether anything short of an agreement to an unconditional and immediate ceasefire would be viewed as a victory for the US, Trump dismissed the idea for such an outcome.

"I would say that tomorrow, all I want to do is set the table for the next meeting, which should happen shortly," he said. "I'd like to see it happen very quickly, very shortly, after this meeting."

We've just finished listening to Donald Trump setting out what he expects from his talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Here's what we heard:

• Trump says "all I want to do [on Friday] is set the table for the next meeting" - and again raises the prospect of future talks involving both Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky
• He says that proposed future meeting could "happen shortly" if the Putin talks are a success, and that further negotiations would be held "maybe in Alaska"

• Trump says that he will know within five minutes whether he and Putin will "have a good meeting" on Friday - and that it will "end very quickly" otherwise
• He rejects the suggestion Putin secured a diplomatic victory when Trump agreed to meet him in the US, saying "he's not going to mess around with me"
• Asked about reports the US might be willing to sign a rare earth minerals deal with Russia to incentivise a peace deal, he says "we are going to see what happens" - but rejects the suggestion that could be interpreted as a "reward" for Putin

In another question, Trump is asked if tomorrow's US-Russia summit "and other incentives for peace" could be misconstrued as rewards for Putin and "other future aggressors".

The US president says he disagrees that meetings such as tomorrow's are a "reward".

He then says the war should never have started, and suggests - as he has done before - that it wouldn't have if he had remained president in 2020.

Returning to the summit in Alaska, Trump repeats that his goal tomorrow is to "set the table" for a possible second meeting between Putin and Zelensky. He says he'll know within the first few minutes whether it'll be a "good" or "bad" meeting - and that if it's bad it will end early but if it's good, "we'll have peace in the near future".

And with that, the Q&A comes to an end and reporters are asked to leave the Oval Office.

Image source, Getty Images

Trump, who's been addressing reporters in the Oval Office, is now taking questions.

Asked by one if he's prepared to offer Russia's Vladimir Putin access to rare earth minerals in order to end the war in Ukraine, Trump says his meeting tomorrow with Putin is a "big, important meeting" which is, ultimately, "going to save a lot of lives".

In April, the US and Ukraine signed a deal to share profits from the future sale of Ukraine's mineral and energy reserves. The deal aims to provide an economic incentive for the US to continue to invest in Ukraine's defence and reconstruction.

Trump, continuing to answer the question, says a "more important meeting" than the one tomorrow will be a second one involving Putin, Zelensky, Trump and possibly European leaders.

"We'll see if they can get along," he says of the warring leaders, adding that he believes the pair can "make peace".

Donald Trump has just started speaking in the Oval Office.

As we said a little earlier, these remarks are not specifically about the war in Ukraine or his meeting with Vladimir Putin tomorrow.

But we're listening in just in case he's asked about the imminent Alaska summit - and will bring you anything we hear on that.

You can watch his remarks live at the top of this page.

Zhanna Bezpiatchuk
BBC News Ukrainian, reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

Here in the Ukrainian capital, I’ve been finding out how people feel about Friday’s US-Russia summit.

Vladyslav Blazhchuk is a former chief sergeant in an intelligence squadron of the Ukrainian army.

He's not optimistic about the meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

"Russia is not interested in real negotiations or a ceasefire while they are making progress on the front, when we have problems with the number of personnel in our units," he tells me.

Blazhchuk, who had to leave the army after losing part of his leg on the frontline, adds that some of his old colleagues have told him Russian assault operations are intensifying in some areas.

"The negotiations now, from my point of view, are an attempt [by Russia] to stall for time and avoid sanctions, nothing more," he says.

Even if there is a ceasefire, Blazhchuk continues, there are no guarantees that Russia will not use it to replenish ammunition and equipment and to train personnel ready for future attacks.

Sophie Williams
Reporting from Brussels

While we wait to hear from Trump, our colleague in Brussels has just sent us this update.

Earlier today in Brussels, I attended a European Commission briefing where yesterday's talks between Trump and European leaders were one of the main topics.

All eyes are on tomorrow's Alaska summit and Europe is watching closely to see what will happen next. As soon as the summit finishes, there will be a debrief between President Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders.

Despite the talks, the EU is still maintaining its pressure on Russia, announcing that it is working on a 19th package of sanctions.

I asked the commission's spokesperson about another round of talks rumoured to involve Trump, Putin and Zelensky and if Europe would be pushing for a seat at the table. But they would not comment on anything that could happen after tomorrow's bilateral meeting.

US President Donald Trump will shortly deliver remarks from the White House.

He is expected to speak at 13:00 local time (18:00 BST) to mark the 80th anniversary of the Social Security Act.

Should he address tomorrow's summit in Alaska and negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, we'll bring you those latest lines. You'll also be able to watch live for yourself at the top of the page.

Stick with us.

Sandro Vetsko
BBC Monitoring

Earlier today, Putin hinted at potential talks on nuclear arms control at the summit with Trump on Friday, saying an agreement might be good for peace "in the world in general".

In a meeting with senior officials, Putin also said "subsequent stages" of talks with the US could lead to "agreements in the area of strategic offensive arms control".

This comes after the Russian president welcomed Donald Trump's "sincere" efforts to end the Ukraine war.

In remarks broadcast by state news channel Rossiya 24, Putin told officials that he called the meeting to "inform you how the negotiations on the Ukraine crisis are progressing, how the negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation in the bilateral format are progressing" and "at what stage we are with the current American administration".

There's no doubt the US can still wield enormous leverage over Russiapublished at 17:27 British Summer Time 14 August

17:27 BST 14 August

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

If the Alaska summit does not go well, is the United States prepared to apply more pressure on Russia?

"There will be very severe consequences," President Trump said on Wednesday, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

It’s a message members of Trump’s administration have also been hinting at.

"I could see, if things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg, adding: "All options are on the table."

There’s no doubt that the United States is still capable of wielding enormous economic and military leverage over Russia.

Sanctions have already taken a big chunk out of Russia’s oil and gas revenues.

A month ago, Trump threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on countries, primarily India and China, that continue to buy Russian oil. At the time he spoke of a September deadline, but a 25% tariff has already been levied on India.

On the military side, Trump agreed last month to allow European countries to purchase US weaponry on behalf of Ukraine.

Kyiv’s European allies will be hoping that Trump continues to use both levers in his dealings with Vladimir Putin.

Image source, EPA

Russia: President Vladimir Putin has praised his counterpart Donald Trump's "energetic" and "sincere" efforts to end the Ukraine war.

Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked European leaders for rallying around Ukraine since the meeting was announced. He has also thanked Trump for his support and hit out at Putin, saying the Russian leader "cannot fool us" and doesn't "want peace".

US: Trump himself has said he hopes the summit will be successful, but that there's a "25% chance" it may not be. The US president also said that if things go well, he will push for a second meeting that includes Zelensky.

UK: Following a meeting earlier between Zelensky and UK PM Keir Starmer, Downing Street issued a statement to say the pair had agreed there was a chance in Alaska for "progress" - "as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace".

Germany: A call took place yesterday between leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Finland and Poland, as well as Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance. Afterwards, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said leaders had "made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place".

France: After the same meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump and Putin's negotiations "must lead to a solid and lasting peace, with security guarantees, ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and the stability of our continent".

We have lift off. The Russian delegation - or at least some of its members - are reportedly on their way to Alaska for the US-Russia summit.

One of their planes is already in US airspace, according to Flightradar24, a real-time flight-tracking platform.

As a reminder, the meeting is not until tomorrow and we'll continue to bring you any updates we get ahead of then.

Image source, FlightRadar

Sandro Vetsko
BBC Monitoring

Away from the US, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has been speaking to reporters, and says no "document" will be issued by Russia and the US following the Putin-Trump Alaska summit tomorrow.

"[A document] is not expected. Nothing has been prepared," TASS news agency quotes Peskov as telling the journalists.

He adds that given "there will be a joint news conference, the president will of course outline the set of agreements [and] understandings that he will manage to achieve".

We're continuing to listen to Trump's interview on Fox News Radio and bring you the key lines.

The US president repeats that his meeting with Vladimir Putin could set up a second meeting - which he's hinted Ukrainian leader Zelensky would be at - but he now admits there's a "25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting".

Going on to speak about Ukrainian and Russian territories, Trump says there'll have to be a "give and take" of boundaries between Kyiv and Moscow.

During a meeting with European leaders yesterday, Trump was reported to have agreed that any territorial issues had to be decided with Zelensky's involvement.

Image source, Getty Images

We're now hearing US President Donald Trump speak to Fox News Radio - and the main topic of conversation is his meeting tomorrow with Vladimir Putin.

Trump says that if it is a "good meeting", he will call Ukrainian President Zelensky to arrange a second meeting - and that this could take place in a number of places, including Alaska.

However, pressed on whether Zelensky is on standby to head over for further talks if things go well, Trump says he will not speculate whether or not there will even be a second meeting.

Trump adds that "it might be nice" for him and Putin to speak to reporters after their meeting, but if things don't go to plan he will not have a joint news conference and instead address reporters by himself before heading back to the US.

• For context: Both the Kremlin and the White House have said the leaders will host a joint news conference after their talks tomorrow. Trump's Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt elaborated, saying their day would consist of a one-on-one meeting, a bilateral lunch with both delegations, and a news conference.

Image source, Getty Images

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin have not met face to face.

Yesterday, though, Donald Trump hinted that could change.

Zelensky will not be present in Alaska tomorrow when Trump shakes hands with Putin, but the US president suggested that a meeting between the warring leaders would be "more productive" than his own with the Russian leader.

As a result, he said that he would like to schedule a sit-down between Zelensky and Putin "almost immediately", adding that he'd like to be there himself "if they'll have me".

It's a stance that's been reflected by the leaders of the so-called "coalition of the willing", who all agreed in a joint letter that a pathway to peace in Ukraine "cannot be decided without Ukraine" involved in the discussions.

Zelenksy has not yet responded directly to Trump's comments about a meeting with Putin.

Following on from our last post, and on the other side of US politics, Democrats in Congress say they're ready to act if Trump and Putin's meeting tomorrow yields no progress in ending the war in Ukraine.

Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tells CNN that Trump's handling of Russia has been an "embarrassment" and that Putin has been "playing him" since he took office.

"President Trump has set one red line after another and Vladimir Putin has continued to cross them," she says.

Shaheen continues, saying Zelensky should be at the table for discussions about the war and that the US should be providing more support and weapons to Ukraine.

If significant steps aren't taken in Alaska tomorrow, Congress will submit a Russia sanctions bill, she tells the broadcaster: "If the president can't get any progress, we intend to act."

Over in the US, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been speaking to Fox News about tomorrow's US-Russia summit in Alaska.

She says Trump will exhaust all options to end the war, "to try and bring this war to a peaceful resolution", and that the discussions between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will consist of a one-on-one meeting, a bilateral lunch with both delegations, and a news conference.

"What comes after that meeting is up to President Trump," she says.

The president has "plenty of tools at his disposal", Leavitt goes on, but she adds that Trump's hoping to use diplomacy and negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.

"There are sanctions and many other measures that the president can use if he has to."

Image source, Reuters

Liza Fokht
BBC News Russian

Image source, EPA

The Kremlin has announced which officials will be accompanying President Vladimir Putin to the first US-Russian leaders’ summit since 2021.

The list of people sheds some light on the possible agenda of the meeting in Alaska.

The five-member delegation includes:

• Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov
• Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
• Defence Minister Andrei Belousov
• Finance Minister Anton Siluanov
• Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev

Lavrov and Ushakov are veteran diplomats who are central to shaping Russian foreign policy. Lavrov has led the foreign ministry for over 20 years and Ushakov, a key presidential adviser for more than a decade, previously served as Russia’s ambassador to the US.

The inclusion of Belousov and Siluanov signals that the agenda will cover not only the war in Ukraine, but also strategic security issues and the question of sanctions relief.

Dmitriev is known for his ties to the Putin family and for helping the Kremlin build connections with the US and international business.