Ahead of Zelensky's meeting with Keir Starmer at Downing Street, let's bring you the latest developments from the war.

Russian officials say Ukraine fired dozens of drones at the southern cities of Volgograd and Belgorod last night.

"As a result of falling debris, oil products spilled and caught fire at the Volgograd Oil Refinery," Volgograd region governor Andrei Bocharov says in a statement on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties.

The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, says a Ukrainian drone struck a car in the centre of the region's capital, setting it alight and wounding three people.

In Ukraine, local authorities in Kharkiv said one person died and another was injured in strikes in the region yesterday.

A man died in an ambulance after he was injured by Russian shelling, Kharkiv's regional prosecutor's office wrote on Telegram.

They added a 72-year-old woman was injured by an explosion in the city of Kupiansk.

Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

A 19-year-old Ukrainian refugee says she will not support a ceasefire deal with Russia if it involves giving up Ukrainian territory.

As a reminder, on Monday President Trump warned that there might have to be "some swapping, changes in land" between Russia and Ukraine.

"As a Ukrainian, everyone wants the war to end," the student, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells me.

"Civilians who stayed in the front territories stayed and died for their land to be protected. I would not support, as a Ukrainian, to give up that land. I support Russia to step down," she says.

The 19-year-old adds it "isn't right" that the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska does not include Ukraine.

"Ukraine needs to be a player and have a voice in these talks," she continues. "It's a sovereign country, invaded by another sovereign state.

"If Ukraine isn't included, it doesn't give me hope," she says.

Oleksandr Merezhko, Ukrainian MP and chair of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, says he is sceptical about the outcome of Friday's summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska.

Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, Merezhko describes Putin as the "only obstacle to any genuine ceasefire" and says the Russian leader “has not changed or abandoned his ultimate goal to subjugate and destroy Ukraine".

On the possibility of Ukraine swapping or giving up land, a proposal hinted at by Trump, Merezhko says it is against the Ukrainian constitution and international law.

Merezhko says the best outcome after the Alaska summit is for Trump to implement further sanctions on Russia.

“Under the circumstances maybe no outcome at all is not that bad because there are certain risks that Putin might try to persuade Trump to blame Ukraine for not wanting a ceasefire,” he adds.

Image source, EPA

As we await Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's arrival at Downing Street this morning, let's take a look at what happened yesterday.

• Zelensky and other European leaders - including from France, the UK, Germany and Italy - held a virtual call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss the war in Ukraine

• During the meeting, Trump reportedly told the Europeans that his goal for his summit with Putin on Friday was to obtain a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv
• He also agreed that any territorial issues had to be decided with Zelensky's involvement, and that security guarantees had to be part of the deal, according to France's Emmanuel Macron
• Following the call, Trump told a press conference that there was a chance of a second meeting with Putin that would include Zelensky
• The US president also warned Russia would face "very severe" consequences if it did not stop its war in Ukraine
• After the meeting, Zelensky reiterated that Putin does not "want peace" and the US was ready to support Ukraine
• Meanwhile UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said any ceasefire deal would “have to be lasting and to be lasting it would need security guarantees”

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent, reporting from Downing Street

Image source, X/Nick Eardley

Hello from Downing Street, where the Ukrainian flag is flying above No 10. President Zelensky will be arriving in a couple of hours for talks with the prime minister.

It’s the latest very public show of support from the UK and Europe for Ukraine on the eve of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.

European leaders appear to be encouraged by their talks with President Trump yesterday.

The US leader talked last night about there being severe consequences if Putin doesn’t sign up to a ceasefire. He also floated the idea of a second summit involving Putin and Zelensky.

That could be significant - the biggest ask from Europe is that nothing is imposed on Ukraine, that it must be involved in agreeing any deal on its future.

But, a caveat. When President Zelensky walks up Downing Street, it’s a reminder that this diplomacy is one step removed from what’s going on in Alaska.

Zelensky, Starmer and European leaders are not going to be in the room tomorrow. Instead, they will be watching nervously to see what Trump and Putin agree - and what happens next.

David Willis
US reporter

Donald Trump sought to downplay expectations about the outcome of Friday's summit meeting after hearing from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in a video call.

He likened the talks to "setting the table" for a possible follow-up meeting which would also involve Zelensky.

In an apparent attempt to assuage the concerns of European leaders, he reportedly promised that there would be no discussion of land division in Ukraine's absence.

Trump did, however, warn of "severe consequences" if Vladimir Putin failed to agree to a peace deal, although he didn't specify what those consequences might be.

Madeline Halpert and Christal Hayes
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

While both Russia and Ukraine have long said that they want the war to end, both countries want things that the other harshly opposes.

President Trump said on Monday he was "going to try to get some of that [Russian-occupied] territory back for Ukraine". But he also warned that there might have to be "some swapping, changes in land".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed back against any idea of "swapping" territories.

He is adamant that Ukraine will not accept Russian control of regions that Moscow has seized, including Crimea.

"We will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated," the Ukrainian president said.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has not budged from his territorial demands, Ukraine's neutrality and the future size of its army.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in part, over Putin's belief the Western defensive alliance, Nato, was using the neighbouring country to gain a foothold to bring its troops closer to Russia's borders.

Read more about why Trump and Putin are meeting in Alaska

Laura Gozzi
Europe reporter

Image source, Reuters

European leaders appeared cautiously optimistic after holding a virtual meeting with Donald Trump yesterday, in which the US president reportedly told them that his goal for tomorrow's summit with Russia was to obtain a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.

He also agreed that any territorial issues had to be decided with Volodymyr Zelensky's involvement, and that security guarantees had to be part of the deal, according to France's Emmanuel Macron.

The Europeans have been sidelined from the hastily organised summit in Alaska and their phone call was a last-ditch attempt to keep Ukraine's interests and the continent's security at the forefront of Trump's mind.

To an extent, it seemed to work. Yesterday evening Trump rated the meeting "a 10" and said Russia would face "very severe" consequences unless it halted its war in Ukraine.

Still, in their statements European leaders restated the need for Kyiv to be involved in any final decision – betraying an underlying nervousness that Putin could ultimately persuade Trump to concede Ukrainian land in exchange for a ceasefire.

"It's most important thing that Europe convinces Donald Trump that one can't trust Russia," said Poland's Donald Tusk, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the leaders had "made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place".

If the Russian side refused to make any concessions, "then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure", Merz said.

• Read the full story here

Kate Whannel
Political reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Uk Prime Minister Keir Starmer says there is a "viable chance" of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine ahead of Friday's summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

This morning's high-visibility meeting between the UK and Ukrainian leaders at No 10 will be a carefully co-ordinated show of support from the UK, scheduled just 24 hours prior to the summit in Alaska.

Following a call with other European leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump yesterday, Starmer said Ukraine's "territorial integrity" had to be protected and international borders "must not be changed by force".

He said "any ceasefire would have to be lasting and to be lasting it would need security guarantees", adding: "That is why we set up this coalition of the willing."

The coalition is a group of mainly European countries who have pledged to provide military support to Ukraine - including potentially boots on the ground - in order to deter Russia from breaching any agreed peace deal.

Starmer said the coalition had "credible" military plans ready that could be used in the event of a ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street later this morning.

It will be a final push for European demands to be heard before Donald Trump meets Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

Zelensky and other European leaders, who are not attending the meeting, held a joint call with Trump yesterday reiterate their position, with Starmer saying Ukraine's "territorial integrity" had to be protected and international borders "must not be changed by force".

Last week Trump warned there could be "some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both", leading to fears Ukraine might have to give up some areas in order to end the bloody conflict.

Ukraine has insisted it will not accept Russian control of land it has seized, including Crimea, while Moscow wants to maintain control.

We're poised to bring you live updates and analysis throughout the day on Zelensky's UK visit and the build-up to tomorrow's summit, so stay with us.

Image source, Reuters

With a closely-watched meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin coming up in just a few days time, today was a day of last-ditch diplomacy.

Trump joined a call with European leaders - including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky - all part of a push to end the war in Ukraine.

Shortly after today's virtual meeting, Zelensky said the US was willing to continue its support for Ukraine.

Meanwhile Trump suggested there will be "very severe consequences" for Russia if its leader doesn't agree to do so during their meeting later this week.

They weren't the only ones to share their thoughts - here's a roundup of the leaders' responses.

Later on Wednesday evening there was also a meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing" - which includes Germany, France and the UK. Afterwards the group outlined a list of four criteria it says are vital for the hope of any lasting peace to be agreed on Friday.

While attention is largely on Friday's meeting, there are already murmurs of a second face-to-face between Trump and Putin - this time including Volodymyr Zelensky.

Donald Trump says this would be "more productive" than the one scheduled for later this week, and he'd like to be there himself too, "if they'll have me".

And, as our diplomatic correspondent writes, with Russia now occupying around 20% of Ukraine, the country's fragile eastern front shows the pressing need for a ceasefire to be reached.

That brings our live coverage to a close for today. You can read more in our news story here.

Image source, Getty Images

With today's diplomacy finished, attention turns to Donald Trump's Friday meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

The pair will meet at a US military installation on the northern edge of Alaska's most-populated city, Anchorage.

It will be the first time the two have met face-to-face since a 2018 handshake in Helsinki, but follows a number of calls the leaders have shared on the state of the war in Ukraine.

Today, leaders of the so-called "coalition of the willing" urged the US president to push Putin for a ceasefire in Ukraine, warning that sanctions on Russia will be strengthened if the meeting doesn't prove fruitful.

Earlier on in the week, Trump suggested that there may be "some swapping" of land agreed, but today leaders including the UK's Keir Starmer and Germany's Friedrich Merz stressed that international borders cannot be changed by force.

Volodymyr Zelensky will not be present in Alaska - though Trump teased that he hopes to agree a second round of talks with both Zelensky and Putin in the room soon after Friday.

For now, Zelensky says Trump has promised to speak to him after his meeting with Putin, and that the US will continue to support Ukraine.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Valeria Shashenok

Valeria Shashenok, a 24-year-old TikToker, tells me the mood in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv is “stressful” on the eve of the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska.

Valeria - whose 18-year-old cousin died in a landmine attack - was at a friend’s birthday party this week where, over a glass of wine, the talk among her friends was about the meeting between the US and Russian presidents.

“This is what people in their 20s in Kyiv are talking about,” she says. "We've been waiting a long time for this meeting, but it affects our mental health”.

President Trump has said he will discuss the swapping of land currently held by Russia and Ukraine in his meeting with Putin.

Valeria says she is “dreaming” of the day the areas currently controlled by the Russian military - including Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson - can be returned to Ukraine.

At the same time, she says it is “painful" and "tough" to be having these conversations, but getting them back would "be a miracle".

The main thing she wants from the leaders' meeting is "less missiles".

“During the day, life is OK in Kyiv - we go to restaurants and music festivals and go on dates. But every night, you never know when a Russian missile can destroy your life.”

Image source, Getty Images

A little earlier we reported that the so-called "coalition of the willing", a group of countries committed to Ukraine's security organised by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, met to discuss solutions for lasting peace in Ukraine.

Following that meeting, the group has issued a list of four key requirements they say should be the basis of Friday's talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska.

Here's what they've said:

• Meaningful negotiations can only take place amid a ceasefire or a lasting halt to hostilities
• Sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia should be strengthened if a ceasefire is not agreed at Friday's Alaska meeting
• International borders "must not be changed by force"

• Ukraine needs "robust and credible" security guarantees to defend its sovereignty and land - the coalition says it is "willing to play an active role" in this via a "reassurance force" once fighting ends

As eyes turn to Alaska, Ukraine's fragile eastern front highlights urgent need for ceasefirepublished at 18:10 British Summer Time 13 August

18:10 BST 13 August

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

As all eyes start to turn in the direction of Alaska, something is unfolding on the scarred battlefields of eastern Ukraine.

Close to the town of Dobropillya, Russian units have broken through front lines and pushed deep into Ukrainian territory.

The move threatens key supply routes and the local authorities have ordered civilians to evacuate. But what does it amount to?

Ukrainian officials say the Russian units involved are being detected and destroyed.

But the move, possibly designed to allow Vladimir Putin to claim to that Ukraine’s defences are collapsing, highlights the fragility of the eastern front line and, for Kyiv’s European allies, the urgent need for a ceasefire.

If Donald Trump manages to persuade Vladimir Putin to halt the fighting – a very big if – then the so-called “coalition of the willing”, headed by Britain and France, wants to be in a position to deploy what UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is calling “stabilisation forces”, to help on land, in the air and at sea.

But the shape, composition and role of such forces remain unclear.

Germany will provide a new $500m (£368m) package of support for Ukraine, Nato says.

In a statement, Nato says the "package of military equipment and munitions for Ukraine" will be sourced from the US under a Nato initiative.

Nato says the pledge is "designed to meet Ukraine's most urgent operational requirements" on the battlefield by drawing from US stockpiles.

Nato chief Mark Rutte says: "Germany is the largest European contributor of military aid to Ukraine, and today’s announcement further underlines its commitment to help the Ukrainian people defend their freedom and sovereignty."

Image source, Reuters

We have a bit more now from Trump's comments at the Kennedy Center. The US president took some questions from reporters, who have asked him to comment on Russia and Ukraine.

Trump says there will be "very severe consequences" if Putin doesn't agree to end the war after Friday's meeting.

The president adds he has had "good conversations" with Putin, but the goes home and sees that "a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the street."

Another journalist has asked him about reports that Russia has hacked computer systems that manage US federal court documents. Trump said he would be willing to ask Putin about it during their Friday meeting.

"Are you surprised? They hack," he says.

Trump is currently speaking at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

He says that there is a chance of a second meeting with Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, which he says will be "more productive" than the one scheduled for Friday in Alaska.

In the first meeting, "I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing," he says.

Trump adds: "I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they'd like to have me there."

Trump says he plans to call Zelensky and other European leaders after Friday's discussions.

Speaking about his call with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump says discussions were "very good".

"I would rate it a 10, very friendly," says the US president.

The BBC's Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse was at the earlier press conference held by Ukraine's President Zelensky and Germany's Chancellor Merz.

He says that Zelensky and Merz stressed the positive outcomes from the meeting with Trump, including, they said, a guarantee that Trump would not agree to Russian ceasefire demands without involving Ukraine and Europe.

To hear Volodymyr Zelensky's response to a question from Waterhouse about if he is planning on travelling to Alaska on Friday, watch the video below.

Image source, Getty Images

We've heard from a number of different leaders today about ongoing talks about Ukraine ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

Here's a glance at what some of the key players have had to say.

We've got an eye on Donald Trump's appearance at the Kennedy Centre this afternoon to see if he makes comments on his remote call with European leaders. Trump began the day hitting back at claims that Putin has "won" by being invited to Alaska for talks.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he felt positive about US support after the leaders' call - but also warned Trump that Putin still plans to "occupy all of Ukraine" following talks in Alaska.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has been hosting Zelensky in Berlin, says that Europe would also play a role in putting pressure on Putin.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has echoed that, and says Ukraine must be given security guarantees against Russia. The PM also has stressed that international borders must not be changed by force.

If there are territorial negotiations, French President Emmanuel Macron says, then Ukraine must be at the table.

Now, after the day's talks, the ball is in Putin's court, according to Nato chief Mark Rutte, who thanked Trump for his leadership in setting up Friday's meeting with the Russian ruler.