Image source, Reuters

As we focus on the diplomatic efforts to resolve the war, there have been some significant developments on the front line in Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian officials, Russian forces have advanced at least 10km (six miles) around the Pokrovsk area in a few days, after weeks of incremental gains along the front line.

Reconnaissance and sabotage groups of Russian troops have been reported by the Ukrainian military as having entered small settlements around Dobropillya (20km north-west of Pokrovsk), analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank says.

Operating in small, unarmoured teams they have been infiltrating areas behind Ukrainian defensive positions, taking shelter and awaiting reinforcements to carry out attacks. But they have not yet been able to deploy these reinforcements to exploit the gains, according to ISW reports.

At this point in the war, the town of Pokrovsk is considered one of the most dangerous places on the front line.

Ukrainian intelligence also indicates that North Korea recently deployed 11,000 soldiers to Russia to help the war effort, the ISW says.

Laura Gozzi
Europe reporter

This afternoon's meeting brings together the UK's Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, France's Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Poland’s Donald Tusk, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, EU leader Ursula von der Leyen and Nato's Mark Rutte.

Speaking to Trump on a virtual call is the closest any of them will get to taking part in Friday's summit, to which none of them have been invited.

This call is about trying to remind him they feel the security of the whole European continent is at stake, to urge him to keep Ukraine's interests in mind - and to not be swayed by Putin.

In an interview on Sunday, Merz said that Europeans could "not accept that territorial issues between Russia and America are discussed or even decided over the heads of Europeans, over the heads of Ukrainians."

But now that Trump and Putin will be meeting thousands of kilometres away from the Ukrainian frontlines, the risk that momentous decisions about Europe will be taken without it has become a possibility.

Madeline Halpert and Christal Hayes

Image source, epa

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.

It's just over an hour until Trump is due to dial into a virtual meeting with Zelensky and other European leaders about the war in Ukraine.

But he's already addressing the topic in posts on his platform Truth Social.

In his most recent message, the US president defends his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, taking place in Alaska.

He takes aim at journalists who, according to Trump, say: "Even though the meeting is on American soil, 'Putin has already won.'"

"What’s that all about?" Trump questions.

"We are winning on EVERYTHING. The Fake News is working overtime," he writes. "But it doesn’t matter because we are winning on everything!!!"

Former soldier Yevhen Shibalov, from the eastern city of Donetsk, says he feels "triggered" hearing leaders discuss exchanging territories.

"I protected this land and these people... for what? Just to betray them with a political manoeuvre?" Shibalov tells BBC Newsday.

Trump has said any peace deal would involve "some swapping of territories" and it is believed one of Putin's demands is that Kyiv surrenders the parts of the Donbas it still controls, which includes Donetsk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected any prospect of giving up the Donbas region.

"These areas are not desert or no-mans-land, there are thousands of people," Shibalov says.

The former soldier says Donetsk is now facing a "humanitarian crisis" - citing a water shortage and high unemployment.

Back in 2012 the city was "pretty much European... with modern infrastructure, business opportunities and well-educated young people," he tells the programme. "All of this has been lost in the past 11 years," Shibalov adds.

After Russia seized Crimea in 2014, its proxy forces captured more than a third of Ukraine's east.

James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent, in Berlin

Remote meetings aren’t typically the most anticipated diary entries, but for Europe today is a last-chance saloon.

Donald Trump has called his planned meeting with Vladimir Putin a “listening project”, and Ukraine, along with its neighbours, wants to be heard too.

Police blockades in Berlin’s government quarter reflect President Zelensky’s arrival, where he will talk with Chancellor Merz.

What will follow is a virtual sit-down with other European leaders and Donald Trump.

The bloc will likely urge the US President to resist his Russian counterpart’s likely demands on Ukrainian territory, or “land swaps”.

The door is still partially open for Zelensky’s last minute inclusion in Alaska later this week, but with the Kremlin accusing Kyiv of trying to “disrupt” the meeting, it’s unlikely Moscow would agree to it.

Image source, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

We've just heard a little from US President Donald Trump, ahead of the virtual meeting later.

In a short post on his platform Truth Social, Trump writes: "Will be speaking to European Leaders in a short while. They are great people who want to see a deal done."

Trump will be speaking to President Zelensky and other European leaders after they have had a chance to talk amongst themselves in an earlier virtual meeting.

Image source, PA Media

A number of diplomatic talks on the Ukraine war are scheduled throughout the day.

At around 13:00 BST (12:00 GMT), we're expecting a video call between European leaders and Nato members along with President Zelensky.

Around an hour later at roughly 14:00 BST Donald Trump and JD Vance will join the talks.

The BBC understands that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Zelensky are scheduled to give statements at 15:00 BST.

In the afternoon - the "coalition of the willing" will meet virtually at 15:30 BST.

We'll being keeping track of all today's events in this page, make sure to keep checking in with us.

Zelensky has just stepped out of a helicopter, and hugged German Chancellor Fredrich Merz.

The pair stop for a picture before heading inside, followed by a stream of people.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Laura Gozzi
Europe reporter

With two days to go until the Alaska summit, there are still serious doubts over what results it could yield when Russia's preconditions to end the war have proven so intractable.

Only this morning, in a briefing with journalists, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexey Fadeev reiterated that Russia's stance had not changed since President Putin set it out in June 2024.

At the time Putin said a ceasefire would start the minute the Ukrainian government withdrew from four regions partially occupied by Russia - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. He also said Ukraine would need to officially give up in its efforts to join the Nato military alliance.

These are maximalist demands which neither Kyiv nor its European partners see as viable.

While Russia holds much of the Luhansk region, it has not been able to occupy chunks of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - meaning Ukraine would have to relinquish considerable swathes of those regions. Only on Tuesday President Zelensky ruled out giving up even just Luhansk and Donetsk - the Donbas region.

Many Ukrainians also believe that any ceasefire with Russia would just be a precursor to another invasion - so committing to not joining Nato is a nonstarter.

Image source, Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Berlin, ahead of his virtual meeting with the US president and European leaders.

It's a warm welcome at 28C in the German capital.

We expect to see him meeting with German Chancellor Fredrich Merz shortly, stay tuned.

While the war in Ukraine began three years ago, Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine started in 2014, after pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by mass demonstrations.

Moscow's forces seized Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and Russian proxies took up arms against the government, occupying parts of the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

The current full-scale invasion and resulting war began in February 2022, when President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to cross the border and attempt to capture Ukraine's capital Kyiv along with much of the country's north, east and south.

After beating back Russia's advances on Kyiv over the following months, Ukraine managed to recapture significant areas of land in the north-eastern Kharkiv and southern Kherson regions.

Since 2022, battlefield movement has been slow on both sides and Ukraine has primarily been on the defensive.

Laura Gozzi
Europe reporter

Image source, Getty Images

European leaders have warned against Ukrainian borders being redrawn by force ahead of Trump and Putin's meeting on Friday.

A statement signed by 26 of 27 EU leaders says the principles of "territorial integrity" must be respected and "international borders must not be changed by force".

Missing from the signatories was Hungary's leader Viktor Orban, who has maintained friendly relations with Russia and has repeatedly tried to block European Union support for Ukraine.

European countries have a long history of borders being redrawn by bloody wars and are extremely concerned by the prospect of the US allowing that to happen in Ukraine.

A legal recognition of Russia's sovereignty over territories it conquered by force is unacceptable to the EU.

• More on what EU leaders are saying ahead of Friday's talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a phone call - which took place on Tuesday - with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

On the call, Kim and Putin "reaffirmed their commitment to the further development of friendship relations, good-neighbourliness and cooperation," the Kremlin said in a statement.

A report on the call in North Korea media said Kim "highly appreciated" the developing cooperation between the countries.

Other topics they discussed included Putin's preparation for his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday, according to the Kremlin - although this was not mentioned by North Korea.

For context, closer relations have developed between the two nations since Putin's invasion of Ukraine, with at least 10,000 troops from Pyongyang serving alongside Russian forces.

We also heard earlier this week of the 'slave-like conditions' of North Koreans sent to work in construction in Moscow to fill labour shortages exacerbated by the war.

Image source, Shutterstock

Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

The purpose of today's talks is "to show that Europe still has a shaping role" in Ukraine's future and ensure "a united approach to shoring up Kyiv, whatever happens this week," says Anne McElvoy, executive editor at Politico.

McElvoy says Europe's leaders are unlikely to have much influence on what Putin and Trump agree in Alaska on Friday and that "Trump is signalling that he intends to force Zelensky's hand".

Instead, today's virtual talks are "an attempt to use the cordial relations of leaders in Europe... to try to get the least worst outcome", she says.

They want to ensure "that the sovereignty of Ukraine and it's ability to grow its military presence are not traded away in Alaska, even if territory is", she explains.

McElvoy adds that "leaders on the continent believe that Trump is being strung along" by Putin "who will break any land-for-peace deal, probably sooner than later".

Image source, Reuters

Later today, Volodymyr Zelensky is joining European leaders in talks aimed at increasing pressure on Donald Trump to side with Ukraine during Friday's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Here's what we know about these conversations:

Germany called the meeting

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the meeting and Ukraine's president is travelling to Berlin to join him for the video call with other European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French president Emmanuel Macron.

The main players

Other key figures expected to participate this afternoon are Nato chief Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of Finland, France, Italy and Poland.

A second round with Trump

They are then expected to talk to Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a second round of the conference call. It is not clear if all the previous meeting's attendees will speak to the US president and his deputy.

Coalition of the willing

Starmer, Macron and Merz are then also set to hold a round of talks of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of Ukraine's backers in Europe who have expressed a desire to provide security guarantees for the country once a ceasefire has been agreed.

Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine

As diplomatic talks continue, so does the war. Russia launched 49 drones into Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian military says.

The state emergency service of Ukraine reports that one person was killed in strikes on a residential building in the Kherson region.

Two people were killed and one injured in the Donetsk city Kostyantynivka, and 12 houses were damaged, the Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin says.

In the last 24 hours, Russia shelled settlements in Donetsk region 30 times, he adds.

Ukraine's military says it "struck a number of important facilities" in Russia, including the Unecha oil pumping station.

Russia's air force says it has shot down 17 Ukrainian drones this morning launched towards the Belgorod area and destroyed 46 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Volodymyr Zelensky will be "delighted" to have the chance to put his views to European leaders and Donald Trump, the former UK ambassador to Ukraine says.

Leigh Turner tells BBC Breakfast that Ukraine's president is "very concerned a deal is going to be made over the heads" of his government at the summit between the US and Russian leaders in Alaska on Friday.

Turner says that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European allies of Ukraine, alongside Zelensky, will be hoping to "bend Trump's ear" over maintaining Ukraine's territorial integrity over any possible deal to be struck with Vladimir Putin.

Asked how receptive to these approaches Trump might be, he says there are "a lot of conflicting signals" around the US president's views over who is responsible for this war and how to bring about a ceasefire.

"All the signs point towards a risk that Trump plans to sell out Ukraine, to give Russia exactly what it wants," Turner says.

Image source, EPA

Ukrainian president Zelensky will join today's meeting between Trump and European leaders virtually from Berlin.

His spokesman said that he would also be holding a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during the visit.

As a reminder, today's talks have been arranged just ahead of a scheduled meeting between Trump and Putin on Friday.

General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Nato Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, says that there is "not a chance" the meeting between Trump and Putin on Friday will lead to peace.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Shirreff underlines that the White House has pitched this summit as a "listening exercise", but says that Trump "has obviously not been listening at all".

Putin has "not stepped back one iota" from his demands, which include that Ukraine become a neutral state, dramatically reducing its military and abandoning its Nato aspirations.

Asked what needs to happen, Shirreff says that Russia needs to recognise the Ukrainian constitution, Ukraine's right to exist as a sovereign state and Zelensky as the Ukrainian president.

However, for that to happen, he adds, Russia needs to get a "really bloody nose" which requires "proper strategic thinking" from Nato and the US.

You can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.