World leaders to meet in US for Ukraine peace talks

A group of World leaders are to meet in the US today to hold talks about how to bring peace to Ukraine, after more than three years of war.

This comes after US President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace talks in Alaska on Friday.

They met to discuss the war and attempt to reach a ceasefire ( a temporary pause of fighting), but the meeting ended without an agreement.

Leaders including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in Washington for talks on Ukraine's future.

In a post on social media, Zelensky said "we all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably".

Donal Trump and Vladimir Putins peace talks in Alaska ended without an agreement

Ahead of the meeting at the White House, Donald Trump also posted on social media claiming that President Zelensky "can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight".

President Trump went on to suggest this would require Zelensky to accept two things, that Ukraine wouldn't take back control of a region called Crimea or join Nato.

Crimea, along with Ukraine, used to be part of a large group of countries called the Soviet Union, which was led by Russia - Crimea became part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991.

In 2014, Russian troops entered Crimea, and quickly took control of the region. Soon after, a vote was held in Crimea, and Russian leaders said most people wanted to join Russia.

However, Ukraine and many other countries said the vote wasn't fair, and it happened while Russian forces were already there. They say Crimea is still part of Ukraine, and that Russia broke international rules by taking it.

Volodymyr Zelensky says he wants "real negotiations" regarding peace in Ukraine

Ukraine wants to join Nato to help protect itself from threats, especially from Russia. Nato is a group of 32 countries, including the UK and United States, that agree to defend each other if one is attacked.

Russia is not part of Nato and is strongly against Ukraine joining, because it sees the alliance as a threat to its national security. Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, have said they believe that if Nato moves closer to Russia's borders - by adding countries like Ukraine - it could allow the military forces of Nato to be placed too near Russia.

The BBC's Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner says in an effort to reach a peace agreement, Ukraine has not been offered "membership of Nato", but similar Nato "style security guarantees".

"Today's meeting really is going to be crunch time for Ukraine and its European allies, because it's clear that Russia and America are moving closer - specifically, the two presidents are moving closer to what they think is an acceptable deal. Whether that is an acceptable deal to Ukraine and its European allies is very much in doubt.

"Now, President Trump has ruled out Ukraine joining Nato. Nato is underpinned by something called Article 5, which means that if one Nato member is attacked, the whole of Nato comes to its defence - all 32 nations.

"Ukraine isn't going to belong to Nato, but the suggestion is that it will have a similar style of guarantee. Ukrainians are going to be very wary of this, because they were offered guarantees before, deals were broken, and they don't trust Vladimir Putin - frankly, even if Donald Trump does."

Also crucial to any agreement is the mineral-rich Luhansk and Donetsk areas, which make up the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Russia wants full control of the region in any agreement to stop fighting - including parts still currently under Ukrainian control.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Ukraine will not trade land for peace and that Ukraine's constitution requires a vote by the people before giving away any territory.

James Waterhouse, the Ukraine Correspondent for BBC News, says the meeting of leaders in the US capital Washington DC, is a big "opportunity".

"It's a difficult balancing act, but a huge political opportunity, where Europe for the first time is involved in this US led process and it may well have a chance to frame Donald Trump's vision for how this war can end."