Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he had a "good discussion" with US envoy Keith Kellogg, after a joint news conference was cancelled at the last minute
The pair met in Kyiv, as Ukrainian sources tell the BBC that Kellogg appears increasingly "sidelined" by the Trump administration
Meanwhile US Vice-President JD Vance says "everything is on the table" when it comes to negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine with Russia
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz says Ukraine needs to "tone down" its criticism of the US and sign a minerals deal being pushed by President Trump
Yesterday the US president called Zelensky a "dictator", after his Ukrainian counterpart earlier accused Trump of "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia
Meanwhile the Kremlin reiterates that it would be "unacceptable" for Nato countries to deploy troops to Ukraine – UK PM Keir Starmer had said he was "ready" to put troops on the ground as part of any peace deal
Edited by Jacqueline Howard and Neha Gohil
Malu Cursino
Live reporter
President Zelensky and US envoy Keith Kellogg met in Kyiv for talks
US President Donald Trump is "very frustrated" with the Ukrainian leader, his national security adviser Mike Waltz told a White House news briefing.
The comments come after Volodymyr Zelensky met the US envoy to Kyiv, Keith Kellogg, for talks on the war. A news conference the pair were due to hold was cancelled at the last minute, but Zelensky went on to say on social media the two had had "good discussions".
Ukraine's allies in Europe spent much of Thursday denouncing some of Trump's comments the previous day, as leaders from across the political spectrum reiterated that Russia had started the war – not Ukraine – and that Zelensky was not a "dictator", contrary to what Trump had said.
The UK said it remains "ironclad" in its support for Kyiv, while France warned that Russia poses "an existential threat" to Europe.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has hailed the US president's stance, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Russia "absolutely" agreed with Trump after he urged Zelensky to "move fast" to end the conflict.
We're now wrapping up our coverage, but there is plenty more on offer for you to stay in the know about the latest developments:
The White House is hosting a press briefing, where national security adviser Mike Waltz has been asked about the war in Ukraine and whether Trump could be the subject of "manipulation" by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Waltz says "if there's anybody in this world that can go toe-to-toe with Putin… it's Donald J Trump," referring to him as the "dealmaker in chief"
He adds that he wants to "push back" on the notion that the US's European allies have not been consulted on a potential deal to end the war, saying that the president has spoken with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and France's Emmanuel Macron, and that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to visit next week.
On funding for the war, Waltz says "it is unacceptable" that the US "continues to bear the burden" of the war in Ukraine and the defence of Europe.
"We fully support our Nato allies", he says, but it's time for our European allies to "step up".
We can now bring you the latest from Washington as National Security Adviser Mike Waltz speaks at a news briefing at the White House.
Asked if President Donald Trump views his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a dictator, after comments from Trump earlier this week in which he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator.
Trump is "very frustrated" with Zelensky right now, Waltz says.
"The fact that he hasn't come to the table, that he hasn't been willing to take this opportunity that we've offered", he says, adding that he hopes the Ukrainian will "very soon".
He doesn't directly answer the question, but finishes by saying: "We could argue all day long about what has happened in the past".
Waltz is also questioned on who is more at fault for the invasion of Ukraine – Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelensky.
Waltz responds by saying that Trump's frustration with Zelensky is multi-fold. He adds that some of what he calls "insults" at Trump coming out of Kyiv are not acceptable.
We can now bring you further comments from the UK's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who addressed attendees of the G20 Summit in South Africa earlier today.
He reiterates a desire to see a negotiated peace deal "with Ukraine at its heart", and on terms acceptable to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We remain Ukraine's ironclad partner," he says, adding that the UK is committed to giving Kyiv £3bn a year for as long as the war lasts.
Lammy says he doesn't see an appetite from Russia to get a peace deal. "That peace could be achieved by leaving Ukraine tomorrow," he says.
Lammy says he looks forward to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's meeting with US President Donald Trump next week, adding the UK will continue to play an "essential role" as the bridge between Europe and the US.
Commenting on Trump's recent comments that Europe should invest more on its own defence, Lammy says: "We do have to do more. This is critical moment."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he had a "good discussion" with the US envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg today.
According to Zelensky, the pair had a "detailed conversation" about the situation on the battlefield, how to return prisoners of war and "effective security guarantees".
Zelensky says Kyiv is ready for "a strong, effective investment and security arrangement with the president of the United States".
"Strong Ukraine-US relations benefit the entire world," Zelensky adds.
Zelensky's remarks come after a news conference between the pair was hastily cancelled earlier today.
Zelensky's spokesman informed reporters the American side had requested this.
Britain's Foreign Minister David Lammy attends the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in South Africa
We can now bring you the latest comments from the UK's Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, at the G20 Summit in South Africa today.
After noting how "mature countries learn from their colonial failures and their wars," David Lammy said: "I'm afraid to say that Russia has learned nothing."
Lammy added that Russia faces a test during this current "crucial juncture" in the war.
The foreign secretary addressed Russian Minister Lavrov's "intervention" and described it as "the logic of imperialism dressed up as a realpolitik."
Lavrov, who was present at the US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, said on Wednesday that there was "no alternative to eradicating the root causes of the Ukraine crisis" and the West was failing to accept changes to the world order.
"I say to you all, we should not be surprised, but neither should we be fooled," Lammy said. "Britain is ready to listen. But we expect to hear more than the Russian gentleman's tired fabrications."
Your Voice, Your BBC News was launched to give our audience – you – more of a say in what we cover and to be part of the news.
We know you’ll have plenty of questions about how Donald Trump's clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky impacts closer to home – where does the UK stand within this changing world?
We’re encouraging you to send in your questions so our correspondents can give you answers. You can email bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk, WhatsApp +44 7980 682727 or click here.
To give you a flavour of what's to come, you can watch back our earlier Q&A session from today here.
Ukrainians have been paying tribute to activists killed during anti-government protests in 2014
As we've been reporting, US President Donald Trump's rift with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has deepened over the last few days. Here's a recap of what's happened:
We'll continue to bring you the latest updates, so stay with us.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk says Europe should finance aid for Ukraine by taking from Russian assets which have been frozen.
"Enough talking, it's time to act!" Tusk says, in a social media post, before listing three actions he thinks should be taken on the conflict in Ukraine.
First, he suggests, Europe should "finance our aid for Ukraine from the Russian frozen assets".
Secondly, the Polish leader says air policing should be strengthened, as well as "EU borders with Russia".
And, Tusk finishes, Europe should "swiftly adopt new fiscal rules to finance the EU security and defence. Now!"
It comes as the head of Nato has warned European countries that they may receive a phone call from Donald Trump, if they refuse to spend 2% of their budget on defence.
Alexander Schlichter
Europe regional editor
A lot hinges on this visit. When Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday, he said he had come to listen. But events have clearly overtaken the retired general.
Soon after his arrival, a somewhat exasperated Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Donald Trump was living in a Kremlin disinformation space. Trump hit back, accusing him of being a dictator.
After today's talks, Zelensky's spokesman informed reporters the American side had requested there be no news conference.
Sources in Kyiv have told the BBC that Keith Kellogg appears increasingly "sidelined" by the Trump administration.
It could be that Trump never really forgave Zelensky for refusing to dig up dirt on Joe Biden's son Hunter, way back during the first Trump presidency – a row that led to his first impeachment.
Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent
Much like his first term, President Trump is averse to publicly criticising President Putin. And it depends on who you ask, why that is.
Those who dislike Donald Trump and believe he is dangerous are convinced he is somehow compromised by Russia. However, after years of investigations from the FBI, to the Justice Department to Congress, no evidence has ever been presented to back that up.
Trump himself has long denied that there is any collusion between him and the Kremlin. But his unwavering defence of Putin does disturb officials.
He has never blamed Putin once for the war in Ukraine even bizarrely claiming President Biden was to blame.
However, Trump has been tough on Russia in the past. In 2019, he approved anti-tank missile sales to Ukraine. He also withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty blaming Russian violations. And he issued economic sanctions against a Russian ship involved inbuilding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Trump is ultimately a transactional politician. His tough comments against President Zelensky could be a deliberate negotiation strategy to get the war to end – a big campaign promise – but it's a hugely risky one that alienates traditional allies.
They are increasingly feeling the US is not trustworthy and may seek to reduce its influence.
Earlier this afternoon, Vice President JD Vance spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the National Harbor in Maryland.
After speaking about immigration and European alliances, Vance turned to the war in Ukraine, saying that Trump "doesn't take anything off the table".
Take a listen to some of Vance's comments:
This video can not be played
Watch: JD Vance discusses European alliances and Russia-Ukraine war
Nato's Secretary General Mark Rutte says he's in talks with European countries that do not spend 2% of their budget on defence, warning that they may get a call from Donald Trump if they refuse to commit to the payment.
Speaking at a news conference alongside President of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini, Rutte says 23 countries have committed to the 2% figure. Nato consists of 32 members.
"But there are a few countries that are not spending 2%, and I'm engaging with them actively and intensively to make sure they speed up to reach 2%," he adds.
"I tell them, if you don't react to my phone calls, you might get phone calls from a very nice man in Washington," he says, referring to Trump, who has called on European countries to ramp up their defence spending.
He adds that European security guarantees for Ukraine under a potential peace deal with the Kremlin would need to be backed by the US.
These "strong security guarantees" are not meant to be "with boots on the ground, but we still need generally a backup from the US to make sure that the deterrence is there," he says.
Chris Corrall
Search specialist
President Trump’s comments about Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky have catapulted both into the headlines, and into people’s Google searches.
According to Google Trends data, UK search interest in Ukraine’s president is the highest it has been in more than two-and-a-half years.
Most of these searches look to be people catching up on what has happened, however, there are also queries about Zelensky’s “approval rating” and the election that he won in 2019.
In case you missed it, the BBC Verify team have fact checked President Trump’s claims here. Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent
There has been strong condemnation of President Donald Trump's verbal attack on President Volodymyr Zelensky by Democrats.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer spoke on the Senate floor yesterday saying that Trump's comments "sounded straight from a Russian propaganda playbook". He went on to call it "disgusting", adding: "It's just awful to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin."
However, there is not a whole lot the opposition party can do given that the balance of power is firmly in the Republicans' favour. They are also struggling to substantively respond to anything Trump is doing as, one month on from his inauguration, he continues to carry out a blitz of actions.
A more pertinent question is: what will Republicans do? The aid that's been sent to Ukraine over the last few years has had bipartisan support – many Republicans are pro-Ukrainian. Some Republicans such as Thom Tillis pushed back on Trump yesterday, saying "there is no moral equivalency between Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky".
But how do they reconcile their pro-Ukrainian stance with their pro-Trump stance?
Most Republicans are treading carefully and emphasising how Trump wants peace – without trying to get into the details. But if Trump does cut off aid, will that be a red line for some Republicans?
Mike Pence (right) said the road to peace must be built on truth
Donald Trump is facing criticism from his own party, even within Congress, where Republicans control both chambers. After he called the Ukrainian leader a "dictator", several Republican senators have hit back in disagreement.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski says she would "never refer to President Zelensky as a dictator", while Maine Senator Susan Collins says that Zelensky is not to blame for Moscow's invasion "in any way".
For North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, suggesting that anyone in Ukraine has responsibility for the ongoing war "forgets the fact that Putin lied".
"He [Putin] has lied every step of the way, and I believe any resolution in Ukraine that makes him feel like he won or just pushed to a tie is a bad idea," Tillis says.
Trump's own former vice president, Mike Pence, went on to remind the US president that "Ukraine did not 'start' this war" – instead, "Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives".
"The road to peace must be built on truth," Pence says.
Republican Vice President JD Vance is speaking at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington and is being asked about US ties to Europe and the war in Ukraine.
On Europe, Vance says the US will continue to have "important alliances", but the strength of the relationship depends on whether they take their "societies in the right direction".
On the war in Ukraine, Vance says President Donald Trump believes "everything is on the table" when it comes to negotiations with Russia.
Vance also defended Trump's call with Putin earlier this month, which sparked a backlash in the US and around the world.
"How are you going to end the war unless you talk to Russia?" Vance says.
He adds that "peace is in the interest" of the US and Europe and says Trump will "fight for it for the remainder of his administration".
In Kherson, a high-rise building collapsed after shelling
On the ground in Ukraine, the war rages on, impacting thousands of lives both in Ukraine and Russia.
Today, in Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region, two men were killed and a woman was injured after Russian shelling, according to the regional governor Serhiy Lyask.
Writing on Telegram, Lyask says a 39-year-old woman was injured during the strike and received medical assistance.
Some 200km (124 miles) south, in Kherson, a high-rise building collapsed after Russian shelling, the head of the Kherson regional military administration says.
Writing on Telegram, Oleksandr Prokudin says the body of one man was found under the rubble.
And in the city of Kostyantynivka, which is situated in the Donetsk region, at least four people – two men and two women – have been killed as a result of four airstrikes and artillery shelling, according to the regional head Vadym Filashkin.
In a post on Telegram, Filashkin details the destruction, which includes seven homes, four apartment buildings, three power lines, and a gas pipeline.
A strike in the same city yesterday resulted in the death of two people, according to Filashkin.
James Waterhouse
Reporting from Kyiv
US special envoy Keith Kellogg is now meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, an interaction on which Ukraine will be pinning its hopes.
In a break from the norm, officials here are keen to give Kellogg what they call a “full picture” of the war, including a trip to the frontline – unheard of on official visits.
Kellogg's sole job is to liaise with Ukraine and maintain a two-way channel of communication.
All officials have heard from the US side so far is what has come from his boss across the Atlantic. And looking at Kellogg’s lack of involvement in the Riyadh talks between Russia and the US, it's clear more senior people, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are handling the negotiations.
What will be crucial is how well Kellogg can relay what he hears here, and how important his perception of the US's continued military support is.
What is a more worrying equation for Kyiv is the structure of Russia-US talks continuing, with perhaps a more peripheral American representative liaising with Ukraine's president.
Zelensky is now fighting even harder to get involved in the peace talks – a feat made much more difficult by Trump questioning his democratically elected integrity.
Earlier today, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Volodymr Zelensky's comments "inadmissible", following the heated rift between the US and Ukraine presidents.
"Often, representatives of the Ukrainian regime, especially in recent months, allow themselves to make completely inadmissible statements about the heads of other states," Peskov says.
Zelensky said on Wednesday that the US president is "living in a disinformation space" governed by Moscow.
The Ukrainian president also rejected Trump's claims that his approval ratings are very low, as well as suggestions that Ukraine has been spending US aid in a non-transparent way.
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