Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be supported by European allies for talks with Donald Trump today in the White House. Meanwhile, an overnight Russian strike in Kharkiv has killed seven people. Follow the latest below.
Monday 18 August 2025 10:53, UK
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The number of people killed in an overnight Russian attack on Kharkiv has risen to seven, its governor has said.
Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram that specialised services are still working at the site of the strike, which hit a residential building.
Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said five Russian drones hit the building from different sides at around 5am (3am UK time).
Ukraine has accused Russia of showing “no such desire” for a ceasefire after it launched four missiles and 140 drones in an overnight attack (see 8.44 post).
We can bring you these pictures from Odesa, where firefighters have been working to tackle the aftermath of a strike.
Sir Keir Starmer’s plane is heading to Washington for the White House talks.
The UK-branded aircraft left Glasgow International Airport at 8am this morning.
Flight tracking data predicts it’s due to arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Washington at around 10am Eastern Time (3pm UK time).
Starmer flew to Glasgow after leaving London Stansted at 5.55am this morning.
The plane is operated by the private company Titan Airways.
Depending on how today’s meeting goes, Sky News understands European diplomats have been asked by US counterparts to be ready for a trilateral meeting between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin later this week.
Unless there are any last-minute changes, US and EU allies have agreed that the meeting would be held in Europe.
During a video call of the ‘coalition of the willing’ over the weekend, Giorgia Meloni proposed Rome as a location, while Emmanuel Macron proposed Geneva.
Zelenskyy and Trump are both understood to prefer Rome, and in particular the Vatican, but Putin prefers Geneva.
Both Italian and Swiss foreign ministries insist they are ready to host the talks, with EU diplomats also evaluating other locations including Budapest and Helsinki.
By Liz Bates, political correspondent
If there’s one thing the past 24 hours has confirmed, it’s that it’s still Donald Trump’s world, and we’re all just living in it.
In the aftermath of the Alaska meeting, the US president’s deal-making skills came under question when he seemingly walked away empty-handed.
But it was clear he had retained his ability to catch everyone off guard, as a meeting between him and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly became a last-minute White House peace summit.
The invitation to European leaders drifted out, and within hours, the cast list had grown to include six more, as world leaders dropped everything to fit in with Trump’s unpredictable timetable.
There were signs of disorganisation behind the scenes.
When the British Prime Minister’s spokesman was asked who the invite had come from – the White House or the Ukrainian president – they replied: “A bit of both.”
Meanwhile, the meeting of the coalition of the willing – a Starmer and Macron-led group of Ukraine’s European allies – had a nervous feel to it as members resolved to stand firm with Ukraine – even if it puts them at odds with the US.
At times, it sounded like they were trying to convince themselves they could do it.
And as all of this frantic diplomatic reaction played out, the man in the middle of it all headed to the golf course – calm at the centre of the diplomatic storm he created as his allies swirl around him.
A Ukrainian MP has told Sky News “we are all anxious” as Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders head to the White House to meet Donald Trump today.
“We need to look at the facts, and the facts are that Russia launched missiles and drones killing at least five people in the city of Kharkiv,” Kira Rudik told Breakfast presenter Wilfred Frost.
“That’s why we are very upset that the ceasefire was not agreed by Trump because discussions about peace can take months or years.
“Meanwhile, Russia continues killing our people and it’s just simply not acceptable.”
Rudik added that “it’s good on many levels” to see European leaders supporting Zelenskyy at the White House.
“We all know that it’s good on negotiation and emotional levels to support Zelenskyy, but it is also good for Europe to show that it will be a part of defining European security in the future,” she said.
“The president of the United States cannot just simply take a leader and pressure him into something.
“I think it’s a very good step from the European side to show its citizens that Europe is united and that Europe is a player in the geopolitical landscape.”
We are moving towards a “real parting of the ways” between the US and European allies, security and defence analyst Michael Clarke has said.
He explained that, while we haven’t got there just yet, “we’re about to find out how brave the European allies are prepared to be in support of Ukraine”.
Clarke said it’s “astonishing” to see the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy, along with EU and NATO chiefs, gathering to support Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Just think of the diary disruption that would have created,” he pointed out.
But Clarke said they will be trying to talk to Trump, adding that the US president has “adopted the Putin position almost completely”.
“I can’t think of a precedent for this, the diplomatic weight which the Europeans are trying to apply to thinking in Washington,” he said.
“My goodness, they’ve got a delicate job on their hands because one thing that Trump won’t want is the appearance that he’s being ganged up on.”
Trump ‘desperate for a deal’
Asked about his expectations for today’s meeting, Clarke said things are probably not going to go “terribly well”.
“I don’t think they’ll turn Trump away from where he is,” he added. “Trump is desperate for a deal of some sort.”
Here’s a look at the latest battlefield maps in Ukraine.
Scroll through the maps below to view different parts of Ukraine, including the situation in key regions such as Luhansk, Donetsk, Kursk and Belgorod.
As Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders prepare to meet Donald Trump in Washington, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched four missiles and 140 drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine.
It added that 88 drones were shot down, with hits recorded in 25 locations across six regions in Ukraine.
Posting on social media, the head of Zelenskyy’s presidential office said there had been “another Russian ballistic strike” on Zaporizhzhia.
“This is exactly why Putin doesn’t want a ceasefire – he enjoys shelling peaceful cities while talking about a supposed desire to end the war,” Andriy Yermak, presidential aide to Zelenksyy, wrote on X.
“So far, we see no such desire.”
By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor
When Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies meet Donald Trump in Washington, a huge amount is at stake.
Ukrainian officials are reported to feel betrayed by the US president, who appears to have shifted position to side with Vladimir Putin on a number of key points in the wake of the meeting with him in Alaska.
Trump has undermined the unity of the Western alliance by abandoning their calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.
He is no longer threatening more severe sanctions, and more worryingly still he seems open to the idea of making the Ukrainians hand over the territory the Russians have not yet captured.
He and his real estate lawyer turned rookie negotiator Steve Witkoff seem to believe the conflict can be resolved by an exchange of territory. Putin on the other hand has made it clear he is fighting to extinguish Ukraine as an independent and democratic entity.
Ukrainians say that for Zelenskyy, handing over land his troops have been fighting to defend since 2014 would be politically suicidal and strategically insane.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free