Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be supported by European allies for talks with Donald Trump on the future of Ukraine today in the White House. It comes after the US president met Vladimir Putin on Friday. Follow the latest below.
Monday 18 August 2025 09:51, UK
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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 Brekafast 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.
Ahead of today’s meetings between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, The White House has released the official timetable for the day.
Here’s all the key UK timings to be aware of:
Watch Sky News for continuous live coverage from 5pm.
Our correspondents James Matthews, Martha Kelner and Ivor Bennett were in Alaska on Friday for Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin, along with chief presenter Mark Austin.
The crunch talks, which marked the first time the US and Russian leader had met in more than six years, required all hands on deck.
You saw the pair meet on the red carpet at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, the pair’s limousine ride and their fascinating press conference afterwards.
Here’s a look at what went on behind the scenes to bring you those moments, along with our correspondents’ cutting-edge analysis.
The governor of Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region has said an overnight Russian air attack on a residential area killed at least five people, including a toddler.
A one-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy were killed in the drone attack in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Oleh Synehubov said in a post on Telegram.
He added that the number of those injured in the attack was “continuously rising”.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 20 people have been injured, including six children.
By Mark Stone, US correspondent
Truly, this is a moment as important as it is unusual. History does not provide us a guide here.
Never before have we seen so many world leaders gather at such short notice for a meeting like this at the White House, and with a president as consequential as he is unpredictable.
The speed with which it has been organised is remarkable. A diplomatic source has framed the hasty gathering as “organic”; the obvious next step after the Alaska summit, the source said.
The Europeans were not in the room for that. Today, they will dominate the room.
Is there a risk Donald Trump will feel encircled? I don’t think so. More likely, he will enjoy the moment, seeing himself as the great convener. And on that, he’d be right.
Whether his diplomatic process has been cack-handed or smart – and the debate there will rage on – there is no question he has created this moment of dialogue.
It was the unfolding, or unravelling, of another White House moment, back in February, which gives some key context for the day ahead.
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