Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hit out at Moscow after a Russian strike in Kharkiv killed seven people. It comes as the Ukrainian is due to join European leaders for talks with Donald Trump at the White House today. Follow the latest below.
Monday 18 August 2025 11:55, UK
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By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter
Hopes had been high of some sort of agreement coming from Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s first meeting in six years on Friday.
In the days leading up to the closely watched event, optimism brought oil and gas prices down.
And despite the Russian and US leaders leaving with no agreement, traders’ optimism hasn’t dipped.
Oil is still cheaper now than earlier this month at $65 a barrel, down from more than $71 on 1 August.
Gas prices fell to the lowest in more than a year to 76 pence a therm, a unit of heat used to measure gas.
Cheaper prices signal confidence that the Russia-Ukraine war, which caused energy prices to rocket, may be close to concluding.
The last-minute attendance of European leaders in Washington, however, could be read as fear among leaders over the content of a possible deal.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of carrying out “demonstrative and cynical” strikes ahead of talks at the White House today.
“Everyone seeks dignified peace and true security and at this very moment, the Russians are attacking Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, the Sumy region and Odesa, destroying residential buildings and our civilians infrastructure,” he wrote in a post on social media.
“Russians are deliberately killing people, particularly children.”
He said seven people have been killed in Kharkiv, with the youngest being a one and a half year-old girl.
Three people have also been killed in Zaporizhzhia, Zelenskyy said, and at least 20 are injured.
“The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything,” he added.
Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts.
“That is precisely why we are seeking assistance to put an end to the killings.”
It’s shaping up to be a remarkable day in Washington, our deputy political editor Sam Coates says.
European leaders are heading to the White House to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Watch as Coates explains what we can expect from the meeting.
Things went “even worse than we could have expected” when Donald Trump met Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a former UK ambassador to Ukraine has said.
Speaking to our presenter Gareth Barlow, Leigh Turner said: “Not only did Trump allow himself to be steamrollered by Putin, but he also seemed to take on board Putin’s extended shopping list.
“Trump seems to delight in accepting these Russian extreme proposals and then saying to Zelenskyy you’ve got to accept this if you want to have peace.”
Turner said it’s a mystery as to why Trump is “in awe” of his Russian counterpart.
“We saw the red carpet literally being rolled out in Alaska,” he explained.
“We saw hugs, we saw handshakes and we saw backslapping, and when the meeting was over it seemed that Trump had simply taken onboard absolutely everything that Putin wanted.”
Watch the full interview in the video below.
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.”
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