Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders will speak to Donald Trump at a virtual meeting today ahead of his summit with Vladimir Putin. Elsewhere, Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones caused a small fire at an oil refinery in the southern region of Krasnodar. Follow the latest below.
Wednesday 13 August 2025 10:46, UK
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Michael Clarke, our military analyst, is back later today to answer your Ukraine war questions.
It could be a hugely significant week for the future of the conflict and peace in Europe, with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meeting in Alaska on Friday.
With Volodymyr Zelenskyy sidelined from the talks, can we expect a peace deal?
Use the form at the top of this page to get in touch with your question for Clarke before what could be a pivotal meeting. He’ll answer them live at 2pm.
Russian attacks killed at least six civilians and injured 15 others across multiple Ukrainian regions over the past 24 hours, local officials said.
Kyiv’s air force said this morning that Russia launched 51 drones and missiles at the country overnight.
One person was killed and four others injured during strikes on residential areas in the Kherson region, its governor said.
Three others died in the region during separate attacks this morning in Chornobaivka and Beryslav, Oleksandr Prokudin added.
There were also two people killed in the Donetsk region and one killed in Zaporizhzhia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Ukraine’s allies to apply pressure on Russia to make an “honest peace”.
Posting on Telegram, the Ukrainian president said: “We must take the experience of Ukraine and our partners to prevent deception by Russia.
“There is currently no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war.
“Our coordinated efforts and joint steps – by Ukraine, the United States, Europe, and all countries that want peace – can definitely force Russia to peace.”
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday at the remote Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a US military installation in Anchorage, Alaska.
Elmendorf-Richardson combines the Air Force’s Elmendorf base and the US Army’s Fort Richardson.
It is Alaska’s largest military base and is home to more than 32,000 people – about 10% of Anchorage’s population.
The area is also significant for Russia: the US purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire 158 years ago.
In fact, Alaska’s Little Diomede Island is less than three miles from Russia’s Big Diomede Island in the Bering Strait, showing how geographically close the two countries are.
During the Cold War, the base was regarded as “particularly important” in defending the US against the then-Soviet Union, according to the Library of Congress.
Despite this proximity, Putin will be the first Russian president to visit Anchorage.
Elmendorf-Richardson hosts aircraft like the F-22 Raptor – a fighter jet the Air Force says “cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft”.
The US defence department describes the area as having “picturesque, majestic, snow-capped mountains, lakes, rivers, glaciers, and plenty of wildlife”.
It also advises visitors attempting to drive to the base to bring emergency kits, food, blankets and extra fuel, as it is so remote.
Some have criticised Trump’s decision to hold talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Alaska.
“It’s easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, ‘Well, look, territories can change hands,'” said Nigel Gould-Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus.
“‘We gave you Alaska. Why can’t Ukraine give us a part of its territory?'”
Any agreement between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin when they meet on Friday could leave Ukraine in an impossible position after three years of brutal, grinding war for survival.
There has been speculation the two leaders could agree a so-called ‘land for peace’ deal which could see Ukraine instructed to give up territory in exchange for an end to the fighting.
That would effectively be an annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory by Russia by force.
Will this mean Ukraine has to surrender its crucial “fortress belt” of cities that has held back Russian invaders for 11 years?
Here, foreign news reporter Michael Drummond looks at what a “land for peace” deal could involve ahead of the Trump-Putin summit…
By Siobhan Robbins, Europe correspondent
When the German chancellor cancels his holiday plans to host an emergency meeting, it’s clear the situation is serious.
Back from a break by the lake, Friedrich Merz will host a series of virtual meetings from Berlin today to discuss the upcoming summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Joining him online will be a variety of Ukraine’s European allies, the NATO chief, and most importantly Donald Trump and JD Vance.
It was announced this morning that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has travelled to Berlin to be in the room with Merz. That move alone underlines where the European’s loyalties lie.
It is a subtle reminder to the US that they are “Team Zelenskyy” and that no deals should be made with Putin which would force Ukraine into making concessions before any substantive peace talks.
Many staunchly believe Ukraine should be at the table on Friday.
That’s been ruled out, so making it clear that the country’s future shouldn’t be decided above its head is the next best option.
After all, it was Russia who invaded Ukraine – a point some feel occasionally slips from Trump’s mind.
Summit has deeper significance
This meeting is more than just the European backing up their buddy.
There’s a firm belief that since 2022 Ukrainians have been fighting a war which keeps wider Europe safe.
There are already warnings that in five years Putin could attack a NATO country, so allowing the Russian to leave Alaska with a reward and potentially greater power would be a disaster.
Today’s meetings are an opportunity for Europe and Ukraine to lay out their red lines for a summit which could impact their future security.
They want Trump to use his influence to pressurise Putin towards a ceasefire and a meaningful peace deal.
That could include hitting Russia where it hurts and implementing the long threaten sanctions.
The fear is Russia will outplay Trump, who may end up making a deal which could, for example, normalise economic ties. That would be seen as a massive fail.
The meetings are a team talk, possibly, even a reminder to the US leadership which side they are on.
The problem is, it’s not always clear to Ukraine and its allies if Trump and his VP Vance are playing by the same rules.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in Berlin today, his spokesman said.
A bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is planned too, the spokesman added.
The pair will both deliver press statements at around 3pm UK time, according to the German chancellery’s schedule.
Ukraine’s air force says Russia launched 51 drones and missiles at the country overnight.
Of those, it said 32 drones and two missiles were either shot down or suppressed.
Drones attacked the Donetsk, Sumy and Chernihiv regions, the air force added, while it said the missiles targeted Poltava region.
Some 17 drones were recorded hitting 15 locations.
By David Blevins, US correspondent
It’s beginning to feel like “Midnight Sun” diplomacy.
In parts of Alaska, the sun doesn’t set in summer, casting light through the night but leaving you disorientated.
Friday’s Trump-Putin summit is pitched as “transparent” but it’s difficult to find any path to peace right now.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has reduced it to a “listening exercise” where Donald Trump will seek a “better understanding” of the situation.
There isn’t much to understand – Russia wants territory, Ukraine isn’t ceding it – but Leavitt rejects talk of them “tempering expectations”.
It’s possible to be both hopeful and measured, she says, because Trump wants peace but is only meeting one side on Friday.
It’s the fact that he’s only meeting Vladimir Putin that concerns European leaders, who fear Ukraine could be side-lined by any Trump-Putin pact.
Ukrainian drones caused a small fie at an oil refinery in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar last night, authorities said.
The region’s administration said there were no casualties at the Slavyansk plant and that the fire was quickly put out.
Russia’s defence ministry said air defence units destroyed 46 Ukrainian drones overnight, including five over the Krasnodar region.
The Slavyansk refinery is a private plant with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day, supplying fuel for both domestic use and export.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which says its strikes inside Russia aim to destroy infrastructure key to Moscow’s war efforts, including energy facilities.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders will speak to Donald Trump at a virtual meeting today ahead of his summit with Vladimir Putin.
Trump hosts Putin at talks in Alaska on Friday that the US president has said will serve as a “feel-out” meeting in his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
He’s also said both Kyiv and Moscow will have to cede land to end the war, prompting concerns from Europe that Trump and Putin will start to forge the makings of a peace deal without input from Ukraine.
“We are focusing now to ensure that it does not happen – engaging with US partners and staying coordinated and united on the European side. Still a lot of time until Friday,” one senior European official told the Reuters news agency.
Trump’s administration tempered expectations yesterday for major progress toward a ceasefire, calling the meeting with Putin a “listening exercise.”
Today’s video conference will begin at 1pm UK time. European leaders are expected to speak to Trump at around 2pm UK time.
Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union will take part, according to a German government spokesperson.
NATO boss Mark Rutte will also attend the conference, which is being hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
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