Trump LIVE: Putin extends major offer to US President but leaders reach 'no deal'

In light of the lacklustre outcome in Alaska, House Democrat Representative Gregory Meeks of New York has issued a statement on behalf of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, slamming President Trump for hosting a summit with President Putin at all.

“The fact that this meeting even took place – at the invitation of President Trump, on American soil, without Ukraine present, and with zero concessions from Russia – is an undeserved reward for Putin,” Meeks wrote.

He also went on to deride Trump for failing to back up his threats of sanctions or to stand by deadlines he had set for a ceasefire, including one on August 8.

“President Trump should have pressured Putin by imposing crushing sanctions on his war machine and providing Ukraine with the tools it needs to defend itself,” he said.

“Instead, by quite literally rolling out the red carpet, Trump has legitimised Russia’s aggression and whitewashed Putin’s war crimes. It’s shameful.”

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has weighed in on Friday’s summit, as he praised US President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker peace, but doubted Putin’s interest in a deal.

“If Putin were serious about negotiating peace, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today,” he said.

In a post on X on Saturday morning local time, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene also took things further as he accused Putin of “more gaslighting and veiled threats,”in a direct reference to the Russian leader issuing a warning to Ukraine and Europe allies not to “sabotage” any of the progress made at the summit.

Despite repeated mentions of progress, no conclusive details have yet been shared about what concessions have been made, or what Russia refused to budge on.

Over three hours now since presidents Putin and Trump went their separate ways, and Kyiv has yet to issue any response to the Alaska summit’s outcome.

Following a meeting with European leaders on Wednesday, Trump assured everyone involved that his first point of call after the negotiations would be to contact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, something he doubled down on during Friday’s post-summit speech.

In a post-summit interview with Fox News, Trump also urged Zelensky to “make a deal” as he left the ball firmly in the Ukrainian leader’s court to secure a ceasefire agreement.

However, as of 4am UK time (and 6am Kyiv time) neither the Ukrainian government nor President Zelensky have made any public comment on the summit.

Writing on the messaging app Telegram, Ukrainian Member of Parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko has been far more critical of the meeting which both Trump and Russia have touted as successful, despite no ceasefire being achieved.

Writing online, Goncharenko suggested that President Putin had merely “bought some time” through his meeting with his US counterpart.

“No ceasefire or de-escalation has been agreed upon,” Goncharenko added.

President Donald Trump has admitted he greatly appreciated his former political rival Hillary Clinton saying she’d nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize if he brokered peace in Ukraine.

Yet despite the high praise from the Democrat, Trump insisted he’s not campaigning for the award.

“I don’t want to be involved in such stuff,” he said, before adding that Clinton’s remarks were “very nice. If she said that, it’s very nice. I really appreciate it too, actually.”

Ahead of Friday’s Alaska summit, Clinton had publicly stated that she would personally nominate Trump for the prize if he were the “architect” of ending Russia’s war on Ukraine - however, she would only do so if he could broker peace without needing Ukraine to cede any territory to Russia.

In a surprising show of humility, Donald Trump also conceded that he was wrong to think the Russia-Ukraine conflict would be “the easiest” of all the conflicts to solve, as he made a reference to his presidential campaign promise to end the war in 24 hours.

“I thought this would be the easiest of them all, and it was the most difficult,” Trump said.

President Donald Trump has claimed that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky want him to attend their next potential peace talks.

“They both want me there,” Trump said in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity. “They both want me there, and I’ll be there.”

Asked if he believed peace could be achieved swiftly and in a fairly short time, Trump commented: “Fairly short, yeah.”

President Trump has indicated he has no plans to impose further sanctions or consequences on Russia for the ongoing war with Ukraine, after making ‘ progress’ in peace negotiations during the Alaska summit.

“Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now.”

Earlier this month, Trump had threatened to crack down harshly on Russia in an attempt to pressure Putin into ending the war, but later backtracked after he agreed to engage in face to face talks in Alaska.

The Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has echoed sentiments shared by the US and Russian Presidents as he described the meeting between Trump and Putin as "very positive”.

In a statement shared to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, he also addressed why both leaders chose not to take questions from the press following negotiations. He said there was no need to elaborate as both sides "made exhaustive statements"

Peskov also went on to add that the leaders' conversation would allow them to "confidently move forward together” on the journey towards peace.

Trump remained positive throughout the interview with Sean Hannity and said he is confident a deal is on the horizon and that it could involve prisoner swaps.

"I say 50/50, because so many things can happen," says Trump. "But I think President Putin wants to solve the problem."

One discussed concession is to release prisoners of war: "I have a book of thousands of people that they presented me with today, thousands of prisoners, who will get released," he says.

During his interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, the pair discussed the prospect of territorial concessions that would give Russia land it didn’t have previously. They also discussed potential US security assurances for Ukraine - two things Trump and Putin both agreed on.

“Well, I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on,” he said. “Actually, I think we agree on a lot. I can tell you, the meeting was a warm meeting.”

“I think we’re pretty close to the end. And look, Ukraine has to agree to it,” he said.

Trump’s advice to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky then followed: “Gotta make a deal.”

When asked to give Friday's meeting a grade, despite the lack of a deal, Trump gushed that it was a "10 out of 10", adding: "We got along great."

Although progress was seemingly made, Trump was quick to pass the buck to Ukraine's President Zelensky, who is now responsible for taking the peace negotiations further.

He said that it's up to Zelensky to get a deal done, along with European involvement.

In terms of what that will look like, Trump says Russia and Ukraine will set up talks next, with both Putin and Zelensky attending.

President Trump bizarrely took a moment to praise President Putin for agreeing that if he had been in power at the time of Russia’s invasion back in 2022, the war in Ukraine would “never have happened.”

Instead he pointed the finger of blame at his predecessor former President Joe Biden, who he insisted should have sdone more to stop Russia’s invasion.

"This war should have never have happened. You know a lot of wars should have never had happened. Stupid things go down and wrong people are talking," said Trump.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump categorically refused to detail which points had been agreed and which ones hadn’t, although he did state that he believes Putin wants to see the war end.

”I think he wants to see it done," Trump says of Putin. However he refused to detail the "one big thing" they couldn't agree on.

Donald Trump's interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News is now being broadcast. It was pre-recorded shortly before he took off from Alaska and after his meeting with Vladimir Putin had concluded.

Describing the meeting as “very good” Trump gushed over the vibe he had with his Russian counterpart, as he declared that he always had a great relationship with President Putin.

Although no deal could be secured to end the Russia-Ukraine war, it was clear that the conflict still weighed heavily on Trump’s mind as he vowed to continue to negotiate until a ceasefire could be achieved.

"I want to see people stop dying," Trump says.

Speaking to the BBC after Trump and Putin delivered their statements, former US ambassador to NATO, Douglas Lute, weighed in on the lack of a deal, and argued that Trump gained nothing from the summit overall - despite his claims of 'progress'

"Putin comes away with the end of international isolation," Lute said.

"He's seen as a big man on the big stage with the US president: Warm welcome, red carpet, riding Trump's car, standing in front of a sign that said pursuing peace - which is anything but what Vladimir Putin is all about.

Lute continues: "In return what did Trump get? Zero... We accomplished very little."

"We are no closer - in fact, we may be further away from a peace settlement in Ukraine than we were at the beginning of the day."

Russia’s top economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev has weighed in on today's meeting, as he said that the US received Russia “very well” in Alaska.

In a short speech, Dmitriev explained that he hoped the two countries would continue building relations despite “resistance," however he did not elaborate as to what obstacles still remain in the way.

“The US-Russia summit in Alaska has definitely been productive,” Dmitriev said, before going on to add that there were “lots of issues that we discussed and many we agreed.”

“Some of them are to be agreed and definitely it’s very important that President Trump outlines a significant economic potential of cooperation between the US and Russia,” said Dmitriev.

“We will continue building US-Russia relations going forward despite lots of the resistance to this, but we will continue strengthening US-Russia ties.”

Donald Trump has just boarded Air Force One and is now preparing to return to Washington DC after talks in Alaska made crucial progress, but failed to secure a deal that could end the Russia-Ukraine war.

While his Russian counterpart has started the long journey back to Moscow, US President Donald Trump has instead sat down with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity for a candid chat, according to CBS.

The pre-recorded interview, which was filmed in the same room where today's negotiations took place, is set to air in around an hour's time.

Before leaving Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin made one final stop in the US state, as he laid flowers on the graves of Soviet soldiers at the Fort Richardson Memorial Cemetery after a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage.

Video released by the Kremlin showed Putin kneeling and leaving a bouquet at a gravesite before making the sign of the cross.

The graves honoured the multiple Soviet pilots and sailors who died during World War II, as they transported equipment between the US and USSR, the Kremlin said.

Just one hour after his meeting with President Trump came to a close, Russian President Vladimir Putin has boarded his plane as he prepares to leave Alaska.

He arrived around five hours ago and it looks as though he'll soon be departing.

During the press conference in Anchorage, Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Ukrainian and European leaders not to interfere in the ongoing peace process, or to torpedo any of the progress made during Friday's three hour meeting.

“We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will perceive all this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles, will not make attempts to disrupt the emerging progress through provocations and behind-the-scenes intrigues,” he said.

One key aspect of the negotations on Friday, was Vladimir Putin's invitation to Trump for their next meeting to take place on Russian soil in Moscow.

The American president acknowledged that agreeing to that proposal would be highly controversial, but he didn’t completely rule it out, as he commented: “That’s an interesting one, I’ll get a little heat on that one."

He then added: “But I could see it possibly happening.”

After three hours of negotations and just twenty minutes at the podium, Trump and Putin have finished addressing the media in Anchorage - having made great progress, but failing to secure a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

At the end of the speeces, both presidents shook hands, posed for pictures and then walked off stage, ignoring shouted questions from gathered reporters, including some about which points had been agreed upon and which ones hadn't.

President Trump has remarked that the meeting was 'productive', however no ceasefire deal has been conclusively agreed.

While both nations did agree on several points, several more require further negotiation in the future.

"There's no deal until there's a deal, he said, adding that "great progress" was made but "we didn't get there".

In light of this, Trump has explained he will be reaching out to NATO and to Ukraine's President Zelensky to discuss the 'great progress' that has been made and to discuss where to go from here.

Presidents Trump and Putin walk on stage - and their joint news conference begins, with Putin kicking things off by describing Trump as his 'neighbour' and hammering home the shared history and legacy between the US and Russia.

Putin says that both the US and Russia, "though separated by the oceans, are close neighbours".

"They're only 4km apart. We're close neighbours, and that's a fact," he continues.

For this reason, he told Trump "hello, neighbour," when they met on the tarmac earlier today, ahead of the summit.

Putin also cited how Alaska was once Russian territory before it was sold to the US in the 1800s, and noted the presence of Russian Orthodox churches in the US state, telling reporters: "I'm sure this heritage will help us rebuild and foster mutually beneficial and equal ties."

US President Donald Trump told reporters prior to this meeting, that he would downgrade his planned joint press conference to a solo appearance if he felt his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin hadn't gone well.

With two lecterns currently set up for the pending press conference, and Putin himself expected to appear – it does suggest that the talks did not devolve to a level where Trump felt it necessary to appear alone.

However, how successful Trump has been in brokering a deal, remains to be seen.

In a short clip shared on Telegram, Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov was quizzed by Russian state news agency Tass about how he was feeling after the Trump-Putin meeting.

“Excellent,” he responded, smiling.

The Kremlin has announced that a joint news conference between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will start in just a few moments time, Russian media reports.

Negotiations with the US delegation in the “narrow format” have concluded, the Kremlin said in a short statement.

This means that the three-on-three portion of the negotations, featuring Americans Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio, and Russians Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov - has finished.

If the summit proves to be successful, the next step in the peace process would see Trump call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as European leaders to brief them on the outcome.

While there is still a long way to go in terms of brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, prior to the summit, Trump did make it clear that his ultimate goal is to get Putin and Zelensky in the same room.

Speaking on Wednesday, Trump said that could happen “almost immediately” if today’s meeting goes well, potentially even in Alaska.

However, this may not be the most straightforward or swift resolution to happen, as logistically getting Zelensky, who is still in Ukraine, to the US, would take some time.

An app used by Ukrainians for alerts on drone, artillery and missile attacks show warnings in place across the country as Putin and Trump discuss possible peace plans. In the Chernihivs'ka region, close to Kyiv, warnings are in place for air attacks.In the eastern regions of Ukraine alerts are still active for aerial bombardment, as well as street fighting and artillery in the Kharkivs'ka Oblast.

There are also artillery warnings for the Dnipropetrovsk region.

According to the Russian state TASS news agency, Putin's presidential aide Yury Ushakov says Trump and Putin's summit "will touch upon a wide range of issues of ensuring peace and security, as well as topical and most pressing international and regional problems."

He added the leaders will also discuss bilateral economic cooperation.

Sky News reports a bilateral lunch is due to take place between the two sets of delegates, with Putin and Trump joined by more ministers.

On the US side this is expected to be Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chief of staff Susie Wiles.

On the Russian side the ministers will include Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Special economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, as well as the defence minister Andrey Belousov.

According to the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov will join the Anchorage talks as part of an "expanded format".

The US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was seen at the airbase in Anchorage but had not so far been listed by the White House as attending the meeting.

President Putin is joined by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, and President Trump by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

On his X account Dan Scavino, Assistant to the President & White House Deputy Chief of Staff, showed footage of the moment US warplanes flew over Trump and Putin as they made their way on the red carpet.

During a press conference at the White House on Thursday Donald Trump said he would know if it was going to be a productive meeting within "five minutes" potentially meaning a long discussion could be good news tonight in terms of a peace deal.

He told reporters: "We have a meeting with president Putin tomorrow, I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting we're going to have.

"We're going to have President Putin, President Zelensky and myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along, maybe not. We are going to see what happens

"I think President Putin will make peace, I think President Zelensky will make peace, we'll see if they can get along. If they can, it will be great. You know I've solved six wars in the last six months... and I am very proud of it."

He added: "I'd like to see it actually happen in Alaska because it's so much easier, I think it's going to be very interesting, we are going to find out where everybody stands... and I'll know within the first two minutes, four minutes or five minutes what we tend to find out, whether or not we're going to have a good meeting or a bad meeting.

"And if it's a bad meeting, it will end very quickly, and if it's a good meeting we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future."

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have begun their meeting, which is being conducted behind closed doors.

Reporters at the military base are waiting in an outdoor tent, and only the presidents' closest aides are in the room with them.

Volodymyr Zelensky said the meeting between Trump and Putin "is needed" - but stressed that Kyiv must also be included in negotiations to ensure "effective decisions" are made.

He added: "Security guarantees are needed. Lasting peace is needed. Everyone knows the key objectives. I want to thank everyone who is helping to achieve real results."

Sky News international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn reports that social media is awash with anger at the scenes beaming back to Ukraine from Alaska.

Many Ukrainians are sharing a sense of "disgust" at the welcome Putin has received, Mr Waghorn said one Ukrainian told him: "He occupies territories, destroys entire cities, kills, rapes, robs, kidnaps, tortures, and as a result receives a red carpet welcome."

The warm expressions and handshakes between President Trump and the man he called a "smart guy" President Putin have so far been in contrast to the welcome given to Ukraine's President Zelensky during their first meeting to discuss the war.

Back in February the world watched in horror as Trump and Zelensky's meeting descended into a war of words before eventually being called-off.

Today's scenes in Alaska appear to show Putin has not managed to so far anger the US president to the point where the meeting will fail.

Inside the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, President Putin and President Trump posed for photographs as the pair sat close to one another.

However, the Russian leader appeared to become agitated and signaled a mock shout towards the press pack, as well as pointing to his ear, when he was asked questions about the war in Ukraine.

One reporter asked: "Mr Putin, will you agree to a ceasefire?", before another question followed, "Mr Putin, will you commit to not killing anymore civilians?".

The Russian leader gave the press pack a quizzical look, clearly looking less than at ease with being questioned openly about the ongoing war in Ukraine.

A final question was fired at him, "President Putin, why should President Trump trust your word now?"

Putin smiled back at the question and made more animated hand signals before the press were ushered out of the room by White House officials.

The White House posted an image of the two men with the caption "Pursuing Peace" on X.

As President Putin and Donald Trump shook hands on the runway of an Alaskan air base journalists were quick to fire questions at the Russian leader.

One asked, "Mr Putin, did you underestimate Ukraine?", before the next question was, "President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?"

As the two leaders walked away, another question rang out, "President Putin, how can the US trust your word?"

Concerns have been raised over Vladimir Putin's health after he appeared to limp during his meeting with Donald Trump. The Russian leader also took a break halfway down the stairs of his presidential plane.

The moment occurred ahead of their crunch talks in Alaska to work towards a peace plan in Ukraine. Speculation about Putin's health has dogged him for years and his arrival in Anchorage will do little to dispel the rumours. The 72-year-old appeared to grimace slightly as he walked along the red carpet to meet Mr Trump, where they eventually exchanged greetings and handshakes.

Press have been asked to leave as negotiations between the White House and Kremlin delegations begin.

Russian state media TASS reported that Putin shared a ride with Trump in his official limousine as the pair headed for talks.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have been pictured inside the venue where they will hold historic talks possibly on ending the war in Ukraine.

In one image Putin appears to be shouting to someone in the room.

According to Sky News, the meeting between Putin and Trump is aleady underway.

Joining them for the crunch talks are US secretary of state Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and aide Yuri Ushakov are with Putin.

Trump earlier said he would know within "five minutes" if the meeting was going to be a success.

This is the historic moment Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met to face-to-face to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Putin and Trump have shook hands on the runway of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have met for the first time in 10 years on American soil for historic talks.

Russian state news agency TASS has confirmed Putin as landed in Alaska.

Trump's deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, has been posting behind the scenes updates from Air Force One.

In one video he shared footage showing the array of US fighter jets on display on the runway, appearing to want to send a message to Vladimir Putin of America's military might.

Despite being earlier billed as a one-to-one chat between Putin and Trump, with only translators present, the US team has now revealed American Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will also be present in the room, presumably with Kremlin counterparts also there.

As soldiers busy themselves brushing the red carpert, the door of the US President's plane remains firmly shut.

President Zelensky wrote on X: "On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well. And that speaks volumes.

"Recently, weʼve discussed with the US and Europeans what can truly work. Everyone needs a just end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to bring the war to an end, and we count on a strong position from America.

"Everything will depend on this – the Russians factor in American strength. Make no mistake – strength."

Donald Trump should emerge in moments from the aircraft as he lands in Anchorage, Alaska, for peace talks with Putin.

The president took questions from reporters as he was in the air before landing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, where he will meet Vladimir Putin for peace talks regarding the war in Ukraine.

London "stands with" Ukraine, David Lammy has said ahead of a summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin which the US president has described as "high stakes".

The Foreign Secretary spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha on Friday and "reiterated" the UK Government's "commitment to work with the US and Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace".

Mr Trump and Russian president Mr Putin are flying to Anchorage, Alaska, where they will meet to discuss ending more than three years of fighting in eastern Europe, which began after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Writing on X, Mr Lammy said: "The UK stands with Ukraine on what will be an important day for the future of Ukraine and Euro-Atlantic security.

"Speaking to Andrii Sybiha today, I reiterated our enduring support and our commitment to work with the US and Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace."

Mr Sybiha praised the UK for its "principled stance on supporting" his country.

After speaking with Mr Lammy, he said the pair had "a meaningful conversation" about "securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine".

Mr Sybiha wrote on X: "I value the UK's leadership in the Coalition of the Willing and its principled stance on supporting Ukraine.

"We focused on joint diplomatic efforts to bring closer a real peace for Ukraine and all of Europe.

"We also discussed ways to further enhance assistance to Ukraine, including long-term financial aid.

"We stand united in defending our shared security and democratic values."

A clip shared on social media shows Donald Trump's aircraft reaching Alaska, ahead of his meeting with Putin.

At the Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base in Alaska the red carpet has been rolled out for the leaders leading to a podium flanked by fighter jets.

A Russian plane seen coming into land before the arrival of Vladimir Putin on American soil for the historic talks with Donald Trump

A Russian plane has landed at the airbase in Alaska according to flight tracking info.

CCN reporter Kaitlan Collins showed images from inside the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage of where a press conference is due to take place between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

In an opptomistic hint perhaps, the writing above the stage between two podiums for the Russian and US leaders, read: "Pursuing Peace".

Pictures have been released showing Russian soldiers who have been captured by Ukraine during the latest offensive by the Kremlin.

The photos could prove embarrassing for Vladimir Putin who is wanting to portray Russia's dominance in the war with Ukraine, as many suspect he will seek large parts of Ukrainian territory in any peace deal negotiations with Donald Trump.

The Russian men, many of them looking aged in their early 20s, are bound and stripped in cramped conditions in the images, after they were captured by the Ukraine's 93rd Brigade in the Dopropillia sector, of the Donetsk Region of Ukraine.

Sky News's Moscow correspondent, Ivor Bennett, reports that Russian journalists were asked to produce two negative Covid-19 tests before leaving their country. This has been the standard procedure for people joining Vladimir Putin in a room since the coronavirus pandemic erupted.

However, Western reporters were not asked to test themselves. He said this suggests the Russian president only intends to speak to his COVID-cleared press pool after meeting Donald Trump.

John Bolton, who was National Security Advisor to Donald Trump during his first term in office, told Sky News the president won't have prepared for the summit with Putin because "he doesn't think he needs to".

He added: "This is how he sees international relations through the prism of his personal relations with foreign leaders.

"He's thought for years that Putin was his friend, but he's been disappointed with him in the last several months because Vladimir wasn't giving him the ceasefire that he wants."

Take a look at this infographic showing the facts and figures around today's summit, including details about the airforce base where the meeting will be held, Anchorage and the history of Alaska.

Asked about land swaps of Ukrainian territory to Russia for peace, Trump said: "They'll be discussed, but I've got to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they'll make a proper decision

"But I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get him to the table, you have two sides, look Vladimir Putin wanted to take over all of Ukraine, if I wasn't president he would right now be taking all of Ukraine, but he's not going to do it."

A reporter asked Trump if the United States would provide security guarantees to Ukraine. The president said that would be "along with Europe and other countries" and "not in the form of NATO".

He added: "Along with Europe, there is a possibility of that."

The president ended the conference being asked what he meant by "severe" consequences if Russia did not accept peace.

He said: "Yeah, quickly severe, yes it will be very severe. I'm not doing this for my health, ok, I don't need it, I'd like to focus on our country, but I'm doing this to save a lot of lives, but yes, very severe."

The US president said Russia wants a piece of the American economy which he described as the "hottest" on the planet right now.

He said Putin's country was "not hot economically", adding: "In fact it's the opposite, and China is not doing well economically... look I want everybody to do well, the war has got to stop and the killing has got to stop."

Asked about Russia continuing to attack Ukraine with more drones overnight, Trump said: "I think they are trying to negotiate, he's trying to set a stage in his mind that helps him make a better deal... it actually hurts him.

"But in his (Putin's) mind it helps him make a better deal, if they can continue the killing, maybe it's just his fabric, his genes, his genetics, but he thinks that gives him strength to negotiate, I think it hurts him...but I'll be talking to him about it later."

President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One en route to Alaska saying there was "nothing set in stone", but that he wanted to see "a ceasefire".

He said: "It's not to do with Europe, Europe is not telling me what to do. But they're going to be involved in the process obviously... I want to see a ceasefire rapidly... I don't know if it's going to be today, but I'm not going to be happy if it's not today.

"Everyone said it can't be today, but I am just saying, I want the killing to stop. I am in this to stop the killing, you know we are not putting up any money, we are making money, they're buying our weapons that we're sending up to NATO, and NATO is sending us big beautiful cheques. But I don't care about that... what I do care about is last week, they lost 7,011 people... almost all soldiers, 36 people in a town that got hit by a missile, but over 7,000 soldiers, it's crazy."

The president continued detailing phone calls with Putin, and the difference a face-to-face will make.

He added: "He's a smart guy, been doing it for a long time, but so have I, been doing it for a long time, but here we are, we're president and that was much more difficult than what I am doing today, believe me.

"We get along, there is a good respect level on both sides, and I think something's going to come of it, I notice he's bringing a lot of business people from Russia and that's good, I like that because they want to do business."

Vladimir Putin's bodyguards collect his poo and bring it back to Russia when the leader travels abroad, according to bombshell claims. The Russian president is meeting Donald Trump for peace talks regarding the war in Ukraine on Friday. The two world leaders will meet in Alaska, and there will be strict security measures in place to protect the Putin. He will be surrounded by bodyguards on his visit and a number of steps will be taken to protect him and Russian intel.

According to a report by two veteran investigative journalists in the French publication Paris Match, members of the Russian president’s Federal Protection Service (FPS) will be responsible for collecting his human waste, including his faeces, when he travels abroad. His waste will be collected in special bags, which are then kept in a dedicated briefcase. Regis Gente is an author who has written two books on Russia, while Mikhail Rubin has covered Russia for over ten years. The pair have revealed that this practice of collecting Putin's waste has been practised for years, such as during Putin's visit to France in May 2017.

Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of still carrying out strikes on Ukraine hours before the meeting between Trump and Putin.

He wrote on Telegram: "We are also receiving reports from regions of Ukraine after Russian strikes. Sumy – a Russian strike on the central market. Dnipro region – strikes on cities and enterprises. Zaporizhzhia, Kherson region, Donetsk region – deliberate Russian strikes. The war continues. It continues precisely because there is not only no order but also no signals from Moscow about preparing to end this war.

"On the day of negotiations, they are also killing. And that says a lot. On the eve, we discussed with the United States of America, with Europeans, what can really work. Everyone needs an honest end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to end the war. We hope for a strong position from America. Everything will depend on this – the Russians pay attention to American strength. Precisely strength."

One of Vladimir Putin's closest allies, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, arrived in Alaska ahead of the summit between the Kremlin's leader and US President Donald Trump. As he left his car, the right-hand man of the Russian leader was spotted wearing a white T-shirt with the word 'CCCP', the Cyrillic for USSR, emblazoned on his chest.

The outfit choice was likely well studied and pointed, and sends a major message to Mr Trump and world leaders. As the two world leaders are about to come together for a high-profile meeting focused on peace in Ukraine, Mr Lavrov's shirt may suggest the Kremlin doesn't intend to walk away from its occupied neighbour. Rather, it reiterates the fears many nations, including the Baltic States, have been voicing in recent months: that Putin is interested in reinstating Soviet borders as much as possible.

The most famous meeting of the US and Russian leadership perhaps came in February 1945 at the Yalta conference when President Franklin D Roosevelt met Stalin, alongside Winston Churchill to discuss the end of World War II.

The next great meeting came in the 1980s when President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met on several occasions to discuss ending the Cold War, including for a famous fireside chat in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1985.

President Putin stopped off on his way to Alaska to visit an ice hockey team in the city of Magadan, about 3,700 miles. east of Moscow.

The iron-fisted leader was seen meeting children who were playing a game of the winter sport and he was seen chanting from the stands during the action.

People in the Alaskan city of Anchorage close to where Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet later today have taken to the streets waving Ukraine flags in support of the besieged nation.

It's unknown if any of Putin's entourage will see the display of support for the country he invaded in 2022, but the locals in Alaska appear to want to get the message heard that they know whose side they are on.

Kim Darroch, the former UK ambassador to the US, told Sky News it was anyone's guess what Donald Trump wanted from his meeting with Vladimir Putin.

He told the news channel: "One thing you can say for sure is that it's a very hastily assembled strategy - if there is one at all.

"Normally, you would have weeks, if not months, of meetings and discussions between senior diplomatic advisers and foreign ministers to prepare for a summit like this.

"This has happened basically in a few days of Trump and Putin telephone calls, so on both sides, there'll be very hasty preparations."

Donald Trump will meet Vladimir Puin at the steps of the Russian president's aircraft, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

He is believed to have revealed this while on Putin's plane in Magadan, where he stopped off before heading to Alaska.

Peskov said Putin's plane will leave the far eastern city "punctually" and is scheduled to arrive at 11am local time (8pm BST).

He added that the two leaders will discuss "irritants" in the relationship between their countries, and potential economic projects.

Vladimir Putin may be suffering from a neurological condition revealed by one key symptom, a doctor has claimed.

The 72-year-old Russian president was spotted acting strangely during a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan last november, sparking concerns for his health.

His legs appeared to be twitching uncontrollably, forcing him to clutch the lectern and shift his weight between each foot while maintaining a wide stance.

The jerking movements began in his left foot before moving to his knee, with his leg seeminly moving of its own accord while Putin wobbled from side to side.

Medical experts speculated on the cause of the twitching, with New York-based urologist Dr. Bob Berookhim saying it could be a neurological condition.

He said: "Movements like this could stem from neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s. But one-off incidents don’t tell the full story - it’s the pattern over time that matters."

Donald Trump was asked aboard Air Force One about his comments earlier this week, in which he said Vladimir Putin would face "very severe consequences" if he does not take peace engotiations seriously.

He responded: "Economically severe, yes. It will be very severe. I'm not doing this for my health. I don't need it. I'd like to focus on our country. But I'm doing this to save a lot of lives," Trump says. Yeah, very severe."

Volodymyr Zelensky said "we are counting on America" ahead of Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin.

He wrote on X:Today, I also expect a report from our intelligence on the current intentions of the Russian side and its preparations for the meeting in Alaska. Indeed, high stakes.

"The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side.

"It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America. We are ready, as always, to work as productively as possible."

Fox News has taken to X to share some thoughts from Donald Trump as he begins his seven-hour flight to the crunch Ukraine peace talks with Putin – and it might have Ukrainians feeling a tad more hopeful.

The news organisation's post read: "Trump, aboard Air Force One, doubles down on warning to Putin of 'very severe' economic consequences if Putin blocks Ukraine peace process."

Ukrainian sources had feared Trump would pursue "peace at any cost" including so-called "land swaps" and giving up Ukraine's natural resources.

Two people have been killed and seven more injured, inlcuding one child, after heaving shelling in Ukraine's Donetsk region.

Ukraine’s ministry of internal affairs said: "There were 14 settlements under fire: the cities of Dobropillya, Konstantinivka, Lyman, Sloviansk, the villages of Droisheve, Zarichne, Novoselivka, Svyatogorivka, the villages of Andriyivka, Bilokuzminivka, Virivka, Dobropillâ, Golden Well, Oleksandrivka.

"Ninety-eight civilian objects were destroyed, among them 71 residential buildings."

Vladimir Putin has reportedly stopped off in the eastern Russian city of Magadan on his way to Alaska.

What appears to be his motorcade was seen driving through the area, with roads cleared.

Air Force One has now taken off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for the seven-hour flight to Alaska.

Donald Trump has now baorded Air Force One on his way to Alaska for the summit with Vladimir Putin.

The flight from Maryland is expected to take around seven hours.

Donald Trump has now left the White House for Alaska ahead of his meeting with Vladimir Putin.

He left in the presidential car at around 7.30am local time (12.30pm BST).

Former Rear Admiral Mike Hewitt, an ex-deputy director at the Pentagon, said Volodymyr Zelensky could opt for “a negotiated occupation” with Russia.

He told the Express: “Privately, I do believe there is some space by which there can be a negotiated occupation - some kind of economic agreement. I wouldn’t call it neutral territory; the Russians occupy it, but it still is integral to Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

The security expert explained that it could be similar to North and South Korea, which were divided at the end of World War II and separated by a demilitarised zone (DMZ).

He said: “It’s not terribly different to the Koreas. The war hadn’t ended, but there was a ceasefire and then a DMZ.”

Donald Trump issued an impassioned two-word statement ahead of his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

The US president wrote on his platform Truth Social: "HIGH STAKES!!!"

He previously told his Russian counterpart "not to mess around" with him, and claimed he would know whether Putin was serious about peace "in the first two minutes".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrvied in Alaska appearing to wear a USSR sweatshirt.

Footage on social media shows the "CP" of CCCP peaking out through his jacket. USSR is written as CCCP in the Cyrllic alphabet used in Russia.

He said upon his arrival: "We never try to anticipate the outcome of negotiations. What we do know, however, is that we have arguments we can contribute to the discussion and that our position is clear. We will present it."

A Ukrainian mother who fled with her two young children from the horrors of the Russian invasion said she hopes Vladimir Putin coming to the US city where she found sanctuary will "move forward" peace.

Yuliia Maiba, 31, left Ukraine in 2023 with her twin girls Mariia and Zlata Maiba, now aged 8, and the family live just a few miles from where President Putin will meet President Trump in Alaska's largest city Anchorage on Friday to discuss a possible beginning of the end to the bloody conflict.

Ms Maiba, who works as a job readiness specialist at the New Chance Church Ukraine Relief Programme, lived in a tower block right in the firing line when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

She and her two young girls lived in Irpin, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which Russia forces tried to overrun at the very start of the conflict.

The family's apartment block was just a few miles from another suburb called Bucha, where the UN has documented evidence of civilians being massacred by Kremlin forces.

Click here to read the full story.

Vladimir Putin has already scored a big win before the doors even open at his summit with Donald Trump, former US national security adviser John Bolton warned, leaving other Western leaders “twiddling their thumbs” as the world watches.

In many ways, the mere fact that it was happening at all represented a coup for Putin, Mr Bolton suggested.

Referring to an angry post on Truth Social in which the billionaire branded him “dumb”, he told the Express: "It is a win.

"In fact, that's what really sent Trump through the roof when he saw I said the fact that this pariah who leads a rogue state that committed unprovoked aggression against Ukraine has been brought out of purdah and given legitimacy on the world stage, and that is a big win for which he paid nothing."

Donald Trump said the most important meeting will be the "second meeting we're going to have" between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.

He said: "We have a meeting with president Putin tomorrow, I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting we're going to have.

"We're going to have President Putin, President Zelensky and myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along, maybe not. We are going to see what happens"I think President Putin will make peace, I think President Zelensky will make peace, we'll see if they can get along.

"If they can it will be great. You know I've solved six wars in the last six months... and I am very proud of it."I thought the easiest one would be this one, it's actually the most difficult."

Victoria Maximova is a journalist and TV presenter who was born in the Ukrainian capital and has lived there her entire life.

"I believe this summit is a disgrace," Ms Maximova told the Express. "It turns out that US President Donald Trump is treating the international criminal and outcast, Vladimir Putin, as if he were a legitimate politician.

"No, he is not - he is a murderer and a kidnapper of Ukrainian children, which is why the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him."

Donald Trump's apparent attempt to downplay his chances of ending the war in Ukraine when he meets with Vladimir Putin tomorrow may stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation by ally Steve Witkoff, former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has claimed.

He explained: "I've been trying to assess why what what is causing this kind of lack of self-confidence.

"And I think part of it may be, when Witkoff went to see Putin in Moscow last Wednesday, and both the Russian and the American side said it was Putin who said he wanted a meeting with Trump.

"What doesn't make sense is how quickly this summit was put together. Witkoff comes back, he talks to Trump, they announced it on Friday of last week and now it's going to be tomorrow."

The two leaders will convene in Anchorage, Alaska at 11.30am local time, or 8.30pm UK time.

Good morning and welcome to our live blog covering the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Follow along throughout the day for all the latest updates.