President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders will aim to defend Ukraine’s position in talks after President Trump aligned more closely with Russia. Hours before the meeting, Russia hit Ukraine with a deadly strike.

Ukraine’s president condemns Russia’s “cynical” strikes before his meeting with Trump at 13:00 EST (18:00 BST).

At what was billed as an “historic” presidential summit, hastily put together in Alaska on Friday afternoon, the optics were as clear and overshadowing as the vast Chugach mountains glistening over Anchorage in the summer sun.

President Donald Trump on Sunday night declared that Kyiv would not be regaining Moscow-annexed Crimea, nor would it be allowed to join NATO.

European leaders, as well as the Nato chief, joining Zelensky for talks with Trump in Washington makes it an extraordinarily high-level meeting. This reveals how high their concern is that the US president will help Vladimir Putin defeat Ukraine by backing his demands - such as no ceasefire before final settlement.

Ukrainian officials said the deadly strikes were a further sign that Russia had no intention of halting hostilities.

President Donald Trump is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with a number of European leaders, in Washington D.C. later on Monday.

Zelensky returns to the Oval Office for the first time since his blowup with Trump. This time he is bringing back up.

European leaders are to join the Ukrainian president during a visit that seeks a path to ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump will meet the Ukrainian leader, along with several European heads of state and the NATO Secretary-General, on Monday.

Ahead of a meeting with President Trump, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine noted that Russia’s 2014 seizure of Ukrainian land became “a springboard for a new attack.”