U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would "help out" Europe in providing security for Ukraine as part of any deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine, as he and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy began a hastily arranged White House meeting to discuss a path to peace.

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

President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff — one of three American participants in Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — described on Sunday several major agreements reached during the Alaska talks that he said created strong momentum toward a peace agreement with Ukraine.

President Donald Trump ‘s face-to-face high-stakes summit with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could determine the fate of European security as well as the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. The exclusion of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already deals a heavy blow to the West’s policy of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

It was not initially clear if Putin would speak to the press with Trump after the meeting, but the White House has since confirmed that both leaders will participate in the briefing.

American officials quickly discovered a major snag in planning for the summit: summertime is peak tourist season in Alaska, and options both available and equipped to host the two world leaders were severely limited.