Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

The purpose of today’s talks is “to show that Europe still has a shaping role” in Ukraine’s future and ensure “a united approach to shoring up Kyiv, whatever happens this week,” says Anne McElvoy, executive editor at Politico,

McElvoy says Europe’s leaders are unlikely to have much influence on what Putin and Trump agree in Alaska on Friday and that “Trump is signalling that he intends to force Zelensky’s hand.”

Instead, today’s virtual talks are “an attempt to use the cordial relations of leaders in Europe… to try to get the least worst outcome.”

They want to ensure “that the sovereignty of Ukraine and it’s ability to grow its military presence are not traded away in Alaska, even if territory is” she explains.

She adds that “leaders on the continent believe that Trump is being strung along” by Putin “who will break any land-for-peace deal, probably sooner than later”.

Later today, Volodymyr Zelensky is joining European leaders in talks aimed at increasing pressure on Donald Trump to side with Ukraine during Friday’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Here’s what we know about these conversations:

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the meeting and Ukraine’s president is travelling to Berlin to join him for the video call with other European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Other key figures expected to participate this afternoon are Nato chief Marke Rutte, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and the leaders of Finland, France, Italy and Poland.

They are then expected to talk to Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a second round of the conference call. It is not clear if all the previous meeting’s attendees will speak to the US president and his deputy.

Starmer, Macron and Merz are then also set to hold a round of talks of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of Ukraine’s backers in Europe who have expressed a desire to provide security guarantees for the country once a ceasefire has been agreed.

As diplomatic talks continue, so does the war. Russia launched 49 drones into Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian military says.

The state emergency service of Ukraine reports that one person was killed in strikes on a residential building in the Kherson region.

Two people were killed and one injured in the Donetsk city Kostyantynivka, and 12 houses were damaged, the Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin says.

In the last 24 hours, Russia shelled settlements in Donetsk region 30 times, he adds.

Ukraine’s military says it “struck a number of important facilities” in Russia, including the Unecha oil pumping station.

Russia’s air force says it has shot down 17 Ukrainian drones this morning launched towards the Belgorod area and destroyed 46 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Volodymyr Zelensky will be “delighted” to have the chance to put his views to European leaders and Donald Trump, the former UK ambassador to Ukraine says.

Leigh Turner tells BBC Breakfast that Ukraine’s president is “very concerned a deal is going to be made over the heads” of his government at the summit between the US and Russian leaders in Alaska on Friday.

Turner says that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European allies of Ukraine, alongside Zelensky, will be hoping to “bend Trump’s ear” over maintaining Ukraine’s territorial integrity over any possible deal to be struck with Vladimir Putin.

Asked how receptive to these approaches Trump might be, he says there are “a lot of conflicting signals” around the US president’s views over who is responsible for this war and how to bring about a ceasefire.

“All the signs point towards a risk that Trump plans to sell out Ukraine, to give Russia exactly what it wants,” Turner says.

Ukrainian president Zelensky will join today’s meeting between Trump and European leaders virtually from Berlin.

His spokesman said that he would also be holding a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during the visit.

As a reminder, today’s talks have been arranged just ahead of a scheduled meeting between Trump and Putin on Friday.

General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Nato Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, says that there is “not a chance” the meeting between Trump and Putin on Friday will lead to peace.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Shirreff underlines that the White House has pitched this summit as a “listening exercise”, but says that Trump “has obviously not been listening at all”.

Putin has “not stepped back one iota” from his demands, which include that Ukraine become a neutral state, dramatically reducing its military and abandoning its Nato aspirations.

Asked what needs to happen, Shirreff says that Russia needs to recognise the Ukrainian constitution, Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign state and Zelensky as the Ukrainian president.

However, for that to happen, he adds, Russia needs to get a “really bloody nose” which requires “proper strategic thinking” from Nato and the US.

You can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.

Volodymyr Zelesnky has just released a statement, calling for pressure to be “exerted on Russia for the sake of a just peace”.

In a post on X, Ukraine’s president says: “Ukraine’s and our partners’ experience must be used to prevent deception by Russia.”

“At present, there is no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war,” Zelensky says.

He adds that by working together Ukraine, the US, Europe and other allied nations “definitely compel Russia to make peace”.

The talks today between European leaders – including Zelensky – and Donald Trump, come ahead of a face-to-face meeting between the US and Russian presidents on Friday.

“That has European leaders concerned,” our Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse reports.

“What they are calling for is Ukraine’s involvement.”

He has more in the clip below.

Trump’s call with European leaders and Volodymyr Zelensky todaycomes just ahead of the US president’s scheduled meeting with President Putinin Alaska on Friday.

Announcing the meeting on his social media site TruthSocial last week, Trump called the sit-down “highly anticipated”.

The US State Department has since confirmed it was Putin whohad initially requested the pair meet, while the White House has said it willbe “one-on-one” and will constitute a “fact-finding” exercise for Trump.

Last month, Trump told the BBC he was “disappointed but not done” with Putin.

He had given Putin an 8 August deadline for agreeing an immediateceasefire – when that date came, however, he announced Friday’s meeting instead.

You join us as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares for virtual talks with US President Donald Trump and European leaders today.

The call comes two days before Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.

The White House said the Alaska talks would be a “listening exercise” for Trump and added having him and Putin sit down in the same room would give the US president “the best indication on how to end this war”.

Zelensky has previously said any agreements without Kyiv’s involvement would amount to “dead decisions”.

It’s expected that when Trump speaks to Zelensky and his European allies today, they will attempt to convince him of the need to not be swayed by Putin.

Our teams are poised to bring you the latest updates and analysis throughout the day, so stay with us.