UK and EU at Zelenskyy's side for talks with Trump

European leaders including Keir Starmer will join Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at a White House meeting today with Donald Trump, in an extraordinary joint effort to push back on a US-backed plan that would allow Russia to take further Ukrainian territory.

- Luke Harding Peter Walker

As well as the prime minister, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, will accompany Zelenskyy to the Oval Office.

Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, will also attend.

The show of support seems designed to prevent a repeat of Zelenskyy's public mauling during his last trip to the White House in February, when Trump and the US vice-president, JD Vance, accused him of ingratitude and told him: "You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now."

After his summit on Friday with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump has reportedly endorsed the Kremlin's one-sided plan to end the war in Ukraine. It includes Kyiv giving up territory Russia has been unable to seize and no ceasefire until a final deal has been agreed.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump accused the media of misrepresenting his "great meeting in Alaska" - an encounter widely seen as a victory for Putin and a humiliation for the US president. Trump claimed yesterday to have made "big progress" on Russia, without giving details.

Today European leaders will reaffirm their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and argue against a land swap plan that rewards Russian aggression. They will also seek further clarity on what security guarantees the US is willing offer, in the event of a settlement.

In a conciliatory statement announcing his US visit, Starmer praised Trump for his "efforts to end Russia's illegal war in Ukraine". At the same time he reasserted Europe's red lines, saying the "path to peace" could not be decided without Zelenskyy and said Russia should be "squeezed" with further sanctions.