Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a message to Donald Trump and America as the US president arrived in Alaska for crunch peace talks with Vladimir Putin. In a video address on Friday (15 August), Zelensky spoke of his hope for a “strong position from the US”. He said: “Everyone wants an honest end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to end the war, and we hope for a strong position from the US.” The Ukrainian leader also stressed that Russia "is still killing people" despite the upcoming negotiations.

The talks are aimed at exerting pressure on Trump to back Ukraine more during his summit with Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The uncertainty over what the Alaska talks could produce has raised fears in European capitals that Trump and Putin might take major decisions without Kyiv's involvement.