President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House for a high-stakes meeting as the U.S. president pushed for a deal to end Moscow's war on its neighbor. A host of European leaders joined the pair.

German Chancellor Merz broke with the generally optimistic tone at the European leaders meeting at the White House on Monday, stating a ceasefire is necessary for peace.

The US president says Russia's Putin is "expecting a call" immediately after his talks with Zelensky and European leaders.

Ukraine will promise to buy $100bn of American weapons financed by Europe as part of a deal to obtain US guarantees for its security after a peace settlement with Russia, according to a document seen by the Financial Times.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would help 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.

President Donald Trump said that he is optimistic about reaching a deal that provides security guarantees to protect Ukraine in the future.