As Trump pushes for peace, Ukraine accuses Russia of a deadly drone and missile strike, "as if there were no efforts by the world to stop this war."

US President Donald Trump has ditched his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, backing instead Russian President Vladimir Putin’s push for a permanent peace agreement. That has not stopped some European leaders from pushing for a temporary truce first, even though the US president has seemingly decided one is not necessary.

When President Trump was flying to Alaska to meet Vladimir Putin, he said the goal was a ceasefire. But after they talked, Trump aligned himself with Putin and downplayed the need for a truce.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "ready" to meet with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, his foreign minister has said. Kremlin Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters his boss Putin had "repeatedly" said he was ready to meet Zelensky,

The net effect of the Alaska summit was to give President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a free pass to continue his war against his neighbor indefinitely without further penalty, pending talks on a broader peace deal.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday pressed for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine before President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet.

Trump will be accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Air Force One for his flight to Alaska for his meeting with President Putin, the White House said.

The internet has eviscerated President Donald Trump over a photo portraying the president as a tough negotiator following his widely panned summit in Alaska with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. “The goal is peace,