- White House national security adviser Mike Waltz says Ukraine needs to “tone down” its criticism of the US and sign a minerals deal being pushed by President Trump
- In Kyiv, a news conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoy Keith Kellogg is cancelled, with the pair currently holding talks
- Yesterday the US president called Zelensky a “dictator” and said Russia holds “the cards” in peace negotiations because it has “taken a lot of territory”
- Zelensky earlier accused the US president of “living in a disinformation space” created by Russia
- Meanwhile the Kremlin reiterates that it would be “unacceptable” for Nato countries to deploy troops to Ukraine – UK PM Keir Starmer had said he was “ready” to put troops on the ground as part of any peace deal
If you are joining us now, here are the latest developments
US President Donald Trump’s rift with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has deepened over the last few days. Here’s a recap of what’s happened:
- In Ukraine, Zelensky met Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg, but a planned joint news conference was cancelled at the last minute, after cameras had assembled
- After criticism of the US engaging in talks with Russia, US Vice President JD Vance said “everything is on the table” when it comes to negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine
- It comes after a fiery spat yesterday, when Trump labelled Zelensky a “dictator” and said he had done a “terrible job” in a post on Truth Social.
- This was in response to comments made earlier in the day by Zelensky, who said Trump was living in a “disinformation space” created by Russia, who in turn responded to Trump blaming Ukraine for starting the war
- In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the deployment of Nato troops on Ukrainian territory “cannot be acceptable for us”. Peskov also called Zelensky’s Trump remarks “inadmissible”
- Earlier on Thursday, Kyiv’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha also met Kellogg and said they discussed “just and lasting peace”
- On the ground, fighting has continued with at least seven people killed in Russian strikes
- Meanwhile, in a memorial event in the capital city, Ukrainians have been paying tribute to pro-democracy demonstrators who were killed more than 11 years ago during protests against the then pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych
Poland’s Tusk: ‘Enough talking, it’s time to act’
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk says Europe should finance aid for Ukraine by taking from Russian assets which have been frozen.
“Enough talking, it’s time to act!” Tusk says, in a social media post, before listing three actions he thinks should be taken on the conflict in Ukraine.
First, he suggests, Europe should “finance our aid for Ukraine from the Russian frozen assets”.
Secondly, the Polish leader says air policing should be strengthened, as well as “EU borders with Russia”.
And, Tusk finishes, Europe should “swiftly adopt new fiscal rules to finance the EU security and defence. Now!”
It comes as the head of Nato has warned European countries that they may receive a phone call from Donald Trump, if they refuse to spend 2% of their budget on defence.
Possible reasons for Kellog-Zelensky news conference cancellation
A lot hinges on this visit. When Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday, he said he had come to listen. But events have clearly overtaken the retired general.
Soon after his arrival, a somewhat exasperated Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Donald Trump was living in a Kremlin disinformation space. Trump hit back, accusing him of being a dictator.
After today’s talks, Zelensky’s spokesman informed reporters the American side had requested there be no news conference.
Sources in Kyiv have told the BBC that Keith Kellogg appears increasingly “sidelined” by the Trump administration.
It could be that Trump never really forgave Zelensky for refusing to dig up dirt on Joe Biden’s son Hunter, way back during the first Trump presidency – a row that led to his first impeachment.
Ramp up defence spending or get a call from Trump, Nato head warns
Nato’s Secretary General Mark Rutte says he’s in talks with European countries that do not spend 2% of their budget on defence, warning that they may get a call from Donald Trump if they refuse to commit to the payment.
Speaking at a news conference alongside President of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini, Rutte says 23 countries have committed to the 2% figure. Nato consists of 32 members.
“But there are a few countries that are not spending 2%, and I’m engaging with them actively and intensively to make sure they speed up to reach 2%,” he adds.
“I tell them, if you don’t react to my phone calls, you might get phone calls from a very nice man in Washington,” he says, referring to Trump, who has called on European countries to ramp up their defence spending.
He adds that European security guarantees for Ukraine under a potential peace deal with the Kremlin would need to be backed by the US.
These “strong security guarantees” are not meant to be “with boots on the ground, but we still need generally a backup from the US to make sure that the deterrence is there,” he says.