Russia-Ukraine LIVE: Macron proposes Swiss city to host Putin-Zelensky peace talks after ‘breakthrough’ at White House summit

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has urged the UK government to ‘call out’ a ‘massive concession’ to Putin after Donald Trump backed away from demands for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking this morning on LBC, Sir Ed said European leaders should make clear to the Kremlin and the White House that they will not back a peace agreement ‘just because Trump wants to do a deal’.

We’re still digesting what occurred in the White House, but I’m still pretty worried that Donald Trump just wants to do a deal with Vladimir Putin, and that comes first, rather than the interest of Ukraine and European security.

We need to send a message to the Kremlin and indeed the White House, that we are there with Ukraine to the end. And that’s why we’re we’ve been saying, give them more military support… seize those frozen Russian assets, send that signal that we’re not there to back some deal.. that Trump wants, just because Trump wants to do a deal.

Macron, Trump and Zelensky at the White House summit on Monday

Emmanuel Macron today warned his European allies not to trust Russian President Vladimir Putin whom he called ‘an ogre at our gates’.

The French President’s remarks came as Russian and Ukrainian leaders Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky look set for a peace summit after fast-moving talks between Donald Trump and Europe on security guarantees for Kyiv.

‘Putin has rarely honoured his commitments,’ Macron told the LCI broadcaster. ‘He has constantly been a force for destabilisation. He has sought to redraw borders to increase his power.’

Macron said he did not believe that Russia would ‘return to peace and a democratic system from one day to the next’.

Describing how Putin ‘needs to keep eating’ in order to ensure his survival, Macron added: ‘That means he is a predator, an ogre at our gates.’

European shares opened higher this morning and oil prices slid as traders evaluate diplomatic signals toward ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The euro crept up against the dollar after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said security guarantees for his nation will likely be worked out within 10 days after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index inched up 0.1% as did Britain’s FTSE 100. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.2% and Germany’s DAX tacked on 0.1%.

Oil slipped as market participants contemplated a potential end to the conflict, which could lead to an end to sanctions on Russian crude.

U.S. crude sank 0.9% to $62.88 a barrel. Brent crude fell 0.8% to $66.07. Spot gold rose 0.3% to $3,339.54 per ounce.

Shares were muted in the Asian session as traders awaited policy hints from the Federal Reserve ahead of its annual gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has taunted European leaders by claiming they failed to ‘outplay’ Donald Trump.

In a social media post written in English, Medvedev said:

The anti-Russian warmongering Coalition of the Willing failed to outplay @POTUS on his turf. Europe thanked & sucked up to him.”

Medvedev added there was a question about ‘what tune’ Zelenskiy would play about security guarantees once ‘he’s put on his green military uniform again.’

Trump told Zelenskiy on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal to end the war in Ukraine, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear.

The Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was hit by a Russian drone attack overnight in an act the mayor claims is a sign Vladimir Putin is not interested in a peace deal.

According to the Ukrainian air force, the offensive was the largest so far in August with Russia launching 270 drones and 10 missiles. Ukraine said it downed 230 drones and six missiles but recorded strikes at 16 locations.

Vitalii Maletskyi, mayor of the city that lies in the Poltava region, said:

At the very same time when Putin was assuring Trump over the phone that he seeks peace, and when President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was holding talks at the White House with European leaders about a just peace, Putin’s army launched yet another massive attack on Kremenchuk.

Once again, the world has seen that Putin does not want peace — he wants to destroy Ukraine.

Maletskyi said scores of blasts shook the city, targeting energy and transport infrastructure, leaving hundreds of people in the Poltava region without power.

There was no immediate comment from Russia.

China has said it supports ‘all efforts’ towards peace between Russia and Ukraine after presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky looked set for a summit in the coming weeks.

‘China always believes that dialogue and negotiation are the only solution to the Ukraine crisis,’ foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said, adding: ‘We support all efforts that are conducive to peace.’

French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested Geneva host a peace summit between Russian and Ukrainian leaders Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking after he and other European leaders joined the Ukrainian president for high-stakes meetings at the White House on Monday, Macron said the announced Zelensky-Putin summit would be held in Europe.

‘It will be (hosted by) a neutral country, maybe Switzerland – I’m pushing for Geneva – or another country,’ Macron said in an interview aired today on French news channel LCI.

‘The last time there were bilateral talks, they were held in Istanbul,’ he added, referring to the three rounds of lower-level negotiations between Russia and Ukraine held in Turkey between May and July.

Macron said France and Britain would hold a meeting Tuesday with other Ukrainian allies to ‘keep them up to date on what was decided’ in Washington on providing security guarantees for Ukraine, a key talking point in the meetings with Trump.

Geneva has been touted as a possible base for peace talks

Welcome to the Daily Mail’s liveblog if you’re just joining us.

US President Donald Trump says he has called Russian President Vladimir Putin and begun to arrange a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This is seen as a critical step toward bringing a possible end to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Mr Trump said the meeting’s location will be determined later.

Mr Trump, Mr Zelenskyy and European leaders met at the White House yesterday for hastily assembled multilateral talks, which came after Trump met with Putin last Friday.

European political leaders joined discussions as they pursue means to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow.

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska has shared her gratitude to American First Lady Melania Trump for her letter challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Read the full story from US reporter Melissa Koenig here:

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said Nato membership for Ukraine was not under discussion but that there was a discussion on ‘Article 5’-type security guarantees for the country.

Article 5 of Nato’s founding treaty enshrines the principle of collective defence, in which an attack on any of its 32 members is considered an attack on all.

Joining the Atlantic alliance is a strategic objective for Ukraine – and Mr Rutte’s comments noted that a security guarantee of that scale could be offered to Ukraine in lieu of Nato membership.

You can also read this article from US senior reporter Stephen M. Lepore which looks at how Zelensky delivered a masterful charm offensive to win over Donald Trump and set up a potential meeting with Vladimir Putin.

You can also keep up to date with all the latest news via the Daily Mail’s Facebook page, which includes a link to this article about Zelensky wearing more formal attire for his meeting:

Here is today’s Daily Mail front page, which leads with a piece by Quentin Letts and the headline: ‘It was electric with jeopardy, a chess match with live grenades’.

You can buy a copy of today’s newspaper for £1.20, or it’s 90p to subscribers.

In a hot mic moment, President Trump appeared to be reassuring French President Emmanuel Macron that Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about making peace in Ukraine.

Read what he said in this piece from the Mail’s Nikki Schwab in the US:

Mr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump greeted at the door of the West Wing with a handshake earlier in the evening, wore a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer to the meeting at the White House.

His attire had appeared to become a point of irritation for Mr Trump during a previous meeting in February.

Mark Almond, director of the Crisis Research Institute in Oxford, has given his analysis of the White House talks.

In this piece for Mail+, he says: ‘It won’t be the Europeans or President Zelensky who had the last word in Donald Trump’s ear.’

Posting on his Truth Social platform after the meeting, Mr Trump described the talks as ‘very good’, adding: ‘During the meeting we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, with a coordination with the United States of America.

‘Everyone is happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine.

‘At the conclusion of the meetings, I called president Putin and began arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between president Putin and president Zelensky.

‘After the meeting takes place, we will have a trilat which would be the two presidents plus myself.’

Before the White House talks, the US president said he would ‘probably’ be able to find common ground with the leaders on a plan to ward off future attacks on Ukraine.

He previously met with Mr Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, where he declared there was ‘no deal until there’s a deal’ to end more than three years of fighting in eastern Europe.

Sir Keir Starmer has hailed ‘real progress’ made during the White House summit yesterday with European leaders aimed at bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister was one of several European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, in attendance for the discussions in Washington.

Speaking after the event, Sir Keir described the talks as ‘good and constructive’, adding: ‘There was a real sense of unity between the European leaders that were there, and president Trump and president Zelensky’.

The Prime Minister highlighted ‘two material outcomes’ from the talks, firstly that the coalition of the willing ‘will now work with the US’ on security guarantees.

‘That’s really important for security in Ukraine, for security in Europe, and for security in the UK,’ Sir Keir said.

‘The other material outcome was the agreement that there will now be a bilateral agreement between president Putin and president Zelensky, that was after a phone call between president Trump and president Putin during the course of this afternoon, followed by a trilateral which will then add in President Trump.’

Let’s start with a look at the Daily Mail’s top story, which is that Vladimir Putin has failed to commit to peace talks with President Zelensky after yesterday’s summit.

This is fuelling fears the Russian leader will pull out of efforts to end the Ukraine war at the last minute. Read the full article here:

Good morning and welcome to the Daily Mail’s live coverage, after Donald Trump said Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky will meet.

It follows a dramatic White House summit yesterday with European leaders aimed at bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.

The US President spoke directly with the Russian president to begin planning a meeting between the two warring leaders, which will then be followed by a three-way meeting involving himself.

Stay with us throughout today for all the latest updates.