Ahead of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that he hopes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gets a seat at the table during the meeting in Alaska.

'There will finally be a ceasefire': Germany 'hopes' Zelensky is at the table during Trump-Putin meet in Alaska

Trump and Putin will meet on August 15 in Alaska to discuss a peace proposal involving Ukraine ceding territory, with partial Russian troop withdrawals from Kharkiv and Sumy in exchange.

What will happen at Trump-Putin meeting? Moscow to push Ukraine to cede territory, US likely to back, Kyiv to oppose

President Zelensky intensified diplomacy, speaking with France's Macron and UK’s Starmer, urging coordinated action and clear steps toward peace as US-Russia talks proceed without Ukraine’s direct involvement.

'Important that Russians don't succeed in deceiving': Zelensky is racing to rally allies ahead of Trump–Putin talks - Here why

Calling a potential land swap a move "to the betterment of both", Trump said that the land has already been over for three and a half years.

Russia, Ukraine to swap territories? Trump hints peace deal may involve land swap

A planned Trump-Putin summit may be called off after Putin refused to meet Ukraine’s Zelensky. Putin dismissed the idea of a meeting with Zelensky. He said, “I have nothing against it in general, but certain conditions must be created for this… we are still far from creating such conditions.”

Trump-Putin meet in jeopardy? Russia refuses US President's one condition for Ukraine peace talks - What does it mean?

Russian President Putin further said that the conditions for a potential meeting with Zelensky had not been met. This comes hours after Zelensky called for direct talks with Russia.

Putin says UAE possible place for Trump summit; stresses 'conditions' to meet Zelensky has not been met

The Kremlin says Putin is open to meeting Zelensky, but only after expert-level groundwork. Zelensky recently called for direct talks, urging real negotiations amid ongoing Russian military advances.

'Not ruled out': Putin says he’s open to meeting Zelensky, but only THIS condition is met

Trump condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine as “disgusting” and signalled upcoming sanctions. Speaking at a White House event, he also announced envoy Steve Witkoff would visit Russia after his Israel trip.

'I think it’s disgusting': Trump slams Russia’s war in Ukraine, says sanctions are coming but doubts they’ll affect Putin

Despite the country being under martial law and a strict night curfew, hundreds of Ukrainians came out to protest across Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa. War veterans, civil society groups, and ordinary citizens gathered with signs and chants of “Veto! Veto! Veto!” 

‘Veto! Veto! Veto!’: Did Ukraine cripple its anti-corruption agencies? What does Zelensky’s new law do, and why are Ukrainians protesting it?

Zelensky, after holding a meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister, announced the appointment of 16 new ambassadors to countries. He will be outlining the key priorities of Ukrainian diplomacy for the next six months.

Government reshuffle in Ukraine: Zelensky appoints 16 new ambassadors and prime minister - All we know about Ukraine's political reset

The last two rounds of negotiations, held in Istanbul, did not lead to any breakthroughs. Instead of reaching a ceasefire, both sides agreed to carry out prisoner exchanges and return the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Zelensky ready for direct talks with Putin? Ukraine proposes fresh peace talks amid massive Russian strikes

Trump allegedly asked if Zelensky could strike deep inside Russia, if given weapons to do so.

This comes after Trump voiced frustration with Putin's lacklustre peace efforts.

On Monday, Trump approved a weapons deal for Ukraine via NATO.

‘Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?’: Trump asked Zelensky about deep strikes inside Russia to ‘make them feel pain’ — Here’s how Zelensky responded

In his nightly address video, Zelensky said, "Regarding the conversation with the President of the United States, which took place a day earlier, it was probably the best conversation we have had during this whole time, the most productive".

Patriot missiles for Ukraine? Zelensky labels Trump call 'most productive yet,' says US system key to nation's survival

 Trump, while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said, “It's a very tough situation. I told you I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. He wants to go all the way; just keep killing people, it's no good.” He also hinted that Moscow may face tough US sanctions.

‘Very unhappy’: Trump says Putin wants to 'just keep killing people,' hints at tough US sanctions

It was a notable change from their February meeting in the Oval Office, where their talks ended in a shouting match. During that exchange, Zelensky was criticised by a reporter for "not wearing a suit."

‘Yes, he OWNS a suit’: Zelensky ditches military gear for 'very nice' Trump meeting at NATO summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was seen wearing a blazer when he met Dutch royals at a social dinner at the 'Huis ten Bosch' Royal Palace ahead of the NATO summit.

Is that a suit? Zelensky finally seen in formal attire at dinner with the Dutch royals

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When asked what he intended to say to the Ukrainian leader, Trump replied, “I’ll say ‘how you doing?’ He’s in a tough situation, should have never been there.”

'I’ll say ‘how you doing?': Trump says Zelensky is in 'tough situation' ahead of meet at NATO summit

Zelensky said that the deployment of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and North Korean munitions by Russia was evidence that Kyiv’s allies were not applying enough pressure against Putin.

‘Global pressure not strong enough’: Zelensky pushes for intensified sanctions on Russia over Iran’s defence

Zelensky warned against sending mixed signals about Western support, arguing that portraying Russia and Ukraine as equals is “deeply unfair.”

‘Russia can’t be stopped with words’: Zelensky wants Trump to get tougher on Putin, warns appeasement won’t end war

Ukraine had made a fresh proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire at peace talks held in Istanbul on Monday.

'Terrorist acts': Putin rejects full ceasefire with Ukraine - Here's the REAL reason why

Flynn made the comments on Monday (June 2), stating on social media that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky did not notify Trump before launching a high-impact strike deep inside Russian territory.

'Geopolitical insult': Donald Trump was 'not informed' about Ukraine's Operation Spider Web against Russia

Zelensky, on his official X account, detailed the assault, hailing it as a tremendous victory after 18 months of preparation, and revealed that the headquarters for the Ukrainian assault was right next to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

'Operation Spider Web': Zelensky confirms strike headquarters was right under Russia's nose 'directly next to FSB'

Almost a month after Putin did not show up at the Turkey talks, Zelensky said that he is open to "any format" of talks to push peace talks.

Zelensky-Trump-Putin meet? Ukrainian president calls for trilateral meeting to end Russia-Ukraine war