Donald Trump halts crunch meeting with European leaders to call Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump has interrupted his crunch meeting with European leaders to call Vladimir Putin, it has been reported. According to German news outlet Bild, the meeting, which is discussing the war in Ukraine, will continue after the call has taken place. It is understood he took the call in a different part of the White House from where he was meeting with the European leaders.

President Trump initially said he would call the Russian leader after meeting with European leaders - including Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, in Washington. The talks in the East Room are currently going on behind closed doors after the world's media was asked to leave. While it is unknown exactly what is being discussed, the world leaders' earlier remarks with reporters present have given some indication of what may be being debated. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said today's talks have been "constructive" and they discussed "sensitive matters" including security guarantees. Mr Zelensky was not invited to President Trump's high-profile summit in Alaska with Mr Putin last Friday, who had the red carpet rolled out for him and a military flypast. A trilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the US is also on the cards. The White House has not commented on this reported call to Putin.

Sir Keir Starmer, who travelled from the UK earlier on Monday, said security guarantees and a trilateral meeting would be a "historic" step forward. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the need for a ceasefire before any meeting with Russia, telling Mr Trump: "Let's work on that and let's try to put pressure on Russia".

French President Emmanuel Macron echoed Merz's calls for a ceasefire and described the talks as a matter of security for all of Europe. Italy's Giorgia Meloni said one of the most important questions is "how to be sure that it won't happen again, which is the precondition of every kind of peace". NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the allies should push for an end to the targeting of Ukraine's infrastructure.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for the return of abducted Ukrainian children to be a top priority: "As a mother and grandmother, every single child should go back to its family". Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he "might come from a small country, but we have a long border with Russia". He said he felt there had been more progress made on Ukraine in two weeks than in the past three years.

Earlier this evening, Mr Trump and Mr Zelenksy met in the Oval Office for a meeting and press conference. When asked if this was the end of the road for US support of Ukraine, a deal or no deal, Trump said: "I can never say that. It's never the end of the road.

"People are being killed and we need to stop that."

Mr Trump said the meeting is "very important" and Mr Zelensky thanked Mr Trump for trying to end Russia's war against his country. Mr Zelensky also thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for writing a letter to Vladimir Putin about the Ukrainian children Russia has abducted. He handed Mr Trump a letter from Oleksandra Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady.