Trump warns of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin does not stop war in Ukraine

As Donald Trump is about to meet one-on-one with Vladimir Putin on Friday, Ukraine's president has tried together with European leaders to convince his US counterpart that ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine cannot be discussed without Kyiv in the room.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to Berlin on Wednesday to join German Chancellor Merz for video calls in a last-minute bid to ensure the US president understands what is at stake for Ukraine and the continent.

Although Trump stated that his ultimate goal is to bring Zelenskyy and Putin to the negotiating table, this will not happen in two days' time, when the US and Russian leaders are to meet in Alaska.

Ukraine's president is not scheduled to participate in the Alaska summit, nor are any European leaders.

Review Wednesday's developments brought to you earlier in the day by our journalists from around Europe in the blog below: