It is quite possible that Monday's meeting in the White House could prove even more crucial to the future of Ukraine - and for all of Europe's security - than last Friday's US-Russia summit in Alaska. On the surface, that Putin-Trump reunion seemed to live down to every expectation.

Zelenskyy's outfit instead appeared to show an attempt to strike a middle ground between independence and receptivity to Trump.

The U.S. president declared Saturday that he would forego his previous demand for an initial ceasefire, making it easier for Putin to continue the war and dictate terms of a peace agreement at gunpoint.

Ukraine’s president condemns Russia’s “cynical” strikes before his meeting with Trump at 13:00 EST (18:00 BST).

Trump stopped short of committing U.S. troops to a collective effort to bolster Ukraine's security. He said instead that there would be a “NATO-like” security presence