Russia has yet again ignored Donald Trump’s bid to hold a summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky and said attempts to resolve security issues for Kyiv without Moscow’s participation was a “road to nowhere”.

Ukrainian officials say more than 19,000 children have been unlawfully deported to Russia or occupied areas, with reports suggesting the number could be far higher.

Russia said Wednesday attempts to resolve security issues relating to Ukraine without Moscow's participation were a "road to nowhere," and that much diplomatic work needs to be done before Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are ever in the same room.

President Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday, an event the U.S. president called "a very good, early step" to possibly resolve the war in Ukraine.

The attack on oil and port facilities in Izmail, Odesa, was less than one mile from NATO territory - and has cast major doubt on Vladimir Putin's commitment to securing peace in the region

Just after noon, European leaders including Macron, Starmer, von der Leyen, Rutte, and Meloni began arriving one by one at the White House. According to the White House schedule, Trump will first meet with Zelensky at 1:15 p.m. before greeting the European leaders, followed by a multilateral meeting with all parties at 3:00 p.m.

NATO military leaders are expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine and the way forward, a U.S. official and NATO official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Officials in Romania announced Wednesday that NATO deployed two German fighter jets in its airspace in response to a Russian drone attack on Ukraine.