Trump warns Putin of 'severe consequences' if no peace deal made - on eve of Alaska meeting

Asked if Russia would face consequences if Putin did not agree to stop the war, Trump told reporters at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday: "Yes, they will … very severe consequences."

Trump did not elaborate on what those consequences would be. When asked if they would include sanctions or tariffs, he only said he did not have to say.

He has reportedly told European leaders that he doesn't plan to discuss potential territory divisions with Putin this week.

Mr Zelenskyy has so far been excluded from US-Russia talks, with Trump hoping his discussion with Putin in Alaska on Friday leads to a lasting peace agreement.

Now, Trump has strongly suggested the Ukrainian leader will soon have a seat at the table as early as this week.

He said that if the first meeting with Putin on Friday "goes ok" then there will be a "quick second one" between Putin, Mr Zelenskyy "and myself if they'd like to have me there".

"There's a very good chance we're going to have a second meeting which will be more productive than the first because the first is I am going to find out where we are and what we are doing,” Trump said.

"There may be no second meeting because if I feel that it is not appropriate to have it because I didn't get the answers that we have to have, then we're not going to have a second meeting," he added.

Read more: 'Putin is bluffing', Zelenskyy warns Trump ahead of US-Russia talks in Alaska

Read more: 'Bring peace to Europe again': JD Vance hails Trump's mission during UK visit ahead of Alaska summit

It comes after the US president joined a call with Sir Keir Starmer and leaders from across Europe, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss the war in Ukraine.

During the call on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said Trump's interventions over the Ukraine war have created a "viable" chance of a ceasefire.

Mr Zelenskyy said following the call that "Putin is bluffing - he is trying to push forward along the whole front”.

He added that Putin "is also bluffing, saying he doesn't care about the sanctions and that they're not working".

"In reality, the sanctions are very effective, and they're hurting the Russian military economy," he said.

Mr Zelenskyy also argued that "Putin doesn't want peace - he wants to occupy our country", adding that US and European sanctions are vital measures needed to "stop Putin's war".

It comes as US Vice-President JD Vance visited a UK airbase as part of his trip to the UK, where he spent time with Foreign Secretary David Lammy to discuss Ukraine and Russia.

Mr Zelenskyy and European leaders reportedly agreed on five principles that they presented to Trump during the call on Wednesday.

The first was that Ukraine must be included in the discussions in a three-sided format.

They agreed there should be a ceasefire, with security guarantees.

Trump reportedly supports this and said the US is ready to take part.

Russia should not have the right to veto Ukraine’s Nato prospects, the countries agreed.