Ukraine and its European allies are seeking to persuade President Trump that a cease-fire is a prerequisite for peace talks with Russia.

Russia has occupied a fifth of Ukrainian territory - and a big map showing the area shaded in red was put up in the Oval Office as if to emphasise that point for President Donald Trump's talks with Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.

President Donald Trump made some false claims to the press while meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Monday – including a long-debunked claim that the US has given Ukraine more than $300 billion in wartime aid.

Ukrainian analysts watching their president’s return to the White House were braced for a “nightmare.” They took cautious encouragement from what they saw instead.

President Donald Trump is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with a number of European leaders, in Washington D.C. later on Monday.

After witnessing the red carpet rolled out for Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday; the jet flyover; the ride in the presidential limousine, many Ukrainians feared the American president’s bromance with the wily old KGB agent had reignited.

As Zelensky prepares for crucial talks in Washington, the shadow of Russia's demands looms large after Putin set the Donbas as his price for peace