Trump-Putin call on 'dividing up' Ukraine's assets taking place; Italians say UK peace plan 'risky'

While we wait for more details on the call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, we've been reporting that the Russian president has addressed business leaders in Moscow today (see 1.17pm post).

Putin accused Ukraine's allies of wanting to "weaken" Russia, adding "our competitors will always want to weaken and contain us".

He also addressed reports that Western sanctions against Russia could eventually be relaxed if the move ensures security for Ukraine.

"Even if one side will make a gesture and offer to lift or ease something another method of causing problems for us will be found immediately."

Take a look at pictures of Putin before his call with Trump below...

In the last few moments we've told you that the phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is ongoing.

Here's the confirmation from White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino that the two leaders have been in talks since 2pm UK time.

"The call is going well, and still in progress," he said.

He's also provided a more recent update to say the call is still going on - meaning it has now ticked over the 90-minute mark...

Have we just seen Vladimir Putin's latest power play?

The Russian president has been speaking to business leaders in Moscow today, but Russian state news agency Tass reported Putin didn't leave the venue until 1.52pm UK time.

Earlier today, the Kremlin said the phone call between Putin and Trump was due to take place between 1pm and 3pm UK time.

Putin is known to arrive late for meetings and even his own press conferences, often making others wait for him.

The White House has since confirmed the phone call began at 2pm UK time.

Last week, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly arrived in Moscow around midday but didn't end up meeting Putin until the evening, something our Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett called a "classic power play".

You can read more about that below...

We've just received the first indication that the phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is ongoing.

The White House says the call has been ongoing since 2pm UK time and is progressing well.

Earlier today, the Kremlin said a window between 1pm and 3pm (UK time) had been arranged for the two leaders to hold their call.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump and Putin will speak for as long as they consider necessary.

Trump told reporters last night that "many elements" have been agreed, but warned "much remains" to be discussed ahead of the call.

A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer said a "significant number" of countries are willing to provide peacekeeping troops in Ukraine after a virtual call between 26 leaders at the weekend.

But while Italy was represented in the call, the country's prime minister Giorgia Meloni has labelled plans to send European troops to Ukraine as complex, risky and ineffective.

She said her country's support for the Ukrainian people and condemnation of Russian aggression has never been in question.

Meloni also proposed providing Ukraine with security guarantees similar to NATO's article five - which states that an attack on one ally is considered an attack against all members of the alliance.

It is not necessarily a new stance from Meloni, who swiftly announced she would refuse Starmer's call for troops on Saturday.

For context: Russia has strongly opposed the prospect of European peacekeeping troops operating in Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.

Russia's deputy foreign minister has reaffirmed the country's stance that the deployment of forces in Ukraine - whether under the banner of the European Union, NATO or individual national forces - would effectively place them in the conflict zone, making them direct participants.

One thing Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have in common is that they've both said any ceasefire between their two countries must lead to a lasting peace.

Zelenskyy has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, with Trump due to listen to Russia's demands in a phone call with Putin this afternoon.

But beyond that - what would a Ukraine without fighting look like? We've spoken to experts in our explainer below.

The ball is in Russia's court as Vladimir Putin prepares to hold a phone call with Donald Trump, our US correspondent Mark Stone says.

Ukraine has already agreed to the 30-day ceasefire proposal, and now "everyone will be looking out for precisely what Russia's demands are," he adds.

Stone explains that the visit of Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow last week and his meeting with Putin will form the "bedrock" of the conversation the two leaders will have, with a number of potential points up for discussion.

He asks whether Trump will agree to formally recognise Crimea as part of Russia, something we said he was reportedly considering (see 11.15am post).

Stone also says the future of the Kursk and Donbas regions could also form a key part of the talks.

"How much of that will Trump concede to Russia holding on to in any sort of peace deal?" he asks.

With so much to discuss on the call, Stone says the stakes are high.

Ahead of his phone call with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin has been speaking to Russian businesses and told them not to count on fully free trade or movement of capital being restored even if sanctions on Russia are eased.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made security guarantees a priority, warning that Putin is "prolonging the war" with his non committal stance over the ceasefire.

As talks heighten, a top Ukrainian sanctions official told Politico that Western sanctions against Russia could eventually be relaxed if the move ensures security for Ukraine.

But this afternoon, Putin accused Ukraine's allies of wanting to "weaken" Russia.

"Our competitors will always want to weaken and contain us," he said.

"Even if one side will make a gesture and offer to lift or ease something another method of causing problems for us will be found immediately."

We're expecting the phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to get under way soon.

Before we start bringing you updates, here's a summary of the key events from the day so far:

• The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin's call with Donald Trump will take place between 1pm to 3pm UK time;
• There is a "certain understanding" with the US but there are also many questions to discuss, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said;
• Ukraine's foreign minister accused Russia of being an obstacle to peace and said Ukraine is hoping to get clarity from the call between Trump and Putin;
• Away from peace talks, Ukraine said it destroyed 63 drones launched by Russia overnight, adding another 64 were "locationally lost" without causing damage;
• Meanwhile, NATO members Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia plan to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines, due to the military threat from Russia (see 9.42am post).

Stay with us, as we'll be bringing you updates from Trump's call with Putin as soon as we get them.

Donald Trump told reporters "land and power plants" are the focus of ceasefire talks ahead of his phone call with Vladimir Putin.

The US president said "a lot of it" had already been discussed by both sides, adding discussions were ongoing over "dividing up certain assets".

But what has Ukraine and Russia said about territory, and what key infrastructure could be involved in a deal?

What are Ukraine's territorial demands?

Despite Ukraine previously calling for Russia to return occupied lands, the US has suggested Kyiv might have to cede territory.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted last week that territory will likely be the "most difficult" issue after a ceasefire is agreed.

Mike Waltz, the US national security adviser, said over the weekend that Kyiv will receive unspecified security guarantees in exchange for unspecified territorial concessions.

He also stated that the US is considering "the reality of the situation on the ground" in diplomatic talks when discussing an end to the war in Ukraine, a phrase often heard coming from the Kremlin.

What are Russia's territorial demands?

Russian forces control nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory and have steadily continued their advance in certain areas in recent months.

As part of a long-lasting peace agreement, Putin has consistently demanded the surrender of four Ukrainian regions his forces do not even completely control.

Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson are all claimed as Russian territory by Moscow - which declared it had annexed them in September 2022 in a move that has been recognised by only Syria and North Korea and rejected widely by the international community.

On top of that, while almost all the Luhansk region is under Russian control, Ukraine still holds significant parts of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson regions.

Last year, Putin listed Kyiv's withdrawal of troops from all four regions as one of the demands for peace.

For more on the key infrastructure that could be up for discussion, read our explainer below...