President Donald Trump supports Russian leader Vladimir Putin's proposal for Moscow to take full control of the Donbas and freeze the front lines elsewhere for a deal with Ukraine.

Zelensky has rejected Russian demands to cede Ukrainian land. The Ukrainian leader and his European partners, including the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, had lobbied the White House for weeks to demand that Moscow agree to a ceasefire before any negotiations.

The net effect of the Alaska summit was to give President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a free pass to continue his war against his neighbor indefinitely without further penalty, pending talks on a broader peace deal.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders have praised President Donald Trump for agreeing to allow U.S. military support for a force they are mustering to police any future peace in Ukraine — a move that vastly improves the chances of success for an operation that could prove essential for the country’s security.

Before and after the summit between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Ukraine has been assaulted with a barrage of Russian drone attacks and bombs.

After meeting the Russian president, President Trump told European leaders he now favors giving up territory Ukraine controls to Russia to end the fighting, a concession Ukraine has long opposed.

Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange long-range drone and missile strikes on the eve of the summit. Ukraine’s military said on Friday morning that it had hit several targets inside Russia, including an oil refinery and a port that Moscow uses to import military supplies from Iran.

Ukraine's Air Force has reported that Russian forces launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 60 drones on the night of 16-17 August. Ukrainian air defence units have destroyed or jammed 40 of them.