US President Donald Trump has said he has a "lot of respect" for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the eve of their talks at the White House. Asked by the BBC if he would apologise for recently calling him a "dictator", he said he could not believe he had said this. He also called Zelensky "very brave".

Donald Trump branded Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator. On Friday he will host the Ukrainian president at the White House and sign a deal granting Washington access to Ukraine's rare minerals.The extraordinary turnaround caps a week of frantic international diplomacy centered on Washington,

The last time the Ukrainian leader came to Washington, he received a warm welcome from then president Joe Biden as well as a pledge for billions of dollars in military aid.