Ukrainian and European leaders pursued last-ditch efforts on Wednesday to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump not to strike a Ukraine peace deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin, which they fear could sell out Kyiv's interests.

Mrs Podicenko’s hope is echoed by several of the 1,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled to Alaska since 2022 with the help of New Chance, a Russian-language church. Mrs Podicenko moved to Alaska with her friend Olena Demchenko, and her two children, Aleksander, 15, and Sofia, seven. She now works in a care home in Anchorage.

Joining the virtual meeting will be other European leaders who have also been sidelined from the Trump-Putin summit.