Russia has tried to get concessions from Ukraine for this region but this would mean Kyiv giving up its Fortress Belt, the fortified defensive line which is the backbone of Ukraine’s defenses and Zelensky’s comments reiterated this as a non-starter.

Two days of talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and allies have brought some progress on security guarantees, but Russia remains opposed to any foreign forces in Ukraine.

The United States is preparing a further round of sanctions on Russia's energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject a peace agreement with Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday,

The new chief of Britain’s foreign intelligence service MI6 accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deliberately prolonging negotiations to put an end to the war in Ukraine, in an assessment that complicates Trump’s efforts to broker a deal by year-end.

Two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the arrangement would be similar to the NATO mutual defense agreement. But crucial details remain unsettled as negotiators seek a deal that Russia will approve.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy resumed talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys in Berlin on Monday, after the U.S. side said a lot of progress had been made on ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two.

Ukrainian drone attack in southwestern Russia killed two people as parts of Ukraine went without power after Russian assaults on energy sites hours before peace talks were to restart in Germany.

Much of Ukraine’s largest Black Sea port was without power, heat and water on Saturday after strikes from Russia, which has shown little appetite for a deal to end the war.