Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says ‘manipulative’ Putin wants to reject ceasefire but is afraid to tell Trump

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin of being afraid to admit to Donald Trump that he wants to reject the ceasefire dea and “kill more Ukrainians”.

In his nightly address, the President of Ukraine said: “Putin often does this - he does not say ‘no’ directly, but he does it in such a way that practically everything only delays and makes normal decisions impossible. We believe that this is all just another Russian manipulation.”

It came as Trump says he hopes Moscow “does the right thing” and agrees to the 30-day ceasefire, as Vladimir Putin insists it must be on his terms.

On Thursday evening, the Russian president made a series of demands for concessions by Zelensky which experts have said would amount to a ‘surrender’ by Kyiv.

“Hopefully they’ll do the right thing,” Mr Trump said of Russia during an Oval Office meeting with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte. “I don’t think they will go back to shooting.”

Washington and Kyiv agreed on the 30-day ceasefire plan during talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with Kyiv seizing the initiative after a turbulent two weeks in US-Ukrainian relations.

Zelensky 'Manipulative Putin wants to reject ceasefire but afraid to tell Trump'

Putin: We support idea of 30-day ceasefire, but must discuss certain issues first

Ukrainian troops in Kursk must surrender or die, says Putin

Proposed ceasefire only gives 'respite to Kyiv', says Kremlin aide

Russian troops retake control of key Kursk town, defence ministry says

23:30 , Barney Davis

Top army chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Wednesday he had ordered soldiers to withdraw to more advantageous positions in Kursk, saying preserving the lives of soldiers was his priority.

But some soldiers said it should have happened sooner.

One Ukrainian soldier said he and his comrades defied their company commander's orders, and made their own decision to retreat.

"We're sick and tired of sitting under fire all the time," said the soldier. Because all the main roads are being monitored by Russian drones, he said soldiers are withdrawing in small groups along tree lines to avoid detection.

"All the units that are left there, I don't know how they (the command) are going to get them out, because all supply chains have been disrupted," he said, referring to Sudzha and surrounding areas.

"The guys who came out said there were a lot of our dead bodies and a lot of burnt equipment."

21:38 , Barney Davis

A Russian drone attack has left seven people injured including four children in Kharviv.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram: "Currently, there are seven casualties — four children, two women, and one man.”

Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, said four strikes have been recorded in the city.

21:34 , Barney Davis

The Ukrainian army stunned Russia in August by attacking across the border and taking control of an estimated 500 square miles of land. It was a much-needed morale boost for Ukraine — but more importantly, the country's leaders believed the capture of Russian territory might help in any future peace negotiations with its enemy.

Now, after months of intense pressure from Russian forces supported by troops from North Korea, Ukraine only holds about 30% of the Russian land it had seized and its forces are in retreat after a rapid near-defeat in the city of Sudzha.

The invasion of Kursk was intended to redirect Russian forces from inside Ukraine — and the land gained was supposed to help Ukraine get back at least some of the 20% of its country taken by Russia since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

But many soldiers and commanders have long questioned whether it was worth diluting their forces available to defend Ukraine — and those doubts only grew as the retreat from Kursk accelerated.

21:03 , Barney Davis

Sir Keir Starmer has said that he was not surprised by Putin’s “barely disguised” ambitions to delay any ceasefire.

Speaking to the News Agents podcast, Starmer said: “Well, firstly, keep our focus on a lasting and secure peace in Ukraine, which is what we all want.

“It doesn’t entirely surprise me that Russia is taking this stance. They’ve made it pretty clear. They put it in lights a number of times over.

“I think progress was made on Tuesday, and I always felt that and hoped that out of Tuesday that would put the ball in the Russian court, if you like, where the pressure would come on Russia. That has now happened.

“That is a good thing, because Russia is the aggressor. Russia is the country that where there had been previous deals and agreements, [it] has not honoured those.

“We know that Putin has ambitions that are barely disguised.”

20:53 , Barney Davis

20:30 , Barney Davis

19:55 , Barney Davis

President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians in his nightly address: “We do not set conditions that make things difficult.

“This is what Russia is doing. As we have always said, the only one who will delay everything, the only one who will be unconstructive, is Russia. They need war. Putin stole years of peace and continues this war - day after day.”

He added sanctions were needed to force Putin to accept the terms of the ceasefire.

Addressing his allies, he said: “Now you have to put pressure on him. It is necessary to introduce sanctions that will help. We will continue to work with our American partners, with our European partners, with everyone in the world who wants peace, to force Russia to end the war.”

19:39 , Barney Davis

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin of being afraid to admit to President Donald Trump that he “wants to kill more Ukrainians”.

The Ukrainian President said in his evening address: “Now we have all heard from Russia the very predictable, very manipulative words of Putin in response to the idea of ​​silence on the front - he is actually preparing a refusal as of now.

“Putin, of course, is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war, wants to kill Ukrainians.

“And that's why there, in Moscow, they set up the idea of ​​silence with such prerequisites that nothing would happen at all or that it would not happen for as long as possible.”

He added: “Putin often does this - he does not say ‘no’ directly, but he does it in such a way that practically everything only delays and makes normal decisions impossible. We believe that this is all just another Russian manipulation.”

19:25 , Barney Davis

The Sumy Regional Defense Council has decided to carry out a mandatory evacuation of residents from eight settlements with 543 people, including children, still needing to be evacuated as Putin advances.

Volodymyr Artiukh, head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, announced on Facebook that the only way to protect civilians from these threats is through evacuation.

He said:"Today, the Regional Defense Council held a meeting where security issues were a top priority.

“Military and security forces provided an assessment of the situation. According to operational data from our military, the situation at the border is tense but under control. Russian troops have not crossed the border or captured any settlement in the Sumy region.”

He urged residents not to fall for Russian psychological operations and to rely only on official sources of information.

At the same time, he noted that enemy sabotage groups and aerial attacks, such as glide bombs (KABs) and FPV drones, have increased in intensity in border areas.

19:12 , Barney Davis

As US negotiators arrive in Moscow for ceasefire talks, World affairs editor Sam Kiley looks at how Vladimir Putin’s forces fought back in Kursk.

Likening the North Korean tactics to a cyber attack that can crash a website with mass attempts to access it, a Ukrainian military officer told The Independent: “[We faced] human waves like DDOS attacks on our positions... we killed eight out of 10 North Koreans.”

North Korean ‘suicidal attacks’ softened up Ukrainian troops for Putin’s Kursk push

18:51 , Barney Davis

18:35 , Barney Davis

Ukraine will not agree to a frozen conflict with Russia, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on Thursday after Kyiv and Washington jointly proposed a 30-day ceasefire in the war.

Speaking on television, Yermak said that Ukraine had agreed with the U.S. that representatives from Europe will definitely take part in the peace process.

18:17 , Barney Davis

Trump answering questions from reporters on the ceasefire said he didn’t think Ukraine and Russia “would go back to shooting”.

He said: “If we get a ceasefire that will lead to peace. I don’t think anyone wants to go back. It’s vicious and violent. We want to get it over with.”

He added negotiations will centre around land and power plants, adding “It’s complicated you are sort of creating an edge of a country”.

He said Putin "put out a very promising statement” in his press conference earlier “but it was incomplete.”

Before this, Trump says a "lot of the details" in the final agreement have been discussed and he is waiting for a response from Moscow.

17:57

Volodymr Zelensky has hit out at Russia’s lack of “meaningful response” to the 30-day ceasefire proposal.

The Ukrainian leader was reacting to Vladimir Putin saying any ceasefire must address the “root causes” of the conflict.

On Telegram, Zelensky said: "Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made.

“This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that US pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war.”

17:37 , Barney Davis

US President Donald Trump said he did not think Russia would attack US allies.

"It's not going to happen. We'll make sure it doesn't happen," he said.

His special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to hold direct discussions with Vladimir Putin tonight, Politico reported, citing Russian state-owned news outlet Izvestia.

17:11 , Barney Davis

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Thursday the alliance's members needed to produce more weapons and were lagging behind Russia and China.

Speaking in the Oval Office during a visit with President Donald Trump, Rutte said the alliance was not doing enough on the issue of weapons production.

17:00 , Alex Croft

US president Donald Trump has said he hopes Russia will do the right thing, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff set to hold direct discussions with Vladimir Putin tonight.

“Hopefully they’ll do the right thing,” Mr Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.

16:57 , Alex Croft

A large power plant will be involved discussions between the US and Russia, US president Donald Trump has said.

It is unclear whether it will feature in scheduled talks between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian president Vladimir Putin tonight.

16:38 , Alex Croft

Kyiv understands it cannot recapture all the territory seized by Russia using military force, a Ukrainian government official said on Thursday.

Recovering Ukrainian territory would have to happen diplomatically over time, the unnamed official told reporters.

The official added that Kyiv would not recognise Moscow’s rights over Ukrainian territory, echoing comments made by president Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.

16:27 , Alex Croft

Here are all the key takeaways from president Vladimir Putin’s press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Putin supports the idea of the 30-day ceasefire, but says there are issues which need addressing first. Any ceasefire must address the “root causes” of the conflict, he said.

Russian forces are in “complete control” in the Kursk region, adding that Ukrainian forces have been “fully isolated”. He added: “In the next two days, nobody will be able to leave. There will be only two ways: surrender or die.”

Any ceasefire will be dependent on the situation on the ground, he said. “Depending on how the situation on the ground develops, we will agree on the next steps as to a ceasefire and achieving mutually acceptable agreements.”

The Russian president thanked Donald Trump for his attention towards a Ukraine settlement - and hinted that a phone call was possible soon.

Asked about the prospect of the US lifting sanctions on Russia, Putin said that American companies would be welcomed back into Russia.

15:59 , Alex Croft

Vladimir Putin says any ceasefire negotiations will depend on the situation on the ground.

“The situation on the ground is changing fast. Yesterday, in his report, the northern group partner told me: tomorrow Sudzha will be ours. And that’s what happened.

“I’m sure that all the plans in Kursk will be achieved just as they were in other areas along the front line.

“We are retaking each one of [the villages in Kursk]. Depending on how the situation on the ground develops, we will agree next steps as to a ceasefire and achieving mutually acceptable agreements.”

15:54 , Alex Croft

Putin has now directly addressed the US-Ukrainian proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

He says that Moscow supports the idea of a 30-day ceasefire - but not before certain issues are negotiated by the Kremlin.

“We are in favour of a 30-day ceasefire, but there are nuances,” Putin said. “First of all, what are we going to do about this incursion in Kursk?

“If we ceased hostilities for 30 days, would it mean that everybody there would leave? Should we release them after they committed serious crimes against civilians there?

“How will other aspects be dealt with along with 2,000-kilometre contact line? As you know, the Russian troops are advancing practically in every sector of the contact line, and all the conditions are there for us to besiege fairly large [Ukrainian] units,” he added. “So what would happen during those 30 days?”

“The idea is good and we absolutely support it, but there are issues we need to discuss, and I think we need to negotiate with our American colleagues.”

Putin said a phone call with Donald Trump is possible.

15:47 , Alex Croft

Putin has now discussed what he thinks about Ukraine’s readiness for a ceasefire.

He started his comments by thanking US president Donald Trump.

“I will tell you what my assessment is, but I want to start by thanking the US president Mr Trump for giving so much attention to a settlement in Ukraine,” he told reporters.

“We agree with the proposal for a ceasefire… but this ceasefire should lead to an enduring peace and should remove the root causes of this crisis.”

15:41 , Alex Croft

Putin is asked about the prospect of the US lifting sanctions - and what American companies returning to Russia could mean for the Russian firms.

Any companies which wish to return to Russia will be welcomed, he said.

But he added that sanctions on Russia have made it now “immune”, saying Russia’s enemies have “created Russia’s independence and our sovereignty”.

15:36 , Alex Croft

US special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin behind closed doors tonight, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said.

"The meeting between Whitkoff and President Vladimir Putin will begin this evening in a closed format," Russian newspaper Izvestia reported, citing Ushakov.

Ushakov earlier warned that the 30-day ceasefire deal which the US wants Russia to support is unlikely to be acceptable to Moscow in its current form.

15:26 , Alex Croft

Tactical nuclear arms have been deployed in Belarus to protect Russian security, president Vladimir Putin said in a press conference on Thursday.

Speaking next to Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said: “We discussed in detail forming a common defence space.

“In Belarus, a joint regional group of forces has been deployed and modern defensive and tactical nuclear arms have been deployed.”

He reflected on his meeting with the Belarusian president in his opening remarks.

15:16 , Alex Croft

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko are holding a press conference.

The pair, who are in the Kremlin, have just signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the field of intellectual property.

Stay here for all the key lines.

15:12 , Alex Croft

The Kremlin does not expect president Vladimir Putin to speak with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday, foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said.

No agreement has been made on when the pair may hold a phone call, Interfax news agency cited Ushakov as saying.

15:07 , Alex Croft

Kyiv has received its first tranche of 2.5 billion Canadian dollars ($1.7 billion) under a G7 scheme which will see loans repaid using profits from frozen Russian assets, Ukraine’s Finance Ministry announced.

The G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative will see around $50 billion in loans paid to Ukraine, and Canada’s contribution will be $3.5 billion.

"Canada is a reliable and steadfast partner of Ukraine. I am grateful for the support of the ERA mechanism. It is a fair and necessary tool to hold Russia financially accountable for its crimes in Ukraine," Ukrainian finance minister Serhii Marchenko said.

14:54 , Alex Croft

Foreign ministers have sought to demonstrate a united front in their Canada summit, amid rising tensions between the US and its allies over foreign policy.

Ministers from the G7 convened in the remote tourist town of La Malbaie in the hills of Quebec, for two days of meetings.

Historically, the group have been broadly consensual on the issues they have discussed. But with the Trump administration’s upending of foreign policy - and unwillingness to show unconditional support for Ukraine - the meeting is taking place against a very different backdrop.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio is set to debrief the ministers on Tuesday’s talks with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Kyiv said it was ready to support a 30-day ceasefire deal.

14:38 , Alex Croft

14:25 , Alex Croft

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow for talks with Russian officials about the Ukraine war, a source briefed on the matter confirmed on Thursday.

The source did not have details of Mr Witkoff’s itinerary, but he will he seeking Russian support for the ceasefire initiative agreed between the US and Ukraine.

Earlier, online flight radar sites showed the private plane supposedly carrying Mr Witkoff landing in Moscow after travelling from Doha.

14:00 , Tom Watling

Finland announces 200 million euros more in aid to Ukraine and closer defense cooperation

13:46 , Tom Watling

Footage has shown the moment one of Vladimir Putin’s key aides in peace negotiations with the US says they do not plan to accept a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.

Asked by a Russian state media reporter if they would reject the deal, Yuri Ushakov, one of Russia’s representatives in peace negotiations with the US, said: “These kinds of steps, which only mimic peace efforts, are useless to everyone.”

13:37 , Tom Watling

13:21 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s peace delegation has sat down with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the details of the talks in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Zelensky’s top advisor, Andriy Yermak, posted a photo of the meeting.

“We provided the President with a detailed report on the team's meeting with representatives of the United States in Saudi Arabia, on the progress of the negotiations, and key aspects,” he wrote on X.

“We informed the American side about Ukraine's principled positions.”

13:09 , Alex Croft

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “seeking to prolong the war” as it fails to commit to the 30-day ceasefire proposal agreed between the US and Ukraine.

“Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X.

“This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war.”

The Ukrainian president revealed that Kyiv was prepared for an air and sea ceasefire, before agreeing to a US proposal to extend it to land.

Officials also discussed the need for security guarantees in Ukraine, he added.

13:00 , Alex Croft

The proposal for a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine needs reworking, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said.

"The document, it seems to me, has a hasty character... It will be necessary to work, think and take into account our position too. It outlines only the Ukrainian approach," he said according to RIA state news agency.

It comes after he said the deal, which would see a month-long halt in fighting, is only “temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more”.

12:53 , Alex Croft

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has arrived in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.

The pair are due to hold a press conference at 3pm GMT.

12:44 , Alex Croft

12:38 , Alex Croft

The “few British aid workers” still delivering supplies to Ukraine have said they are “unsure what they are walking into”, as efforts towards a temporary ceasefire intensify.

Wendy Warrington, 58, from Bury, Manchester, has been to Ukraine about 27 times since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“Of course I would welcome the ceasefire, however Russia has to agree to it and that might not happen as they have not shown any commitment to this but instead intensifying attacks on innocent civilians,” Ms Warrington told PA news agency.

“We do not know what we are walking into right now.

“I don’t want to die or put myself in danger, but the unpredictability of the Russian army and drone attacks increases the risk, but I choose to do it because we can’t abandon Ukraine and its people.”

Eddie, 59, from Liverpool, who has delivered aid to Ukraine in his van about eleven times, said: “None of us are walking around like Mother Teresa, Bod Geldof or Superman – I’m driving a black Transit van – but you do your bit,” the retired rail worker said.

“You see very few British aid workers over here now.”

12:27 , Alex Croft

Contacts between Moscow and Washington are becoming more active, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Embassies and diplomats have intensified contacts, she said on Thursday.

The countries have been working to rebuild broken ties since US president Donald Trump reentered the White House in January.

12:10 , Alex Croft

Russian president Vladimir Putin may have an international phone call later on Thursday, the Kremlin said.

It comes as Donald Trump awaits word from his Russian counterpart on whether he will agree to the 30-day truce agreed between Washington and Kyiv on Tuesday, which Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he would accept as a first step towards peace talks.

11:59 , Alex Croft

Sweden has committed more than 1.4 billion Swedish crowns ($137.7 million) to Ukraine for reconstruction and development, the country’s international development minister said.

"Support for Ukraine is a matter of solidarity, but also of Sweden's security," Benjamin Dousa told a press conference on Thursday when announcing the package.

"The last few weeks have not been easy. It has never been clearer that we can no longer take the world's support for Ukraine for granted," he added.

11:42 , Alex Croft

Russia has presented the US with a list of demands for a deal to end its invasion of Ukraine and reset relations with Washington, it has been reported.

The demands were submitted to Washington after Ukraine accepted a 30-day proposal discussed with the US during peace talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

It is unclear what was included in that letter but former, senior British officials with a focus on Russia have suggested to The Independent that Moscow will try to extract maximal demands from Washington in exchange for a ceasefire.

They say it will likely include calling for Ukraine to disarm and for it to be barred from joining NATO or the European Union, tantamount to making Ukraine a “non-country”.

Read the full report:

What are Putin and Zelensky’s demands to agree 30 day Ukraine ceasefire?

11:23 , Alex Croft

A proposed ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia would only give breathing space for Ukrainian forces, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov claimed on Thursday.

"I have stated our position that this is nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more," Ushakov said in a TV interview, adding that Russia was looking or a long-term settlement which took its interests and concerns into account.

The aide said he had set out Russia’s position during talks with US national security advisor Mike Waltz on Wednesday.

"It seems to me that no one needs any steps that (merely) imitate peaceful actions in this situation," he said.

Ushakov’s comments cast doubt on whether Russian president Vladimir Putin will accept the proposed 30-day ceasefire in its current form, ahead of an in-person meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

11:17 , Alex Croft

11:06 , Alex Croft

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

A failure to secure peace in Ukraine would allow Vladimir Putin to maintain a “choke hold” on Europe’s future, Sir Keir Starmer has warned.

Giving a speech in Hull, the prime minister said: “I profoundly believe that if we don’t secure a just peace and a lasting peace, then that insecurity, which we’ve already felt, will continue.

“And that means, here, higher prices, higher bills, the cost-of-living crisis going on for even longer – if you like, a choke hold on our future, which will be much, much harder for us to tackle.

“We know some basics: Putin’s appetite for conflict and for chaos is already there, and it will only grow.

“And Russia is already menacing our skies, our waters, our streets and our national security.”

10:55 , Alex Croft

Ukrainian forces are rapidly losing ground in the Kursk region amid a major Russian offensive to recapture land which Kyiv hoped could be a crucial bargaining chip in peace negotiations.

In an attempt to divert Russian forces from the brutal frontlines in eastern Ukraine – and embarrass Vladimir Putin – Ukraine smashed across the border into the Kursk region in August, the biggest attack on Russian territory since the Nazi invasion of 1941.

Putin visited the western region for the first time since its seizure on Wednesday, in a sign of the confidence Moscow has that they will retake complete control of the region.

Read why Russia’s recapture of Kursk matters to Ukraine:

Putin’s troops say they’re close to retaking Kursk – here’s why it matters

10:50 , Alex Croft

Russian forces will soon complete the task of clearing out Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region, Moscow officials said on Thursday.

Ukrainian forces have held a pocket of territory for more than seven months after springing one of the biggest shocks of the war when it staged an incursion into Russian territory last August. But its control in the region has come to an end after a rapid Russian advance over the past week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that Russian troops would take "as long as necessary to save the maximum number of lives of our military and civilians. But there is no doubt that the Kursk region will be liberated soon enough”.

Top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Wednesday that Kyiv's troops would keep operating in Kursk as long as needed and that fighting continued in and around Sudzha.

Russian war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny, reporting from Sudzha, said: "The town is constantly being hit by enemy artillery, but focal resistance has been suppressed."

10:38 , Lucy Leeson

Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Ukraine’s partners not to let Russia and Vladimir Putin “deceive” them over a ceasefire.

The Ukraine president issued his warning in a video address on Wednesday evening (12 March).

It came following breakthrough talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, with Kyiv saying it was ready to accept a proposed 30-day ceasefire.

President Zelensky said: “The key factor is our partners’ ability to ensure Russia’s readiness not to deceive but to genuinely end the war.”

Watch here:

Zelensky warns partners not to let Putin ‘deceive’ them on ceasefire

10:17 , Alex Croft

Any deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable for Russia, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Moscow has repeatedly stated this stance since European countries - led by British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron - have put forward proposals for tens of thousands of European peacekeeping troops stationed in Ukraine.

Russia would respond with all available means if troops were deployed in Ukraine, Zakharova said, adding that it would mean direct involvement of these countries with Russia.

10:08 , Alex Croft

The chances of Vladimir Putin upholding a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine are “close to nil” European officials fear, with one warning that it could last just 30 minutes.

Ukraine agreed to a 30-day truce after talks with the US in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. But while the world waits for the response from the Kremlin, current and former officials across Europe have told The Independent Moscow would try and extract as much as possible from the US for any agreement – and then violate it anyway.

One senior official from Lithuania – one of the Baltic nations which fears Mr Putin’s invasion could be extended to their border – said: “What for us, Ukraine or the US, is 30 days could be just 30 minutes for Russia.”

Tom Watling and world affairs editor Sam Kiley with the report:

Warning Putin will break Ukraine ceasefire: ‘Thirty days could be just 30 minutes’

09:57 , Alex Croft

EU plans to hike defence spending amounts to “incitement of war”, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

The European Commission drafted plans to borrow up to 150 billion euros and loosen fiscal rules, allowing EU countries to ramp up defence expenditure as it looks to lower its security dependence on the US.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the Commission, says the plans could mobilise up to 800 billion euros.

This amounts to “the incitement of war on the European continent”, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

She accused Eyripe of spreading falsehoods about the Russian threat: “This is a deliberately invented story based on Russophobia which is promoted by inadequate Brussels officials."

09:49 , Alex Croft

Russian forces have retaken control of the major town of Sudzha in the western Kursk region, Moscow’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

Sudzha was one of the most important towns under Ukrainian control following its lightning incursion last August.

The ministry also claimed its troops had recaptured two other villages, Melovoi and Podol, claims which have not been independently verified.

DeepState, an authoritative online battlefield map, shows most of Sudzha to be under Russian control.

09:45 , Alex Croft

Moscow is ready to discuss with Washington the peace initiative agreed between the US and Ukraine as early as today, Russia’s foreign ministry has said.

"We are ready to discuss the initiatives set out there in future contacts with the United States. Such contacts are already possible as early as today," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

A plane reportedly carrying US special envoy Steve Witkoff - who is due to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin today - landed in Moscow within the last half hour.

Kyiv has said it is ready to accept a 30-day ceasefire and the US is now putting the proposal to Moscow.

09:37 , Alex Croft

Chief international correspondent Bel Trew writes:

Flanked by minefields, with the deadly percussion of shelling in the background, we made our way cautiously into recently liberated Kherson.

This was November 2022, in the southeastern corner of Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces had launched a successful counteroffensive against Russia to reclaim land lost in Moscow’s full-scale invasion. At the time, it was the latest in a string of stunning wins by the Ukrainians, who, against the odds, were pushing Russia back.

Like other recently liberated cities, dazed residents emerged from their homes for the first time in months—with the same stories of disappearances, detentions, torture, and death.

I’ve seen Ukraine ravaged by Putin’s war - a ceasefire must not mean its destruction

09:35 , Alex Croft

A plane which appears to be the one carrying US special envoy Steve Witkoff was seen approaching Moscow on an online flight map.

The Gulfstream G650 aircraft, which took off from Hamad International Airport in Doha and is carrying Mr Witkoff according to Russian state news agency TASS, has now landed at Moscow airport according to flight tracking website Flight Radar.

09:28 , Alex Croft

09:13 , Alex Croft

The US provided certain information about the ceasefire proposals to Russia, the Kremlin said ahead of a meeting between Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not make clear what the US had discussed with them so far - and declined to comment on whether Moscow had presented its own list of demands to end the war.

Reuters reported that Russian and American officials had discussed Moscow’s terms during in-person and virtual conversations over the past three weeks, according to two people familiar with the matter.

09:03 , Alex Croft

The plane carrying US president Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has crossed the Russian border, state news agency TASS said on Thursday.

Mr Witkoff, who is officially Mr Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, is playing a major role in the White House’s efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

The envoy is expected to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in person, an unnamed source told Bloomberg earlier this week.

08:48 , Tom Watling

Russia’s lightning advance in Kursk is “extremely bad” and was made possible after supply lines to Ukrainian troops were cut, a military analyst has said.

Speaking to The Independent, Emil Kastehelmi of the Finnish open-source intelligence Black Bird Group said: “It is extremely bad. This can be considered a significant Russian victory, as they were able to relatively quickly drive the Ukrainians out of most of the salient quickly.

“The supply line issues were just too much for the troops.”

Tatarigami_UA, a former Ukrainian officer who runs Frontelligence Insight, a group that tracks the front line and is known to have closes ties to the military, says the Russian attack started days before the US cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine, which has since been resumed.

The officer said Russian forces cut off Ukrainian logistics, "which was supplied basically through just one available way".

08:36 , Alex Croft

Dressed in green military fatigues, Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived in Kursk late on Wednesday to order the defeat of Ukrainian forces.

It is the first time Putin has visited an active frontline of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Speaking to generals in televised remarks, he said: "Our task in the near future, in the shortest possible timeframe, is to decisively defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region.

"And of course, we need to think about creating a security zone along the state border."

Putin deemed it necessary to wear military fatigues during the visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Russia’s lightning advance over the past few days has left Ukraine with a pocket of less than 60 square miles in Kursk, down from 1,300 square km (500 square miles) at the peak of the incursion last summer, according to interactive map DeepState.

08:18 , Tom Watling

08:09 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s emergency services have posted a video on social media showing the aftermath of Russia’s overnight strikes on the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy.

08:00 , Tom Watling

At least five people were killed and 28 more wounded in the last 24 hours of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, local officials have revealed.

More than half of the casualties were in the Donetsk region, host to the hottest areas of fighting in Ukraine. Three people were killed and 14 injured, governor Vadym Filashkin said.

There were two people killed in the city of Myrnohrad and another in Pokrovsk. The two towns are within just a few miles of the front line. It is unclear if they were killed by drone attacks or artillery.

In southern Ukraine’s Kherson, one person was killed and six injured, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

In Sumy Oblast, one civilian was killed in the Seredyna-Buda community when attempting to handle a Russian drone, which subsequently exploded.