Ukraine war latest: Putin warns conflict will escalate if peace is not achieved

The Kremlin said on Telegram that Russian commanders told President Vladimir Putin during an inspection that their forces had captured the towns of Mirnohrad, Rodensk and Artemivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, as well as Huliapol and Stepnoshirsk in the Zaporozhye region.

The Ukrainian military has denied Russia’s claims about Huliapol and Mirnohrad. The General Staff issued a statement on social media saying that the situation in the two places remained “difficult” but that Ukrainian troops were continuing “defensive operations.”

Ukraine’s Southern Command said in a cable that “heavy fighting” in Hulyapol continued, but “most of Hulyapol remains under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.”

• Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held talks in Florida on Sunday aimed at ending the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
• Zelensky said security and territorial issues in eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk and Zaporozhye, will be at the core of the discussion.
• He said the draft peace plan included U.S.-backed security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5, while Ukraine continued to reject Russian demands to give up territory.
• The day before the talks, Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Kiev, killing at least one person. Zelensky said the attack showed Moscow “doesn’t want peace.”
• European leaders including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have said any ceasefire must include international monitoring, a move Russia opposes.
• Zelensky said the peace plan was “about 90% ready” and he hoped European leaders could participate in negotiations at a later stage.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine is in no rush for peace and that if Ukraine does not want to resolve the conflict peacefully, Moscow will achieve all its goals through force.

Putin’s remarks, reported yesterday by Russia’s state news agency TASS, come after Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine.

President Zelensky said Russia was showing it wanted the war to continue, while Kyiv wanted peace.

Zelensky is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida today to seek a solution to Putin’s all-out invasion of Russia’s small neighbor nearly four years ago.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would consider any European troops deployed to Ukraine as legitimate targets for its armed forces.

Lavrov said in remarks carried by Russia’s state news agency TASS on Sunday that any European troops sent to Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia’s armed forces.

Lavrov also accused European politicians of being driven by “ambition” in relations with Kyiv and ignoring the people of Ukraine and their own countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he would hold talks with European leaders after meeting US President Donald Trump today, as Kyiv seeks to strengthen its diplomatic position to prevent Russia from prolonging the war.

Zelensky said he had spoken with some of Ukraine’s partners to coordinate priorities ahead of discussions.

“Tomorrow, after meeting with President Trump, we will continue our discussions,” he posted on Telegram.

Russia may deploy new hypersonic ballistic missiles at a former air force base in Belarus, Reuters reported.

Two U.S. researchers used satellite imagery to discover the possibility, and it is broadly consistent with U.S. intelligence findings, according to people familiar with the matter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously expressed his intention to deploy medium-range Oreshnik missiles in Belarus, but the specific location has not been previously reported.

The missiles are expected to have a range of up to 3,400 miles (5,500 kilometers).

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khreny said in an interview with state news agency Berta on Wednesday that the deployment was a “response” to “Western aggression.”

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky will meet in Florida today for face-to-face talks on ending the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

Zelensky said that security and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions will be one of the topics of discussion.

Zelensky stopped in Canada yesterday to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney before heading to the United States.

He told reporters his goal was to ensure “as few unresolved issues as possible” were resolved in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump while respecting Ukraine’s red lines.

Zelensky said the draft peace plan includes a U.S. commitment to provide guarantees that reflect Article 5 of the NATO alliance, meaning an attack on Ukraine would trigger a collective military response from the U.S. and its allies.

But key details remain to be worked out, with territorial concessions the most sensitive issue the two leaders will discuss.

“I wanted to do it so bad, I was trying to force myself to release some emotion,” he recalled. “But I couldn’t cry because I was so scared of that place. In the five and a half months I was in captivity, I never cried once. There were times when I wanted to cry, but I physically couldn’t.”

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