Russia has offered to halt the invasion of Ukraine along the current frontlines, with Donald Trump effectively allowing Vladimir Putin to seize control of all Ukrainian territory occupied since the beginning of the war.
Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back at the idea of the country ceding territory as part of any potential peace agreement, a day before American, European and Ukrainian officials are set for high-level talks in London.
“There is nothing to talk about – it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” said Zelensky.
The proposal is believed to be part of America’s seven-point plan to end the war, also includes recognising Crimea as part of Russia but offers no concrete security guarantees from the US going forwards.
While some European allies are wary of the proposal, there is also acknowledgment that Russia is firmly entrenched in five regions – Crimea, Luhansk, Donestsk, Zoporizhzhia and Kherson.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has dropped out of the peace talks meeting in London due to scheduling issues, with Lt General Keith Kellogg representing Washington.
Russia's drone attack on the city of Marhanets in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region killed seven people and injured six others, the regional governor said on social media this morning.
Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post that his earlier offer of a ceasefire covering civilian sites still stands.
"Russia needs to be seriously prepared to talk about this," Mr Zelensky said.
"There are no obstacles on the Ukrainian side, and there will be none."
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said there are no plans for talks on the proposal. He said Moscow is prepared to consider such a step, but noted that reaching an agreement could take time.
"While talking about civilian infrastructure, it's necessary to clearly define when such facilities can be a military target and when they can't," ...
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