Ukraine-Russia war latest: Outrage after Moscow ‘hits Turkish civilian ship carrying sunflower oil’ with drone attack

The US president boldly claimed to have solved thorny disputes between adversaries including Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, and Israel and Lebanon.

But experts tell Alex Croft that his peace agreements do not stand up to scrutiny:

Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Friday that Russian police and National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas and oversee the industry-rich region, even if a peace settlement ends Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

This underscores Moscow’s ambition to maintain its presence in Donbas post-war.

Ukraine is likely to reject such a stance as US-led negotiations drag on.

Moscow will give its blessing to a ceasefire only after Ukraine’s forces have withdrawn from the front line, Ushakov said in comments published in Russian business daily Kommersant.

In Ukraine, Russia launched overnight drone and missile strikes on five Ukrainian regions, targeting energy and port infrastructure.

Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko said that over a million people were without electricity.

Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponising” the cold.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he would meet US and European representatives in Berlin to discuss “fundamentals of peace.”

Zelenskiy said Ukraine needed a “dignified” peace and a guarantee that Russia, which invaded his country in 2022, would not attack again.

Germany said earlier on Saturday that it would host U.S. and Ukrainian delegations over the weekend for talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine, before a summit involving European leaders and Zelensky in Berlin on Monday.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday discussed work on U.S.-led proposals for Ukraine and moves to use frozen Russian sovereign assets to help provide funds for Kyiv.

“Both agreed that this is a pivotal moment for Ukraine’s future, and that Europe will stand with them for as long as it takes to achieve a just and lasting peace,” a Downing Street spokesperson said after the two leaders spoke.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that “peace is not far away” after a meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Erdogan met Putin in Turkmenistan on Friday, and they evaluated “comprehensive peace efforts” to end the war, a statement from Erdogan’s office said on Friday.

“After this meeting with Putin, we hope to have the opportunity to discuss the peace plan with U.S. President Trump as well. Peace is not far away; we see that,” Erdogan told reporters on his return flight from Turkmenistan.

Erdogan had told Putin on Friday that a limited ceasefire in the war, focused on energy facilities and ports in particular, could be beneficial.