Ukraine-Russia battle newest: Zelensky agrees to Trump-backed plan for response to Russian ceasefire violations

At least four people have been injured in Russia’s overnight missile attack on Kyiv, officials said, confirming damage to apartment blocks and other buildings.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a building housing a kindergarten had been set on fire and a non-residential building hit in eastern districts.

In Kyiv, as nighttime temperatures dipped close to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees F), witnesses reported loud explosions after midnight, saying both missiles and drones were being deployed.

The strikes caused damage in five districts, hitting three apartment blocks and a building housing a kindergarten, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration.

An air raid alert remained in effect more than two hours after it had been announced.

Tkachenko confirmed that several apartment buildings, an education establishment and a commercial building had been damaged in districts east of the Dnipro River.

Early visuals from the attacked parts of the Ukrainian capital showed an apartment on the upper floors of a Kyiv block ablaze.

Russian air attacks were also confirmed in other Ukrainian regions, including Kharkiv, where the regional governor said at least two were injured.

Ukraine has reportedly agreed to a new proposal for a multi-tiered response to Russian violations of a future ceasefire agreement.

Volodymyr Zelensky has agreed that such an eventuality would involve a co-ordinated military response from both the US and Europe, officials told the Financial Times.

According to the proposal, any Russian breach of ‌a ceasefire would prompt a response within 24 hours, starting with a diplomatic warning and then, if necessary, action by the Ukrainian army to halt the infraction.

If hostilities continued beyond that, the proposal would move to a ⁠second phase of intervention using ​forces from the so-called Coalition of ​the Willing, which includes many EU members and the UK, Norway, Iceland and Turkey, the report ‍said.

The report ⁠added that in the case of an expanded attack, a coordinated response by a Western-backed force, incorporating ⁠the US military, would be triggered 72 hours after the initial ‌breach.

The plan was discussed on several occasions in December and January between Ukrainian, European and American officials ⁠and would involve a ‌multi-tiered response to any breaches of an agreed armistice by Russia, the report said.

These talks will continue tomorrow as envoys ‍from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington will gather in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday.

A total of 52 per cent of Ukrainians are opposed to handing over the Donbas to Russia in exchange for security guarantees, a new survey shows.

More than 1,000 Ukrainians were asked if they agree to the condition of Ukraine withdrawing its troops from the territories of Donbas that it currently controls and handing these to Russia.

In return, the survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) posits, the US and Europe would give Ukraine “security guarantees”.

The respondents were given the choice to either “easily agree to this condition”, call it “a difficult condition, but generally acceptable” or “unacceptable”.

A total of 52 per cent said the proposal was “totally unacceptable”, while around 40 per cent of Ukrainians would reluctantly support the move.

A further 7 per cent were unable to make up their minds.

“It should be noted separately that among Kyiv residents, 59 per cent consider such a condition to be categorically unacceptable. 31 per cent are ready to accept it. That is, despite the difficult situation in the capital, the majority reject it,” the KIIS said in a statement.

Several reports on explosions are coming in from Ukrainian cities.

Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, reported several strikes in succession by drones and missiles.

Public broadcaster Suspilne reported a series of explosions in the southeastern city of Dnipro and in Sumy, near the Russian border.

Donald Trump has said his negotiating team working on ending the war in Ukraine could have some good news soon.

“I think we’re doing very well with Ukraine and Russia. For the first time, I’m saying that,” the US president said, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office.

“I think we’re going to, maybe, have some good news”.

Hours later, Russian forces rained missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities, resuming their attacks after a week of ceasefire requested by Trump.

A kindergarten was among many of the civilian targets hit in Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said it would regard the deployment of any foreign military forces or infrastructure in Ukraine as foreign intervention and treat those forces as legitimate targets.

“The deployment of military units, facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries in Ukraine is unacceptable to us and will be regarded as foreign intervention posing a direct threat to Russia’s security,” the Russian foreign ministry said, quoting the foreign minister.

It said Western countries – which have discussed a possible deployment to Ukraine to help secure any peace deal – had to understand “that all foreign military contingents, including German ones, if deployed in Ukraine, will become legitimate targets for the Russian Armed Forces”.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he has ordered the country’s military leaders to respond to the latest series of Russian attacks on the war-hit nation’s railway infrastructure and logistics routes.

Russian forces have increased their attacks on Ukraine’s nationwide railway network after capturing critical train hubs in Kupiansk and Pokrovsk. At least five people were killed after a train was attacked in the eastern region of Kharkiv.

“The Russian army remains focused on terror against our logistics – primarily railway infrastructure,” Zelensky said. “In particular, there were strikes in the Dnipro region and in Zaporizhzhia, specifically targeting railway facilities,” he said.

“During today’s coordination call, specific tasks in this regard were set for the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Minister of Defence, and the Head of Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways). I expect these tasks to be carried out today,” he said.

President Donald Trump has said his latest trade deal signed with India will end the war in Ukraine as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has agreed to stop buying Russian oil.

The US president said that he plans to lower tariff on goods from India to 18 per cent from 25 per cent in a breakthrough deal, months after Washington pressed New Delhi to cut its reliance on cheap Russian crude.

Trump said that India would also start to reduce its import taxes on US goods to zero and buy $500bn worth of American products.

“This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!” Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the tariff reduction on India.

India has taken advantage of reduced Russian oil prices as much of the world has sought to isolate Moscow for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.