Ukraine-Russia conflict newest: Kyiv helps ‘essence’ of peace settlement however Zelensky and Trump to debate ‘sensitive points’

German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the status of negotiations over a US-backed peace deal following talks in Geneva over the weekend, a German government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The 28-point plan was criticised for being pro-Russian, prompting a counter-proposal from Europe.

A Ukrainian official deeply involved with ceasefire negotiations said that the United States appears to have agreed to a document set out by Europe’s allies in Geneva over the weekend – not a US plan.

The official in president Volodymyr Zekensky’s office said that if the deal was “the framework from Geneva, we’re okay. It’s not a bad framework to work further”.

US media organisations said they had been briefed by US officials after a meeting in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine’s head of military intelligence major general Kyrylo Budanov and Dan Driscoll, US army secretary.

“Following the meetings In Geneva, we see many prospects that can make the path to peace real. There are solid results, and much work still lies ahead,” Zelensky wrote on X.

The Geneva plan gives a written “article 5”-style US guarantee of Ukraine sovereignty.

If the White House has accepted this it would be a significant U-Turn by Donald Trump who has consistently ruled out offering American forces to guarantee Ukraine’s future security. It gives Nato protection to Ukraine without it actually joining the alliance.

The Geneva plan would freeze Russian control of captured Ukrainian territory along the current front lines, restricts Ukraine’s peacetime forces to 800,000, forbids Nato troops from being stationed there in peacetime and demands both sides sign a non-aggression pact.

It also allows for progressive sanctions to be lifted for Russia and for Moscow to rejoin the G8 economic group of nations.

Zelensky has said that some of the sensitive parts of this plan would need to be left for discussion with president Trump.

But Russia has already outright rejected the scheme. If an agreement has been made between Kyiv and Washington this would be the first time this year that the Trump administration has fallen in with the demands that Ukraine and its European allies say are the bare minimum for their future security.

Britain is still making plans for a multinational force in Ukraine after a ceasefire is agreed, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said on Tuesday.

In a call on Tuesday, Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky discussed “the importance of the continued work by coalition partners in preparation for the deployment of the multinational force following the cessation of hostilities”, Starmer’s spokesperson said.

Asked if UK was still willing to put boots on the ground in Ukraine after any end to the fighting in Ukraine, the spokesperson said: “That commitment remains.”

Russia has rejected any potential foreign military deployment in Ukraine, calling it “unacceptable”.

South African police have launched an investigation into serious allegations that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of Jacob Zuma, enticed 17 men into fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine under false pretences.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed the probe, which stems from an affidavit submitted by Zuma-Sambudla’s sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube.

The document claims Ms Zuma-Sambudla, alongside two unnamed individuals, misled the men by promising them security training in Russia, only for them to become embroiled in the conflict without their consent. The identities of the two other alleged accomplices remain undisclosed.

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Ukraine supports the “essence” of a peace deal framework following Geneva talks, a Ukrainian official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The most sensitive issues are yet to be discussed between Trump and Zelensky, according to the source.

Nato must speed up work on strengthening the protection of its eastern flank from drones, Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said after Romania scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday after drone incursions into its airspace.

“Operation Eastern Sentry requires reinforcement. Eight countries have declared their forces, this must be accelerated. This is also a conclusion if this violation is confirmed today,” Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz said after a meeting with his French counterpart.

Romanian defence minister Ionut Mosteanu earlier said the NATO pilots came close to shooting down a drone which had repeatedly entered the alliance member country’s airspace, but had held off, over concern about causing damage on the ground.

Drone fragments without an explosive charge were later found on Romanian territory.

“We are dealing with a new Russian provocation against Romania, a drone which the Romanian army and German Eurofighters have tried to shoot down,” Mr Mosteanu said.

In the Commons, the prime minister told MPs he wanted to update them “in relation to the news, as I understand it.”

However, he added, it was coming to him “second hand” and might not be “entirely accurate” – promising to return with more information if he was wrong.

He added: “But my understanding is, this is not a new agreement. It is Ukraine confirming that they are happy with the draft that emerged in Geneva yesterday, which of course, doesn’t have the question of territory.

“So our best understanding is this is a confirmation of basically what came out of Geneva, but it isn’t a new set of proposals or agreements in any way.”

Ukraine has accepted the terms of a Washington-brokered peace deal, according to US reports, after days of wrangling between the White House, Moscow and Kyiv.

A US official said Kyiv had “agreed to a peace deal” to stop Russia’s four-year invasion, CBS News reported hours after Ukraine’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov said it had reached a “reached a common understanding” with the White House.

Umerov had said that president Volodymyr Zelensky is likely to visit the US in the next few days to finalise a deal with President Donald Trump to end Ukraine’s war with Russia.