US president Donald Trump has backed “leader-level” talks between Ukraine and Russia, suggesting a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky said the next round of trilateral peace talks on end the war in Ukraine should lead to a meeting of the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, after a phone call with Trump.
“We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move talks to the leaders’ level. President Trump supports this sequence of steps,” he said. “This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war”.
This comes as Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the country will accelerate the placement of anti-drone nets over roads in frontline areas, aiming to cover 4,000km of roads by the end of this year.
“In March, we plan to close 20km of roads per day. By the end of the year, we plan to install another 4,000 km of anti-drone protection on roads,” he said.
Four Ukrainian journalists killed working in Ukraine last year: report
Four Ukrainian journalists were killed by Russian forces last year, according to a report.
The Committee to Protect Journalists released new figures on Wednesday, finding a record 129 journalists and media workers were killed in the course of their work in 2025.
Russia’s embassy in Washington did not respond specifically to the CPJ report, but referred to past Russian Foreign Ministry statements accusing Kyiv of responsibility for the deaths of more than 60 individuals working in Russian media since 2014.
Russia has previously denied deliberately targeting journalists and Ukraine denies targeting Russian reporters.
The New York-based organisation found Israel was responsible for two-thirds of the deaths last year, killing 86 journalists – claims the IDF “strongly rejects”.
Russia questions how Trump’s Board of Peace will work with UN Security Council
Russia has questioned how president Donald Trump’s Board of Peace would work with the United Nations Security Council, which has served as the fulcrum of collective international peacemaking since the end of the Second World War.
“The charter of the Board of Peace defines itself as a new international structure designed to replace ‘mechanisms that have too often proved ineffective’,” Russian foreign ministry official Kirill Logvinov told state news agency TASS.
“It is clear that this approach raises questions about how the Board of Peace will coexist with the United Nations and its Security Council, which is the only universally recognised body for maintaining international peace and security,” the Russian ministry said, posing signs of objection to Trump’s peace body.
Trump first proposed the board in September, when he unveiled his plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza. Later, he said its remit would expand to tackle other conflicts globally – efforts traditionally overseen by the United Nations.
The board’s mandate never mentions Gaza, Logvinov, the director of the ministry’s international organisations department, added in an interview.
The US is the only permanent member of the UNSC to have joined the board. The other council members are Russia, China, Britain and France.
At least 20 injured in overnight attacks on Ukraine, including Zelensky’s hometown
At least 20 people have been injured in eastern and southern Ukraine after Russia attacked the country with missiles and drones last night, causing damage to residential buildings, local authorities said on Thursday.
Ballistic and cruise missiles were directed at Kyiv, the Kyiv region and Kharkiv in the east of the country, while drones attacked Zaporizhzhia in the south.
At least 14 people were injured in the Kharkiv region, including a seven-year-old boy, Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram, adding that the city itself had been attacked by two missiles and 17 drones.
Zaporizhzhia governor Ivan Fedorov said that at least seven people were injured in the overnight attack on the city and that Russian drones damaged 19 apartment buildings, while another 500 homes were left without heating due to damage to infrastructure.
Fedorov published photographs of houses with holes in the walls, destroyed private homes and smashed shops.
The Ukraine Air Force is yet to disclose the total number of missiles and drones used in the attack on Ukraine, and the main targets that were struck.
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Russia attacks Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones overnight
Russia has launched a major overnight attack on Ukraine with missiles and drones, regional officials from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih confirmed.
The first explosions were reported in Kyiv around 4am local time, reported the Kyiv Independent as Ukrainian air defence said it was engaging incoming targets.
Russia was attacking the Ukrainian capital with both, ballistic missiles and drones, said Kyiv city military administration head Tymur Tkachenko.
He also urged the residents to remain in shelters until the air raid alert was lifted.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko also said defences were operating in the city and asked residents to stay in safe locations as the air defences continued to intercept drones.
Russians describe senior officers ordering brutal execution of fellow soldiers
The men report being tortured for declining to take part in assaults they describe as verging on suicide missions in Ukraine in a new BBC documentary, The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War.
As the war enters its fifth year, the UK Ministry of Defence estimates that 1.2 million Russian troops have been killed or injured.
Dima, a 34-year-old father and former dishwasher repairman, said he witnessed his comrades executed on the order of a highly decorated commander and saw the bodies of 20 others lying in a pit after being “zeroed”. The term is Russian slang for executing one of your own.
“I see it – just two metres, three metres. Just murders, just click, clack, bang. It’s not a drama, it’s not a movie, it’s real life,” he said.
Zelensky-Putin meeting for peace talks approved by Trump
The next round of trilateral peace talks on end the war in Ukraine should lead to a meeting of the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, Volodymyr Zelensky said after a phone call with US president Donald Trump.
Zelensky said Trump has backed the move.
“We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move talks to the leaders’ level. President Trump supports this sequence of steps,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war,” he said.
The phone call discussed three-sided talks with Russia and the United States that would take place early next month. US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also took part in the phone call.
Zelensky said the two leaders discussed both meetings. He thanked the United States for its “active involvement” in the peace process and for missiles for air defence systems that were helping Ukraine endure winter-time attacks.
Putin plans mandatory reserve call-ups amid rising troops casualties
Russian president Vladimir Putin is faced with force generation issue to supply troops in the Ukraine war and is now looking to prepare for “domestically unpopular” measures to continue fighting.
The Russian government is struggling to find funds to “continue to pay the large cash incentives that it has used to generate the necessary number of volunteers” to fight, Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said.
It added that Moscow is facing “critical” manpower and military financing issues, with its casualty rate surpassing its recruitment rate for the first time in January.
“Putin is having to reassess Russia’s force generation mechanisms to determine how Russia can continue to send the number of troops to the front lines needed to sustain the incessant offensive operations he demands. Putin is clearly considering and preparing for domestically unpopular measures such as rolling involuntary reserve callups,” it said.
Big Oil made nearly £346bn in profits since Ukraine war began, analysis shows
According to the group’s calculations, the five companies recorded combined profits of $467bn (£346bn) over the four-year period. Their earnings spiked sharply in the year following Russia’s invasion as oil and gas prices surged through the global energy crisis triggered by the conflict.
Source: independent.co.uk