Ukraine-Russia latest: Trump threatens to skip peace talks after Zelensky rejects ‘free economic zone’ idea

Europe should prepare for war ‘like our grandparents endured’, warns Nato chief

Ukrainian navy cripples Russian shadow fleet tanker with sea drone strike

Tributes paid to ‘born soldier’ British paratrooper killed in Ukraine

Zelenskyy will hold urgent talks with 30 countries as Trump pushes for swift peace deal with Russia

Key Points

• US offer of Donbas ‘free economic zone’ draws scepticism from Kyiv
• Trump 'extremely frustrated' with lack of progress in Ukraine peace talks
• Europe must ‘increase lethality’ and be prepared to deter Russia, minister says
• Russia urges UK to reveal what British soldier killed in Ukraine was doing

Russia destroys 90 Ukrainian drones overnight, defence ministry says

Russian air defence systems destroyed 90 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the Black Sea overnight, according to its defence ministry.

Local authorities reported that seven people were injured in the city of Tver.

Russia only reports on the Ukrainian drones that it downs, and does not provide tallies for the total fired or those that hit their targets.

Europe must prepare for a conflict with Russia 'on scale our grandparents endured'

Europe must prepare for a conflict with Russia “on the scale our grandparents endured”, Nato’s secretary general has said in a stark warning to the West.

Tensions have been escalating across the continent in recent weeks, following a spate of drone incursions into Nato airspace and a chilling statement by Russian president Vladimir Putin that his country is “ready for war right now” if Europe wants it.

“We are Russia’s next target. And we are already in harm’s way,” Mark Rutte said in a speech in Berlin on Thursday.

Report:

Europe should prepare for war ‘like our grandparents endured’, warns Nato chief

Europe must ‘increase lethality’ and be prepared to deter Russia, minister says

Europe must be prepared to deter Russia as the "shadow of war" looms, a minister said amid a warning from the head of Nato.

Armed forces minister Al Carns said countries need to "increase our lethality" and stop outsourcing it to others.

It comes after Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said Europe was "Russia's next target" and warned countries to prepare for a "scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured".

Precarious peace efforts surrounding a US-led plan to end the war in Ukraine are ongoing, with sir Keir Starmer insisting Trump and his European counterparts are aligned on what they want for Kyiv.

But relations between Europe and the US are strained after the Trump administration's national security strategy accused European officials of holding "unrealistic expectations" for the war in Ukraine.

Carns told The Telegraph: "For the last 50 to 60 years, we have been reliant on US security guarantees and now, with multipolar threats facing the US, they may not be as forthright as they have in the past."

While Donald Trump has agreed he is "fully in" Nato and its Article 5 collective defence clause, "there is a resource issue where they need to look both east and west", he said.

"In the past, in wars of choice, we've outsourced our lethality to others."We've got to make sure that we increase our lethality ... across all of our single services," he said.

Having "outsourced" to the US in the past, Europe and the UK have now pledged to "up our game on defence spending", he said.

He added: "The shadow of war is knocking on Europe's door once more.

"That's the reality. We've got to be prepared to deter it. Collectively in Nato, we've got to remember that numerically - we outmatch Russia significantly."

Europe must prepare for war with Russia, warns Nato secretary general

Europe should prepare for war ‘like our grandparents endured’, warns Nato chief

In pictures: Zelensky arrives at the Special European Council to discuss continued support for Ukraine and European defence

US offer of Donbas ‘free economic zone’ draws scepticism from Kyiv

Volodymyr Zelensky raised serious concerns about the US's proposal to designate part of the contested Donbas as a “free economic zone”.

The Donbas – a heavily industrialised area encompassing the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – sits at the centre of the latest draft peace plan.

Washington’s earlier proposal, leaked last month, had urged Ukraine to pull back from the areas it still controls in the region, a condition president Volodymyr Zelensky labelled “unacceptable”.

After consultations with European partners, including a meeting in London with Sir Keir Starmer this week, Zelensky said he has now sent a revised, 20-point counter-proposal to Washington.

The updated framework envisages Ukrainian forces withdrawing without Russian troops moving forward, leaving a neutral corridor.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelensky questioned how such an arrangement would function. "If one side's troops have to retreat and the other side stays where they are, then what will hold back these other troops, the Russians? Or what will stop them disguising themselves as civilians and taking over this free economic zone? This is all very serious.

"It's not a fact that Ukraine would agree to it, but if you are talking about a compromise then it has to be a fair compromise."

Trump 'extremely frustrated' with lack of progress in Ukraine peace talks

US president Donald Trump is “extremely frustrated” with Russia and Ukraine over the lack of progress in peace talks, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

She said discussions continue and the US could send a representative to those discussions as soon as this weekend "if there is a real chance of signing a peace agreement”.

But she added that it's "still up in the air whether real peace can be achieved."

Trump took office in January suggesting he could solve Russia's war in Ukraine quickly but has spent months complaining bitterly.

"And he's sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting," Leavitt said.

"He doesn't want any more talk. He wants action."

Watch: Ukrainian sea drone hits Russian shadow fleet tanker in Black Sea

Russia urges UK to reveal what British soldier killed in Ukraine was doing

Moscow has urged the UK to disclose what a British soldier killed in Ukraine was doing there, accusing London of helping Kyiv carry out "acts of terrorism".

The UK Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that the soldier, Lance Corporal George Hooley, died in Ukraine while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability away from the frontline.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the British government should not deceive its citizens by claiming that British soldiers sent to Ukraine were only advisers or instructors.

She accused British forces of helping Kyiv "carry out terrorist attacks and extremist tasks" on London's direct orders.

Zakharova did not set out evidence to back up her accusations of alleged wider UK involvement.

Europe must integrate more deeply during Trump era, says Polish minister

Europe must integrate more deeply and strengthen itself militarily during the Trump administration, Polish justice minister Waldemar Zurek said on Thursday.

Mr Zurek’s government, led by prime minister Donald Tusk, is at loggerheads over a number of domestic issues with president Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist endorsed by Trump.

They also differ on matters of security, with Tusk advocating a stronger role for the European Union in defence, in contrast to Nawrocki who says this would undermine the crucial role of the United States on Nato's eastern flank.

A U.S. strategy document published last week said Washington should focus on "cultivating resistance to Europe's current trajectory within European nations" while also saying Europe should take primary responsibility for its own defence.

Hungary's Orban says Trump strategy grasps Europe's 'civilisation-scale decline'

The Trump's administration’s new National Security Strategy shows that America understands Europe's "civilisational-scale decline", Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban wrote on X on Thursday.

In the document, Trump called on the United States to reassess its relationship with Europe, a continent which faces "civilizational erasure" and must change course.

The document caused shock across Europe, but Orban, a long-time Trump ally, called it "the most important and most interesting document of recent years".

He said it showed Washington had grasped that Europe reached an "economic dead end" and that its values, democracy and free market were all in danger.

Orban also said the US administration understood that Europe needed to rebuild its relationship with Russia "at a strategic level".

"America has a precise understanding of Europe’s decline. They see the civilisational-scale decline that we in Hungary have been fighting against for fifteen years. At last, we are not fighting against it alone," he said.

Europe-US talks expected this weekend, says Merz

German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expects talks with US officials to take place this weekend, discussing a proposal put forward by the European side for peace in Ukraine.

In a call on Wednesday, "we made a proposal to [Donald Trump] that we would finalise the documents together with the American government over the weekend," Mr Merz said.

"If we now proceed with this process as we envisage, there will be talks with the American government over the weekend," he added at a press conference with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.

Watch: Zelensky says he discussed with Ukrainian parliament ways of holding election

Russia open to foreign investment, says Kremlin

Russia is open to foreign investment, the Kremlin said on Thursday, following reports that Donald Trumps’ Ukraine peace plan included major proposals to invest in Russia rare earths and energy.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the plans were detailed in appendices to peace proposals handed to European counterparts over recent weeks.

They include a plan to restore Russian energy flows to Europe and for U.S. financial firms and other businesses to tap $200 billion of frozen Russian sovereign assets for projects in Ukraine, the paper said.

Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, was interested in foreign investment. When asked about the US frozen asset proposals reported by the Journal, Peskov declined comment.

Coalition of the Willing leaders meet to discuss progress on mobilising frozen Russian sovereign assets

Leaders of the 'Coalition of the Willing' group of nations discussed progress on mobilising frozen Russian sovereign assets during a virtual meeting on Thursday, British prime minister Keir Starmer's office said.

The call came a day after Britain, France and Germany spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about Washington's latest push for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Kyiv has pushed back against a US backed plan proposed last month that would require major concessions to Moscow, while European powers are working on security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a potential accord.

The leaders agreed on Thursday that the U.S.-led peace plan was a "pivotal moment" for Ukraine.

Russian forces seize village in Kkharkiv region, Moscow claims

Russian forces took control of the village of Lyman in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region, state news agencies cited the Defence Ministry as saying on Thursday.

The Independent could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

Moscow’s forces have continued advancing forwards on the Ukrainian frontline, as US mediators work to hash out a deal between the two countries.

Elections in Ukraine would require ceasefire, says Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that holding elections in Ukraine during wartime would require a ceasefire.

"There must be a ceasefire - at least or the duration of the election process and voting. This is what needs to be discussed. Frankly speaking, here in Ukraine, we believe that America should talk to the Russian side about this," he told a meeting of the 'Coalition of the Willing' group of nations.

Wartime elections are forbidden by law but Zelensky, whose term expired last year, is facing renewed pressure from president Donald Trump to hold a vote.

Ukraine drones hit Russian oil rig for first time - SBU

Ukrainian drones hit a Russian oil rig in the Caspian sea for the first time, a source in Ukraine’s SBU security service said according to Reuters.

The drones struck the Filanovsky oil rig, which belongs to Russian oil major Lukoil. At least four strikes were recorded on the target.

The strikes halted the facility's extraction of oil and gas, the source said.

Lukoil did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Russia claims it's taken full control of Ukraine town Siversk, Kyiv officials deny this

President Vladimir Putin thanked the Russian army on Thursday after commanders told him that their forces had taken full control of the town of Siversk in eastern Ukraine, but Ukraine's military said it remained in control there.

Reuters could not verify the battlefield claim around Siversk, a longstanding target in Russia's slow drive to capture all of Donetsk region.

Commanders told Putin that the capture of Siversk, a town with a pre-war population of over 10,000 people, was a stepping stone towards taking Sloviansk, one of the two biggest cities in Donetsk still under Ukrainian control.

They told Putin that Ukraine had tried to defend Siversk, which Russians call Seversk, with various trenches and fortifications, and that the Russian army had defeated it by choking off its logistics routes, outflanking its troops and carrying out targeted assaults.

White House: Trump will send official to Europe talks on Ukraine if real chance for peace

President Donald Trump will send a representative to talks in Europe on Ukraine this weekend there is a real chance of signing a peace agreement, the White House said on Thursday.

"The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

In pictures: the Coalition of the Willing meet on video call over Ukraine

Bulletin | Trump says ‘strong words’ exchanged during call with European leaders

Read everything you need to know about Donald Trump’s latest comments in just five bullet points with The Independent’s Bulletin...

Trump says ‘strong words’ exchanged with European leaders

Zelensky holds 'constructive and in-depth discussion' with US delegation on peace talks

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv’s team have had a “constructive and in-depth discussion” with the US delegation.

The call included Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Generals Keane and Grynkewich, and Josh Gruenbaum from the US side.

He also thanked Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.

“We greatly value the active engagement of the American side at all levels – not only in working to end the war, but also in ensuring Ukraine’s security and preventing a new Russian invasion.

“This reflects the seriousness of America’s intentions and its clear focus on achieving outcomes. Security guarantees are among the most critical elements for all subsequent steps. We have already got the negative experience of the Budapest Memorandum.”

He continued: “Everyone remembers this, as well as the occasions when Russia repeatedly violated all its other commitments. That is why it is essential that this document on security guarantees provides concrete answers to what concerns Ukrainians the most: what actions partners will take if Russia decides to launch its aggression again.

“It was agreed that the teams will work actively to ensure that, in the near future, there will be a clear understanding of the security guarantees. I thank everyone who is helping!”

Today, we have had a constructive and in-depth discussion with the American team on one of the three documents we are currently working on – the one on security guarantees. The U.S. was represented by Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio, Secretary Pete Hegseth @SecWar, @SteveWitkoff,… pic.twitter.com/gztUJHBOqn

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 11, 2025

Lavrov says Witkoff-Putin meeting brought US and Russia closer

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that a visit to Moscow this month by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff had helped bring Moscow and Washington closer togather on certain issues.

The Kremlin said at the time that Russia and the US did not reach a compromise on a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, after the marathon five-hour Kremlin talks between Vladimir Putin, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law.

Lavrov added that Moscow had handed over Russia's proposals on collective security guarantees to Washington.

Watch: Ukrainian sea drone hits Russian shadow fleet tanker in Black Sea

Zelensky says Ukraine has sent updated peace plan to US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv has presented the US with an updated version of its peace plan to end the war with Russia.

The peace framework would include security guarantees and an agreement on rebuilding Ukraine, he added.

He said the US had discussed an idea to create a "free economic zone" in parts of eastern Ukraine where Kyiv's troops would withdraw, but that any territorial concessions would need to go to a referendum.

Russian troops capture city in Donetsk, claims Kremlin

Russian troops have captured the city of Siversk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

Vladimir Putin has been informed of the development, he added.

Before Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the small city of Siversk had around 10,000 residents.

The Independent could not immediately verify the battlefield report.

Trump and Europe want ‘same thing’ for Ukraine, Starmer says

Donald Trump and European leaders want the “same thing” for Ukraine with a “just and lasting” ceasefire, Sir Keir Starmer insisted as precarious peace efforts surrounding a US-led plan to end the war with Russia continue.

The Prime Minister said there were a “number of issues still to be resolved” but dismissed suggestions his optimism had been frayed ahead of chairing a call with allies in the coalition of the willing on Thursday.

Asked during a visit to Norfolk whether there was a chance of progress being made into the weekend, or whether his hopes had been “worn down”, he said: “No, we do need to make progress.

Read the full report:

Trump and Europe want ‘same thing’ for Ukraine, Starmer says

EU seeking to freeze Russian assets indefinitely, removing six-month vote

The EU is looking to agree on Friday to freeze Russian central bank assets immobilised in Europe for as long as is needed, and replace the need for a vote every six months, according to EU diplomats.

The move is the basis for the EU's plan to use the Russian sovereign assets in the EU for a loan to Ukraine that would keep it financed in 2026 and 2027, allowing the country to continue to defend itself against Russia's invasion.

The European Commission has proposed using a provision of the EU treaty, Article 122, to keep the assets frozen indefinitely.

Russia urges UK to reveal what British soldier killed in Ukraine was doing

Moscow has urged the UK to disclose what a British soldier killed in Ukraine was doing there, accusing London of helping Kyiv carry out "acts of terrorism".

The UK Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that the soldier, Lance Corporal George Hooley, died in Ukraine while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability away from the frontline.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the British government should not deceive its citizens by claiming that British soldiers sent to Ukraine were only advisers or instructors.

She accused British forces of helping Kyiv "carry out terrorist attacks and extremist tasks" on London's direct orders.

Zakharova did not set out evidence to back up her accusations of alleged wider UK involvement.

Europe to take measures over immobilising Russian assets, says Irish finance minister

Europe will take measures in the coming days over immobilising Russian assets in order to fund Ukraine, said Ireland's finance minister Simon Harris at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers.

"The funding need is urgent. We need to make sure Russia pays," said Harris, adding it would be 'good to have' a decision this week.

The European Commission has proposed an unprecedented use of frozen Russian assets or international borrowing to raise money for Ukraine. It prefers a "reparations loan" using Russian state assets immobilised in the EU due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But Belgium, which holds most of the assets in the Euroclear securities depository, has raised legal concerns, which have delayed the final decision.

Europe must integrate more deeply during Trump era, says Polish minister

Europe must integrate more deeply and strengthen itself militarily during the Trump administration, Polish justice minister Waldemar Zurek said on Thursday.

Mr Zurek’s government, led by prime minister Donald Tusk, is at loggerheads over a number of domestic issues with president Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist endorsed by Trump.

They also differ on matters of security, with Tusk advocating a stronger role for the European Union in defence, in contrast to Nawrocki who says this would undermine the crucial role of the United States on Nato's eastern flank.

A U.S. strategy document published last week said Washington should focus on "cultivating resistance to Europe's current trajectory within European nations" while also saying Europe should take primary responsibility for its own defence.

Rutte warns Russia may launch war 'on the scale our grandparents endured'

Nato chief Mark Rutte has been giving in speech in Berlin on Thursday, where he warned that European allies must step up their defence efforts to prevent war waged by Russia, that could be "on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured".

Mr Rutte said too many allies of the military alliance did not feel the urgency of Russia's threat in Europe and that they must rapidly increase defence spending and production to prevent a war on the scale of that seen by past generations.

"We are Russia's next target. I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don't feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now," Mr Rutte added

"Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe. And we must be prepared," he said, adding that Russia could use military force against NATO within five years.

Watch: Zelensky says he discussed with Ukrainian parliament ways of holding election

Trump's peace plan includes major investment in Russia and restoration of energy flows to Europe – WSJ

Donald Trump's plan for peace in Ukraine includes proposals to restore Russian energy flows to Europe, major US investment in Russian rare earths and energy, and tapping frozen Russian sovereign assets, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The plans were detailed in appendices to peace proposals handed to European counterparts over recent weeks, the WSJ reported.

Trump’s peace pitch includes a plan for US financial firms and other businesses to tap $200bn of frozen Russian sovereign assets for projects in Ukraine, including a major new data center powered by the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant now controlled by Russian forces, the paper said.

He has also offered that US companies would invest in Russian strategic sectors such as rare-earth extraction and oil drilling in the Arctic, while Russian energy flows to Western Europe and the world would be restored, it added.

The paper said one unidentified European official compared the proposed US-Russian energy deals to an economic version of the 1945 Yalta conference.

Military aid for Ukraine declines as winter offensive begins

A combination of factors have seen the flow of military aid to Ukraine reduced this year at a time when Russia is ramping up its war efforts.

Primary among those is the Trump administration's decision to cut off supplies to Kyiv unless they are paid for by other Nato countries.

European aid has continued but those flows are more inconsistent and vary significantly across the continent.

Foreign military help for Ukraine fell sharply over the summer, and that trend continued through September and October, a German body that tracks international help for Ukraine said yesterday.

Average annual aid, mostly provided by the US and Europe, was about €41.6bn ($48.4 billion) between 2022 and 2024. But so far this year, Ukraine has received just €32.5bn ($37.8bn), the Kiel Institute said.

This year, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have substantially increased their help for Ukraine, while Germany nearly tripled its average monthly allocations, and France and the UK both more than doubled their contributions, the Kiel Institute said.

On the other hand, it said, Spain recorded no new military aid for Kyiv in 2025 while Italy reduced its low contributions by 15 per cent compared with 2022-2024.

Watch: Ukrainian sea drone hits Russian shadow fleet tanker in Black Sea

Russia launches large mechanised assault in Pokrovsk, Ukraine says

A Russian mechanised attack took place inside the eastern city of Pokrovsk yesterday, Kyiv’s military said.

"The Russians used armoured vehicles, cars, and motorcycles. The convoys attempted to break through from the south to the northern part of the city," Ukraine's 7th rapid response corps said in a statement on Wednesday morning's assault.

It comes as part of Moscow’s campaign to seize the entire industrial Donbas region, in which Russian troops have pushed forward in small infantry groups for months to capture of former logistics hub.

Russia has claimed it has full control of Pokrovsk, but Kyiv maintains that it holds the northern part of the city, where fierce urban battles have raged.

Hungary's Orban says Trump strategy grasps Europe's 'civilisation-scale decline'

The Trump's administration’s new National Security Strategy shows that America understands Europe's "civilisational-scale decline", Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban wrote on X on Thursday.

In the document, Trump called on the United States to reassess its relationship with Europe, a continent which faces "civilizational erasure" and must change course.

The document caused shock across Europe, but Orban, a long-time Trump ally, called it "the most important and most interesting document of recent years".

He said it showed Washington had grasped that Europe reached an "economic dead end" and that its values, democracy and free market were all in danger.

Orban also said the US administration understood that Europe needed to rebuild its relationship with Russia "at a strategic level".

"America has a precise understanding of Europe’s decline. They see the civilisational-scale decline that we in Hungary have been fighting against for fifteen years. At last, we are not fighting against it alone," he said.

Moscow accuses Poland of 'legal tyranny' after citizen arrested in Warsaw

Moscow has accused Poland of “legal tyranny” following the arrest of a Russian archaeologist at Ukraine’s arrest.

Alexander Butyagin, an employee of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, was detained on arrival in Warsaw, according to Russia’s foreign ministry.

The ministry said Butyagin was accused by Kyiv of "destroying cultural heritage" while carrying out archaelogical excavations in Russian occupied Crimea, but contended that the allegation was absurd. The archaeologist had been invited to deliver a number of lectures in European cities.

"This is absolute legal tyranny," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"We will of course demand through diplomatic channels the right to protect the interests of our citizen.”

Europe-US talks expected this weekend, says Merz

German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expects talks with US officials to take place this weekend, discussing a proposal put forward by the European side for peace in Ukraine.

In a call on Wednesday, "we made a proposal to [Donald Trump] that we would finalise the documents together with the American government over the weekend," Mr Merz said.

"If we now proceed with this process as we envisage, there will be talks with the American government over the weekend," he added at a press conference with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.

Russia open to foreign investment, says Kremlin

Russia is open to foreign investment, the Kremlin said on Thursday, following reports that Donald Trumps’ Ukraine peace plan included major proposals to invest in Russia rare earths and energy.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the plans were detailed in appendices to peace proposals handed to European counterparts over recent weeks.

They include a plan to restore Russian energy flows to Europe and for U.S. financial firms and other businesses to tap $200 billion of frozen Russian sovereign assets for projects in Ukraine, the paper said.

Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, was interested in foreign investment. When asked about the US frozen asset proposals reported by the Journal, Peskov declined comment.