Medvedev, who ranks just behind Putin in the security council, wants Russia to press the attack as its "primary objective," saying US could resume.

As Russia bombs Ukraine and Trump pushes Zelenskyy for a "better deal," what will it take to end the war Vladimir Putin started?

MOSCOW — Russia will seek a peace deal in Ukraine that safeguards its own long-term security and will not retreat from the gains it has made in the conflict, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (March 6) in comments to relatives of soldiers killed there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there can be "no pause" in pressure on Russia after another night of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine.

Ukrainian troops are reportedly making gains along three parts of the front as Russian forces face a manpower shortage and poor command. One pro-Moscow military blogger has lamented how Ukrainian forces are exerting growing pressure on Russian troops in the Donetsk region, as a map shows the latest state of play.

Russia said on Thursday that a French and British peace initiative on Ukraine was a bid to buy time for Kyiv and prevent its military collapse.

A collective force of 120 European fighter jets could secure Ukraine's skies from Russian attacks, according to a plan drawn up by military experts. The proponents of SkyShield have said that a European-led air protection zone which is operated separate to NATO could curb Russian cruise missile and drone attacks on Ukraine without provoking a wider conflict with Moscow.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko -- a close ally of President Vladimir Putin -- warned that the Kremlin "will never" accept a European deployment to Ukraine.

The Trump administration appears to have ordered at least a partial halt to the crucial intelligence that the United States shares with Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion, according to a US military official and public remarks made by top Trump administration officials.

European officials have been told that President Donald Trump wants to link the proposed US-Ukraine minerals deal to demands for Kyiv to commit to a quick ceasefire with Russia, according to people familiar with the matter.