Ukraine-Russia war latest: Europe has ‘pretty precise’ plan to send troops to Ukraine; Zelensky vows revenge – UK Times

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that the war in Ukraine could still last for a long time and ending it quickly at the country’s expense was not an option.

In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, Merz, when asked whether a ceasefire might be possible this year, said he hasn’t lost hope but “harbors no illusions,” and emphasized that supporting the country to defend itself against Russia was an “absolute priority.”

“We are trying to end it as quickly as possible. But certainly not at the price of Ukraine’s capitulation. You could end the war tomorrow if Ukraine surrendered and lost its independence,” Merz said.

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Russian drone attacks on power facilities in northern and southern Ukraine overnight left nearly 60,000 customers without electricity, with President Volodymyr Zelensky vowing to retaliate by ordering more strikes deep inside Russia.

Three and a half years into the war, Russia and Ukraine have both intensified airstrikes in recent weeks. Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy and transport systems, while Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil refineries and pipelines.

“We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine’s defence. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned,” Zelenskiy said on X after meeting Ukraine’s top general, Oleksandr Syrsky, without giving further details of the plans.

Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said Russian drones had attacked four energy facilities in the Odesa region during the night, and local authorities reported that 29,000 people were left without electricity early on Sunday.

Europe is drawing up “pretty precise plans” for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees that will have the backing of U.S. capabilities, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times in an interview published Sunday.

President Trump reassured us that there will be (an) American presence as part of the backstop, von der Leyen told the FT.

The deployment is set to include potentially tens of thousands of European-led troops, backed by assistance from the U.S., including control and command systems and intelligence and surveillance assets, the report said, adding that this arrangement was agreed at a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European leaders last month.

European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and von der Leyen are expected to gather in Paris on Thursday, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, to continue the high-level discussions on Ukraine, the FT reported, citing three diplomats briefed on the plans.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed on Sunday recent contacts between Russia and the United States, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Russian media without elaborating.

Putin held talks in Alaska with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month.

Xi and Putin met on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Coooperation Organisation in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin.