Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky warns Putin is planning fresh ground invasion despite ceasefire pleas – UK Times

After humiliating Zelensky into submission, Trump briefly put the ball into Putin’s court to accept a ceasefire, writes Jon Sopel. But the US president is not the master strategist he likes to think he is – and now has a crunch decision to make about what comes next

• Military chiefs meeting in UK: Plans for a Ukraine peacekeeping force are moving into an “operational phase,” with military leaders convening on Thursday to discuss security support.
• International commitment to Ukraine: Sir Keir held talks with Nato, EU leaders, and allies, reaffirming long-term support for Ukraine’s defence and deterrence against future Russian aggression.
• Ceasefire negotiations and pressure on Russia: Leaders welcomed the Jeddah peace agreement and Ukraine’s acceptance of a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire, urging Russia to agree and stop attacks. If Russia refuses, efforts will intensify to strengthen Ukraine and weaken Russia’s war capabilities.
• Sanctions and Russian assets: Discussions included tightening sanctions on Russia and exploring ways to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s recovery, though legal complexities remain.
• Coalition of the willing and military planning: A growing alliance is making new defence commitments, with discussions on how different countries will contribute military capabilities, potentially including UK troops and aircraft.
• Next steps: The UK will play a leading role in backing a peace deal, with military planning this week to ensure Ukraine’s security, prepare for potential deployment, and monitor any ceasefire violations.

A fire that was sparked by Ukraine’s drone attack on Friday at the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region has been contained but not yet extinguished, the region’s administration said late on Saturday.

The fire has been contained to an area of 1,250 square metres (13,500 square feet), the administration said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Nearly 200 firefighters are fighting the blaze, it said.

In his statement, Zelensky also said the battlefield situation near the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk had stabilised, and that Ukraine had successfully used a new domestically-produced long-range missile in combat.

Kyiv is seeking to expand its domestic defence industry to wean itself off Western allies who have provided critical artillery, air defence and long-range strike capabilities.

Ukraine’s new “long Neptune” missile has a range of 1,000 kilometres (621 miles), Zelensky said.

Read The Independent’s editorial below: