Ukraine war latest: Zelensky welcomes diplomatic end to Putin’s conflict

At least five Ukrainian children sent away or placed in care since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion returned to their homeland.

Daria Zarivna, an adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, said those brought home yesterday included three young people who in the course of their movements had reached the age of 18.

One girl had long sought to come home despite being subjected to Russian narratives of the war, Ms Zarivna said. Another boy who fled to Russia with his mother at the start of the war was reunited with his entire family.

A third sought help to find his way out of Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine while another family with two children endured searches and interrogations in their home before being taken to a safe area.

“These stories are not just facts, but real tales of fate and rescue thanks to the efforts of the state, volunteers and our international partners,” Ms Zarivna wrote.

Ukraine has brought at least 1,029 children home since the outbreak of war, according to Ukraine’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky floated the idea on Monday of foreign troops being deployed to war-stricken Ukraine until the country joins the NATO military alliance.

He made the remark during a joint press conference in Kyiv with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, as Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House intensifies talk of a possible deal to end the war.

“A troop contingent from one country or another could be present in Ukraine for as long as it isn’t part of NATO. But for that we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine becomes an EU member and when a NATO member,” Zelensky said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he is open to the potential deployment of Western troops in Ukraine to guarantee the country’s security as part of an effort to end the almost three-year war with Russia.

“A troop contingent from one country or another could be present in Ukraine for as long as it isn’t part of Nato. But for that we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine becomes an EU member and when a Nato member,” Mr Zelensky said speaking alongside German opposition leader Friedrich Merz in Kyiv.

Mr Zelensky stressed that even with an invitation to the Nato military alliance, long-term protection would still be uncertain in the face of future Russian aggression.

Almost 800,000 Russian troops are currently deployed in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday, reported the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

He claimed that the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad has fallen as “there are no real Russian fighters left there”.

“This means that the entire army of a great pseudo-empire is fighting against the Ukrainian people. The same thing is happening in Africa. We know that there were ‘Wagners’ there,” Mr Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader said that if Ukraine falls, “Putin will return to Syria, Africa and many other countries.” His remarks came before a meeting with Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been speaking at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz in Kyiv.

The Guardian reports he said: “Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We do seek it. You can only exert force if Ukraine is strong. A strong Ukraine before any diplomacy means a strong (Ukraine) on the battlefield.”

There is growing recognition among Zelensky’s inner circle that, as Russia continues to achieve combat victories, some form of negotiation will be required shortly.

But the Ukrainian leader wants more armaments from friends, as well as security guarantees, to negotiate with Moscow from a position of strength if necessary.

Japan’s atomic bomb survivors’ group, Nihon Hidankyo, said Monday that it did not believe Russian president Vladimir Putin comprehended the threat posed by nuclear weapons after the warmonger modified Russia’s nuclear doctrine.

“President Putin, I don’t think he truly understands what nuclear weapons are for human beings,” Terumi Tanaka, 92, the secretary general of Nihon Hidankyo and a survivor of Nagasaki’s 1945 atomic blast, said.

Tanaka remarked at a press conference in Oslo, published by the news agency AFP, and a day before receiving the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize at a formal ceremony in Oslo: “Nuclear weapons are things which must never be used.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that he is willing to consider the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine to ensure the country’s security as part of a larger effort to end the nearly three-year conflict with Russia.

Zelensky claimed in a message on his Telegram channel that the deployment would be a step towards Ukraine joining NATO.

“But before that, we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the European Union and when Ukraine will be in NATO,” he said.

His suggestions take a tricky diplomatic path amidst international efforts to find a way to end Europe’s largest conflict since World War II, at a time when Russia has gained an advantage in the combat.

Britain announced a new round of sanctions on Monday, accusing Russia of supporting its war efforts in Ukraine and fostering corruption through the illicit gold trade.

According to an official notice, the government added one new designation under the Russia sanctions regime, one under the Democratic Republic of the Congo regime and three under the global anti-corruption system.

Following Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Britain and other major Western economies banned the import of new Russian gold in 2022. Russia has since found new outlets for the gold it produces.

Last week, Britain and the United States said that they had broken a global money laundering conspiracy used by wealthy Russians to circumvent sanctions.

Along with the recent sanctions, the government nominated a new ‘Anti-Corruption Champion’ to help coordinate efforts to combat all forms of corruption among parliamentarians, the commercial sector and civil society.

The EU council confirmed that Ukraine will soon receive an additional €4.2 billion ($4.4 billion; £3.5 billion) in funds after the EU’s member states accepted the scheduled payment.

The funds, which are part of the EU’s Ukraine facility, will benefit the country’s suffering economy, which has been hurt by a drop in exports and the closure of several firms as a result of Russia’s war.

The EU council wants the money to be transferred to Ukraine as soon as possible, citing the country’s terrible fiscal condition.

The G7 group of the world’s largest economies has agreed to provide Ukraine with an overall loan of €47.3 billion ($50 billion; £39 billion), which will be serviced by earnings earned by Russian assets frozen in the West.

Further information on the below post has just come through from the Reuters news agency, with Ukraine‘s president Volodymyr Zelensky saying that discussions on the NATO membership with Trump “doesn’t make sense” and he will call Biden “in the coming days.”

Speaking at a news conference with Germany’s visiting opposition leader Friedrich Merz on Monday, he said: “I intend to call President Biden in the coming time to discuss the question of an invitation to join NATO. He is the current president and a lot rides on his opinion. Discussing it with Trump before he takes office doesn’t make so much sense.”