Russia ‘seeking to prolong war’, says Zelenskyy as Kremlin aide says proposed ceasefire just ‘temporary respite’ for Ukraine – Europe live

We’re now getting longer quotes from Yuri Ushakov, a former ambassador to Washington who speaks for Putin on major foreign policy issues, who said the US proposal on ceasefire gives Russia “nothing.” “I stated our position that this is nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more,” Ushakov said. “It gives us nothing. It only gives the Ukrainians an opportunity to regroup, gain strength and to continue the same thing,” he later added, as reported by Reuters. By the way, the broader issue of Europe’s rush to rearm is the main topic of this week’s Guardian Weekly. Just saying! Europe has changed. Call it a watershed, a turning point or, if you prefer German, Zeitenwende, but the continent is reassessing its defence priorities in response to the Trump administration’s brutal shift in attitude to the 80-year-old transatlantic relationship and US support for Ukraine. This week’s issue plots how, with unaccustomed speed, Paris, Berlin and London, along with the European Commission, are stepping up with a new “whatever it takes” mentality to create a framework for their own defence. Our coverage, led by Toby Helm and with contributions from our correspondents in Kyiv, Brussels and Berlin, examines how fiscal shibboleths are being shed to allow for increased military spending, and from Berlin a growing enthusiasm for Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz to consider sheltering under France’s independent nuclear umbrella. But even as leaders firm up their approach to Washington and Moscow, diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reports on how their populist opponents, whose rhetoric has tended towards support of the strongman diplomacy of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, are left fumbling as to how to counteract this new geopolitical landscape. Back in Bundestag, speaking for the Greens, Katharina Dröge criticised Merz for repeatedly rejecting the party’s proposals to work on the debt brake reform, even after Trump’s election in the US, and the previous coalition falling apart. She blamed him for party political thinking and “political calculations,” and putting the electoral prospects of CDU/CSU ahead of the country’s interest. She told him that the negotiations are not progressing as he would want to see them as they believe they can’t take his word seriously, but instead focus on what is written down on paper. Dröge also criticised Merz suggesting he is trying accounting tricks moving money around, but the total for climate protection would not actually go up, “an offer that will not work.” But despite the fierce rhetoric and criticism, there were also suggestions that the party was still willing to engage in further talks on how to amend the proposal to make it work. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now weighed in the debate on the US proposals for ceasefire in Ukraine, accusing Russia of “seeking to prolong the war” and urging the US to “compel” Moscow to end the war. Zelenskyy particularly stressed that “for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made.” “This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war,” he said. Here is his social media update in full: The Ukrainian delegation provided me with a detailed report on its meeting with US representatives in Saudi Arabia, including the progress of negotiations and key aspects. It is good that the conversation was entirely constructive. Ukraine is committed to moving quickly toward peace, and we are prepared to do our part in creating all of the conditions for a reliable, durable, and decent peace. I thank our teams for the fact that military aid and intelligence sharing resumed. Our representatives informed the U.S. side about Ukraine’s principled positions. Ukraine was ready for an air and sea ceasefire, but the US proposed extending it to land. Ukraine welcomes this proposal. The control of such a ceasefire remains an important issue, and we appreciate the United States’ willingness to organize the technical aspects of such control. We discussed the need to guarantee security, as well as our cooperation with European partners and further joint steps. Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made. This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war. Our team is prepared to continue working constructively with all partners in America, Europe, and other parts of the world who are committed to bringing peace closer. We are grateful to Saudi Arabia and personally to the Crown Prince for providing a platform for our delegations to work. German chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has told lawmakers that any delay to massive ramping up of defence investment would be “irresponsible” as he argued for his proposed changes to the constitutional debt brake. He said that strenghtening Germany’s defence capabilities was “the absolute priority” given an increasingly challenging security environment, saying “deterrence must be quickly and credibly backed by military force.” Merz also argued that the proposal would help Germany’s struggling economy and were backed by a panel of economists. “We don’t want to spend money for nothing, but we this as part of a comprehensive reform agenda for our country,” he said. In a bid to win over the Greens, he said that climate funding will be added to the infrastructure fund, offering a chance to make a “giant leap” in climate protection in Germany. “The whole world is looking to Germany these days,” he said, adding that lawmakers “must live up to this responisbility” with “a far-reaching, historic decision for our country.” Speaking earlier, Lars Klingbeil, of SPD, warned that “the postwar order was beginning to falter,” as he reminded them that the Russian invasion on Ukraine is happening “two hours’ flight from here.” But he stressed that “the international situation dramatically deteriorated in recent weeks.” Pointedly referencing JD Vance’s speech in Munich and Zelenskyy’s clash with Vance and Trump in the White House, he mentioned concerns about the unpredictability of the American president and the reliability of the transatlantic relationship. Picking up the US-led ceasefire talks, he said it was “unclear” what the consequences would be for Germany, but insisted that “we must be prepared.” “If Ukraine falls, then peace in the EU will also be at risk,” he said. He acknowledged that multiple politicians had previously called for similar investments, without effect, but said it was now “not about whether you feel good about it; it is about responsibility that we share.” In what seemed like a pointed call to the Greens, he said that “negotiating hard … demanding change is the right thing to do,” but warned them against “carelessly squandering a historic opportunity” to secure that investment. Elsewhere, US president Donald Trump has just threatened the European Union, “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the world,” with 200% tariffs on “all wines, champagnes and alcoholic products coming out of France and other EU represented countries.” In a post on Truth Social, he said this would be a response to the EU’s plans to put “a nasty” 50% tariffs on US whisky. He said the proposed US retaliation would be “great for the wine and champagne businesses in the US.” Not sure if US consumers and drinkers will be equally excited, though. in Berlin Amid expectations of Germany relaxing a key element of its strict fiscal rules known as the “debt brake”, its allies have responded favourably and markets have rallied. Economic forecasters have said a public spending boost is likely to help the country emerge from two years of economic doldrums. Merz has argued that raising defence spending has become a matter of urgency due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, not just for Germany, but for the whole of Europe. With Donald Trump in the White House, he has argued, the continent must become more independent. However, the deal is far from being realised, with Merz’s CDU/CSU alliance and his probable future coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), needing to secure the support of the Greens in order to muster the two-thirds majority required to change the constitution. Merz has faced accusations he intends to use the new money to finance projects which will please the new government’s conservative voter base, and has been called on to provide guarantees, including commitments to much-needed widespread reforms. The far-right Alternative für Deutschland and the far-left Die Linke have, meanwhile, lodged complaints with the constitutional court, which might deliver its ruling this week. But early indications from the Greens aren’t great for Merz: Senior Greens legislator, Irene Mihalic, dismissed as hipocrisy calls by Merz and the Social Democrats for the Greens to live up to their constitutional responsibilities, saying Merz had refused to enable necessary reforms before the elections when he was in opposition. A senior Greens legislator said there would still be a sufficient, albeit different, majority to reform Germany’s debt brake once the newly elected parliament had been seated, in an indication they might continue to block conservative chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz’s plan for reform, Reuters reported. Let’s see how the debate evolves – I will bring you some key lines there as we wait for more updates on Ukraine and Russia’s response to US proposals. The German parliamentary debate is off to a rocky start as Bernd Baumann, of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, accused other parties for “showing contempt to democracy” and “abuse of parliament” by attempting to push the constitutional amendments through the old Bundestag. Responding, Katja Mast of SPD, said that the move was in response to growing concerns about the international security situation, which call for “significantly more investment” in defence capabilities. CDU/CSU’s Thornsten Frei argued that the changes were needed to send a signal that “Germany is back, ready to assume responsibility.” The AfD’s motion gets rejected, so we’re moving on to the main business. Senior Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov has been speaking in the last few minutes on the US proposal, stressing numerous Russian issues about the plan. We’re getting some key lines from his speech, via Russian news agencies Ria and Tass. He said: Russia seeks long-term settlement that takes its interests and concerns into account; Proposed ceasefire is nothing more than temporary respite for Ukrainian forces; ‘No one needs steps that just imitate peace actions’ in Ukraine; Ukraine joining Nato cannot be discussed in the context of crisis resolution; Russia hopes the US will take into account its demands. He said he passed on his concerns to the US negotiators, too. The German parliament is about to open a special session to debate proposals on reforming the constitutional debt brake and new multi-billion spending packages for defence and infrastructure. The proposal, put forward by the conservative CDU/CSU parties and their likely coalition partners in the next government, the SPD, will be debated today – still in the old Bundestag! – alongside two alternative plans put forward by opposition parties. But the challenge Merz has set himself in trying to shoehorn the legislation into this tight time frame includes still having to win over the Greens to the plan to vote with them if they are to have any chance of securing the required 2/3 majority to pass the changed. The party sent mixed signals as to their intentions, with negotiations reportedly still taking place late last night… He will hear from presumed next chancellor Friedrich Merz, and senior representatives of other parties today as they discuss the merits of the proposal. There isn’t much time: after today’s debate, the parliament is expected to meet again next Tuesday, 18 March. The process needs to be wrapped up before Germany’s new parliament, elected last month, is set to convene on 25 March. Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said that early indications from Russia as to its answer to the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire are “as expected … , to put it mildly, unsatisfactory, not to say cryptic and mysterious.” “In truth, no one really knows if Russia accepts the early proposal … or will it keep coming up with conditions which are not acceptable for other partners,” he said. Tusk spoke with reporters upon his return from talks with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, where the two discussed Turkey’s involvement in any security guarantees for Ukraine in the future. Tusk continued: It is good that after the talks in Saudi Arabia, there is no doubt not only as to who is the aggressor and who is the aggressed, but also who really wants a truce and peace, and who wants to continue the war. But he added he remained hopeful that the US, Ukrainian and European diplomatic efforts will lead to the end of the war. Tusk also publicly commented on the Polish president Andrzej Duda’s call for US to transfer nuclear weapons to its territory as a deterrent. “The borders of Nato moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there should also be a shift of the Nato infrastructure east. For me this is obvious,” Duda said in an interview with the Financial Times (£). Tusk said he had doubts about the effectiveness of any appeals made through the media, and he would rather see similar requests be made “when we have confidence or have reasons to believe that such appeals will be listened to.” Asked if Duda’s proposal was consulted with the government, he declined to comment further. Listening to Russian foreign ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova it does not seem like the Russian red lines are getting any softer… In the last few minutes, she has said that any peacekeeping deployment of western troops or building bases in Ukraine would be “unacceptable,” mean direct involvement into the conflict with Russia, and it would respond with “all available means.” Meanwhile, Ukraine signed a new memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation with Finland on Thursday, which includes provisions on data sharing, ammunition production, and joint defence projects. Finland’s defence minister Antti Häkkänen said that the agreement builds on the support given to Ukraine over the last three years, as Finland “shares the same view of the Russian threat in light on our historical experiences.” “This memorandum of understanding is an indication that we want to further expand and deepen this cooperation for the benefit of both countries,” he said. Separately, Finland also announced a new €200m aid package for Ukraine, pending final approvals, which will increase the total value of the country’s aid to €3.3bn. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia was ready to talk to the United States about a peace initiative discussed between the US and Ukraine, and contacts could take place as early as Thursday, Reuters reported. After talks with top US diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Ukraine said it was ready to accept a 30-day ceasefire and the United States said it was putting the proposal to Moscow. “We are ready to discuss the initiatives set out there in future contacts with the United States. Such contacts are already possible as early as today,” Zakharova said. The Kremlin said earlier that US negotiators were flying to Russia. It said Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had spoken by phone on Wednesday. We’re getting some news lines out of the Kremlin, confirming that the US has “provided certain information” about the proposed ceasefire, and that president Putin “may have an international phone call later” on Thursday. No details were offered on who the phone call will be with, but I think it is fair to note, as Reuters did too, that US president Donald Trump is awaiting word from Putin on whether he will agree to a 30-day truce in Ukraine, so that’s one possible scenario. AFP added that Putin and Trump’s aides spoke by phone on Wednesday. The Kremlin also declined to comment on whether Russia had presented the US with a list of its demands to end the war in Ukraine. Foreign correspondent Italy’s Campi Flegrei, a highly seismic area near Naples, next door to the supervolcano Vesuvius, was rocked by a 4.4-magnitude earthquake in the early hours of Thursday. The overnight’s tremor reached the same intensity as the one recorded on 20 May 2024, which was considered the strongest in the last 40 years. After the first earthquake tremor, six milder ones followed. Firefighters intervened in the Bagnoli district, where a ceiling collapsed inside an apartment and one person was trapped inside. Inspections on the buildings are still under way. Many people were trapped in their homes and had to exit through the windows. Along the street, numerous piles of rubble and several car windshields were shattered. Damage was recorded to the bell tower of the Church of Sant’Anna. Schools will remain closed today. Many people poured out into the streets in panic. Some even attempted to enter the former Nato base to seek protection. Videos are circulating that show the collapse of a ceiling. The Phlegraean Fields, where about five hundred thousand people live, have been in a state of unrest (volcanic agitation) for years. Since 2012, the Grandi Rischi commission has determined that the alert level should be raised from green to yellow based on recorded parameters: an increase in tremors and emissions, and ground uplift. According to volcanologists, the Phlegraean Fields are more dangerous than a potential eruption of Vesuvius. The 7-mile Campi Flegrei caldera is a much larger volcano than the nearby, cone-shaped Vesuvius, which destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in AD79, and is much more active. The supervolcano has been in a restless state for more than 70 years as a result of a phenomenon known as bradyseism, which scientists understand to be the gradual movement of part of Earth’s surface caused by the filling or emptying of an underground magma chamber or hydrothermal activity. The last time Campi Flegrei had a comparable burst of earthquakes was in the early 1980s. Campi Flegrei was formed 39,000 years ago after an eruption emptied it of magma. Its last significant eruption was in 1538. Ukraine, Europe and the US hold their breath as they wait for Russian president Vladimir Putin’s verdict on the US-led ceasefire proposal, already accepted by Ukraine, which could pause the hostilities for 30 days and potentially pave the way to a more comprehensive peace agreement. Yesterday, the Russian president focused on projecting strength and power instead, as he donned military camouflage and expressed hope his army was on the brink of “fully liberating” the territory, and told senior commanders that Ukrainian soldiers captured in Kursk should be treated as terrorists. Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will be in Moscow today, with reports that he could be meeting with Putin to debrief him on conversations with Ukraine and to seek his answer to the plan. His plane has just crossed into Russia from Latvia, and we will keep an eye on this. Meanwhile, European countries continue coordinating for a “coalition of the willing” that could provide some security guarantees required to support any peace arrangement, a temporary or a permanent one. Last night in Paris, there was a sense of urgency among European defence ministers, with French armed forces minister Sébastien Lecornu confirming that about 15 countries had expressed interest in joining. This morning, president Emmanuel Macron will be hosting senior French government figures to discuss what’s next. Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte, dubbed by some as the Trump whisperer, will be in Washington to talk with the US president. Separately, we will be also looking at events in Germany with a special Bundestag seating on the incoming government’s plans to reform the constitutional debt break provision. The negotiations on what can be done here were still going on late last night, so let’s see if they found a way forward. Presumed next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is set to speak, of course. Looks like a busy day ahead for us, so let’s get cracking. It’s Thursday, 13 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here. Good morning. Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, reports that Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, and partially occupied Zaporizhzhia were the Ukrainian regions that suffered overnight Russian attacks. Ukraine’s military has claimed it shot down 74 of 117 drones overnight, and that Russia also launched an Iskander-M missile. Russian media reports that Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, has arrived in Moscow. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims that it has prevented a series of attacks against military and civil servants, the Interfax news agency reports. This could not be independently verified by the Guardian. According to the FSB, “Ukrainian special services” planned to send explosive devices in parcels by mail. Russia downed 77 Ukrainian drones overnight, its defence ministry said Thursday, two days after Kyiv carried out its largest direct strike on Moscow during the three-year war. Thirty drones were intercepted and destroyed over the western Bryansk region bordering Ukraine while 25 more were downed over Kaluga, the ministry said in a statement. More drones were intercepted over the regions of Kursk, Voronezh, Rostov and Belgorod, it added. The latest barrage comes after Russia downed more than 90 drones in the capital region on Tuesday. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it the “most massive enemy drone attack on Moscow”. Russia said three people died and several more were injured in Tuesday’s attack, which saw it intercept 337 Ukrainian drones across the country. Multiple Ukrainian cities were also under attack Thursday morning, with a 42-year-old woman killed in Kherson, according to regional military administration head Roman Mrochko. Authorities in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk also reported coming under attack early Thursday. More now on the latest from Kursk. Some background: Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border on 6 August and grabbed land inside Russia in a bid to distract Moscow’s forces from the frontlines in eastern Ukraine and to gain a potential bargaining chip. But a lightning Russian advance over the past few days has left Ukraine with a sliver of less than 200 square km (77 square miles) in Kursk, down from 1,300 square km (500 square miles) at the peak of the incursion last summer, according to the Russian military. “Our task in the near future, in the shortest possible timeframe, is to decisively defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region,” Putin told generals in remarks televised late on Wednesday. “And of course, we need to think about creating a security zone along the state border.” Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s General Staff, told Putin that Russian forces had pushed Ukrainian forces out of over 86% of the territory they had once held in Kursk, the equivalent to 1,100 square km (425 square miles) of land, Reuters reports. Gerasimov said Ukraine’s plans to use Kursk as a bargaining chip in possible future negotiations with Russia had failed and its gambit that its Kursk operation would force Russia to divert troops from its advance in eastern Ukraine had also not worked. He said Russian forces had retaken 24 settlements and 259 square km (100 square miles) of land from Ukrainian forces in the last five days along with over 400 prisoners. Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk has entered its final stage, state news agency TASS reported on Thursday citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Ukraine’s top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Wednesday that Kyiv’s troops will keep operating in Kursk as long as needed and that fighting continued in and around the town of Sudzha. The US on Tuesday agreed to resume weapons supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv said at talks in Saudi Arabia that it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal. The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was carefully studying the results of that meeting and awaited details from the US. Foreign ministers of leading western democracies will meet in Canada on Thursday after seven weeks of rising tensions between Trump and US allies over his upending of foreign policy on Ukraine and imposing of tariffs. The Group of Seven ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with the EU, meet in the remote tourist town of La Malbaie, nestled in the Quebec hills for two days of meetings that in the past have broadly been consensual on the issues they face. Top of the agenda for Washington’s partners will be getting a debriefing on US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s talks on Tuesday with Kyiv in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine said it was ready to support a 30-day ceasefire deal. But in the run-up to the first G7 meeting of Canada’s presidency, the crafting of an agreed all-encompassing final statement has been tough, Reuters reports: A US decision to impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports immediately drew reciprocal measures from Canada and the EU, underscoring the tensions. Washington has sought to impose red lines on language around Ukraine and opposed a separate declaration on curbing Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, a murky shipping network that eludes sanctions, while demanding more robust language on China. On Monday, Rubio cautioned that Washington did not want language that could harm efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday he said a good G7 statement would recognise that the United States has moved the process to end the war forward. G7 diplomats said the positive outcome from Jeddah may at least ease talks on Ukraine. The United States, since Trump’s return to office on 20 January, has taken a less-friendly stance on Ukraine, pushing for a quick deal to end the war, demanded European partners take on more of the burden without openly endorsing their role in future talks, and warmed Washington’s ties with Moscow. Poland’s president has called on the US to transfer nuclear weapons to its territory as a deterrent against future Russian aggression, a proposal he said he recently discussed with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. “The borders of Nato moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there should also be a shift of the Nato infrastructure east. For me this is obvious,” the FT cited Andrzej Duda as saying in an interview. It would be safer if those weapons were already in the country, Duda said. Multiple Ukrainian cities were also under attack Thursday morning, with a 42-year-old woman killed in Kherson, according to regional military administration head Roman Mrochko. Authorities in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk also reported coming under attack. Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from the western Russian region of Kursk has entered its final stage, state news agency Tass reported on Thursday, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday visited Kursk for the first time since Ukrainian forces seized some territory in the region. The news comes as US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiators were headed to Russia “right now” for talks on a possible ceasefire with Ukraine, after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day truce. Trump did not give further details, but the White House later said that his special envoy Steve Witkoff was going to Moscow later this week. Trump would not say when he would next speak to Putin, but added that “I hope he’s going to have a ceasefire.” “It’s up to Russia now,” said the US president. Ukraine is increasingly suffering on the battlefield, losing ground in the east and south of the country, where officials said eight people were killed on Wednesday. Russia has also reclaimed territory in its western Kursk region, pushing back Ukrainian troops who staged a shock offensive last August. Putin was shown on Russian television visiting troops in Kursk on Wednesday. “I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy,” Putin said. Russian chief of staff Gen Valery Gerasimov said that 430 Ukrainian troops had been captured and Putin called them “terrorists.” Ukraine military commander-in-chief Gen Oleksandr Syrsky indicated that some forces in Kursk were pulling back to “more favorable positions.” Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from the western Russian region of Kursk has entered its final stage, state news agency Tass reported on Thursday, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday visited Kursk for the first time since Ukrainian forces seized some territory in the region. The news comes as US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiators were headed to Russia “right now” for talks on a possible ceasefire with Ukraine, after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day truce. Trump did not give further details, but the White House later said that his special envoy Steve Witkoff was going to Moscow later this week. Trump would not say when he would next speak to Putin, but added that “I hope he’s going to have a ceasefire.” “It’s up to Russia now,” said the US president. Here are the other key recent developments: Ukraine’s army commander-in-chief, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, suggested his troops were pulling back to minimise losses in Kursk. “In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. To this end, the units of the defence forces, if necessary, manoeuvre to more favourable positions,” Syrski posted online, in terms typically used to describe a withdrawal. Syrskyi said the Russian military was suffering huge personnel and equipment losses while trying to achieve “political gains” by attempting to oust Ukrainian troops. Sudzha is the largest settlement that Ukraine seized in Kursk, and the Ukraine-based Deep State open-source mapping project showed earlier on Wednesday that Kyiv was no longer in full control of it. “The enemy is using assault units of airborne troops and special operations forces to break through our defences, oust our troops out of the Kursk region and move fighting to the territory of Sumy and Kharkiv regions,” Syrskyi said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv was doing “as much as possible” to protect its soldiers. “The Russians are clearly trying to put maximum pressure on our troops, and our military command is doing what it has to do,” the Ukrainian president told a press conference in Kyiv. “We are preserving the lives of our soldiers as much as possible.” Donald Trump suggested he could target Russia financially as Ukraine’s president urged him to take strong steps if Moscow failed to support a 30-day ceasefire agreed between Ukrainian and US delegations meeting in Saudi Arabia. Washington, Kyiv and Europe are waiting for Moscow’s response to the proposal, and US envoys are expected to hold talks with Putin by the end of the week. The Kremlin has not publicly said whether or not it supports an immediate ceasefire. If Putin refuses, Trump said he could “do things financially that would be very bad for Russia”. Zelenskyy said he expected strong measures from the Washington if Russia rejected the ceasefire proposal. “I understand that we can count on strong steps. I don’t know the details yet but we are talking about sanctions [against Russia] and strengthening Ukraine.” The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said Washington wanted Moscow’s agreement with no strings attached. “That’s what we want to know – if they’re prepared to do it unconditionally,” Rubio said on a plane heading to a G7 meeting in Canada. “If the response is yes, then we know we’ve made real progress, and there’s a real chance of peace. If their response is no, it would be highly unfortunate, and it’ll make their intentions clear.” The US threats came as the French defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, told a press conference in Paris that a ceasefire announcement could come as soon as Thursday and that Europe would have to be prepared to help enforce it. Defence ministers from Europe’s five leading military powers – the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland and France – met in the French capital on Wednesday to discuss the formation of a “reassurance force” that would guarantee peace in Ukraine if a settlement was agreed. Lecornu said they were “hoping to see a ceasefire tomorrow” and that 15 countries were willing to contribute to a force of up to 30,000 personnel that would permanently secure Ukraine’s airports, ports and infrastructure.