Ukraine war latest: Trump says he must 'approve' bid ahead of talks

 President Donald Trump has said that Volodymyr Zelensky “doesn’t have anything until I approve it” ahead of long-awaited peace talks between the leaders on Sunday.

“He doesn't have anything until I approve it,” Mr Trump reportedly told Politico regarding the Ukrainian leader’s proposal in an exclusive interview. “So we'll see what he's got.”

The US leader appeared warmer about Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, saying: “I think it’s going to go good with him. I think it’s going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin,” adding that he would speak to him “soon, as much as I want”.

Mr Zelensky confirmed that he will meet with Mr Trump on Sunday in the latest push to secure a peace deal before the New Year.

The Ukrainian president said he would travel to Mar-A-Lago to meet with the leader at his personal residence and that his peace agreement was “90 per cent ready”.

Earlier, he had hinted at progress on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, following a “really good conversation” with Mr Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff on Christmas Day.

Key Points

Zelensky and Trump to hold next stage of peace talks on Sunday

Trump says Zelensky ‘doesn’t have anything until I approve it’ ahead of peace talks

Ukraine says British missiles hit Russian refinery as drone attacks spread

Russia sees slow but steady progress in Ukraine peace talks

Recap: Ukraine's revised 20 point peace plan

04:30 , Stuti Mishra

Ukraine unveiled the latest 20-point peace proposal brokered by the US to bring an end to the war with Russia on 25 December.

Ukrainian and US delegations reached a consensus on several critical issues in the latest round of talks in Miami.

However, Volodymyr Zelensky said sensitive issues around territorial control in the country’s eastern industrial heartland, along with the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), remain unresolved.

What is in Zelensky's revised 20-point peace proposal?

04:00 , Maira Butt

Ukraine has unveiled the latest 20-point peace proposal brokered by the US to bring an end to the war with Russia.

Ukrainian and US delegations reached a consensus on several critical issues in the latest round of talks in Miami.

However, Volodymyr Zelensky said sensitive issues around territorial control in the country’s eastern industrial heartland, along with the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), remain unresolved.

“This is a document referred to as a framework, a foundational document on ending the war, a political document between us, America, Europe, and the Russians,” Mr Zelensky said.

Russia accuses Ukraine of trying to 'torpedo' talks on the US plan

03:30 , Stuti Mishra

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov was positive about latest developments over peace deal, but accused Ukraine of trying to "torpedo" talks on the US plan.

“Our ability to make the final push and reach an agreement will depend on our own work and the political will of the other party,” Mr Ryabkov said on Russian television.

“Especially in a context where Kyiv and its sponsors – notably within the European Union, who are not in favour of an agreement – have stepped up efforts to torpedo it.”

He said the proposal drawn up with Mr Zelensky input “differs radically” from points initially drawn up by US and Russian officials in contacts in December.

“Without an adequate resolution of the problems at the origin of this crisis, it will be quite simply impossible to reach a definitive accord,” Mr Ryabkov added.

He said any deal had to “remain within the limits” fixed by Mr Trump and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin when they met in Alaska in August, or else “no accord can be reached”.

'Moscow always lies' says Zelensky as he awards military honours

03:00 , Maira Butt

President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued special honours for Ukrainian military personnel as he hit out at Russian president Vladimir Putin and Moscow for “lies”.

In recent weeks Ukraine has claimed victory over significant parts of Kupiansk, a hotly contested region, but its success has been continuously denied by Russia.

“In recent weeks, I have heard partners thank us numerous times for Kupiansk – for our operation that restores faith in Ukraine and proves that Putin lies,” said Zelensky in a post on X/Twitter on Friday.

“It is clear to us that Moscow always lies; the world, however, must see at all times what is false and what is true. Our warriors know how to show the truth – know how to prove that Russia is wrong in this war, and that Ukraine’s partners are right in supporting our state and our people.”

Former Russian diplomat sentenced to 12 years in prison for selling secrets to US intelligence agencies

02:00 , Maira Butt

A former Russian diplomat has been sentenced to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony after being found guilty of treason.

Arseniy Konovalov, born in 1987, was accused of selling secrets to US intelligence while on a posting to America, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday.

“It was established that A S Konovalov, an employee of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a long-term foreign assignment in the United States, proactively transferred secret information to American intelligence for money,” the FSB said in a statement.