Putin also claimed that Zelensky’s European allies have pushed for demands that are “absolutely unacceptable."

Putin has repeatedly falsely claimed to capture Ukrainian cities prematurely.

Kyiv accuses Ross David Cutmore of helping Moscow plot assassinations and attacks on military training centres

Russia launched its largest barrage of drones and missiles in a month across Ukraine, killing at least three people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday, as a Kyiv delegation heads to the United States for fresh peace talks.

Moving between damp basements and muddy dugouts to fend off constant Russian attacks in the nearly 4-year-old war, exhausted Ukrainian soldiers say their motivation is fortified by knowing they're fighting for higher cause: the defense of their homeland.

Diplomats face an uphill battle to reconcile Russian and Ukrainian “red lines” as a renewed U.S.-led push to end the war gathers steam, with Ukrainian officials attending talks in the U.S. over the weekend and Washington officials expected in Moscow early this week.

Russia said on Monday that it had captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, in claims that Kyiv has yet to confirm or deny.

The team of Ukrainian negotiators began meeting Sunday morning with Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law.