Ukraine’s president and European leaders on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of stalling for time in diplomatic efforts to bring his invasion of Ukraine to an end and opposed any move to make Kyiv surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as US President Donald Trump has on occasion suggested. Eight European leaders as well as senior European Union officials said in a joint statement they intend to go ahead with plans to use Moscow’s billions of dollars (euros) of frozen assets abroad to help Kyiv win the war, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step.
The statement expressed support for Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine as he prepares to meet with Putin in Budapest, Hungary in coming weeks. But it also laid down a marker by saying the leaders “remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.” Trump last month reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to concede land and could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. However, after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” in the more than three-year war.
Trump said Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, he’s now doubtful it will happen. Ukrainian and European leaders are trying hard to keep Trump on their side. “We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” the statement said. “We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction.”The dynamics of Trump’s engagement with Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II have zigzagged as he searches for a peace deal.
Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, but carving up their country in return for peace is unacceptable to Kyiv officials. Also, a conflict frozen on the current front line could fester, with occupied areas of Ukraine offering Moscow a springboard for new attacks in the future, Ukrainian and European officials fear. The statement by the leaders of Ukraine, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark and EU officials came early in what Zelenskyy said Monday would be a week that is “very active in diplomacy.”
More international economic sanctions on Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. “We must ramp up the pressure on Russia’s economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace,” Tuesday’s statement said. On Friday, a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing - a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine — is due to take place in London.
Ukrainians brace for another winter of power cuts as Russia shifts tactics
Shostka : As the lights went out in her hometown, 40-year-old Zinaida Kot could not help but think about her next dialysis treatment for kidney disease. Without electricity, the machine that keeps her alive stops working. Kot is among millions of Ukrainians who are bracing for another winter of power cuts and possibly blackouts as Russia renewed its campaign of attacks on the country’s energy grid.
In some regions - mostly those closer to the front line in the east — the season of buzzing generators has started, as well as long hours of darkness with no power or water. The attacks have grown more effective as Russia launches hundreds of drones, some equipped with cameras that improve targeting, overwhelming air defences - especially in regions where protection is weaker. The consequences are already reshaping daily life — especially for those whose survival depends on electricity. For Zinaida Kot, who has been on dialysis for seven years, this is far worse than mere discomfort.
In early October, a Russian strike left the small northern town of Shostka — with a prewar population of nearly 72,000 — without electricity, water, or gas. The town lies just 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the front line in northern Sumy region. Gas service was later restored, and electricity returned for only a few hours each day. “The situation is challenging,” said Mykola Noha, the mayor of Shostka. Electricity and water are now supplied on a schedule, available for a few hours each day. “And it really worries the residents as we can’t predict power cuts.