For Ukraine and its allies, who spent months trying to win Donald Trump over to their cause in the war started by Russia, it is back to square one.

Andrei Mordvichev led the brutal assault on Mariupol and has previously hinted that Russia has no intention of stopping at Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each during peace talks held in Istanbul on Friday, in what would be the biggest prisoner swap of the conflict. The negotiations, which lasted less than two hours and were mediated by Turkey, marked the first time the nations have engaged in direct peace talks since the war began.

Putin said efforts to end the war were "generally on the right track" and that Moscow was ready to work with Ukraine on a potential peace deal.

President Trump said ceasefire negotiations would begin "immediately," but the Kremlin has expressed little eagerness for a ceasefire in the war it began.

KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Kyiv and its partners were considering arranging a high-level meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and Britain as part of a push to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.

As President Donald Trump prepares for crucial calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his administration faces ongoing talks to secure trade deals.

VLADIMIR Putin is planning to test the launch of a ballistic missile capable of striking the UK in a chilling threat to the West. Ukraine’s military intelligence said that Russia plans to