NATO chiefs to discuss Ukraine security guarantees amid fresh Russian strikes
This meeting advances the intense global diplomatic efforts to broker an end to Russia's war against its neighbour.
Diplomatic efforts continued even as Russian forces claimed fresh territorial advances and Ukrainian officials reported additional civilian casualties from missile strikes.
Few details have emerged about the virtual meeting of military chiefs from NATO's 32 member countries scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm local time.
A US defence official revealed that top US officer General Dan Caine held talks with European military chiefs on Tuesday evening regarding the 'best options for a potential Ukraine peace deal.'
US President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Monday following his landmark meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Trump has long criticised the billions of dollars in US support to Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion and stated European nations were 'willing to put people on the ground' to secure any settlement.
The US president ruled out sending American troops but suggested providing air support instead.
While Trump claimed Putin agreed to meet Zelensky and accept some Western security guarantees for Ukraine, both Kyiv and Western capitals have responded cautiously due to numerous vague details in the proposal.
Russia's defence ministry announced on Telegram that its troops captured the villages of Sukhetske and Pankivka in the embattled Donetsk region.
These villages are located near a section of the front where Russian forces broke through Ukrainian defences last week between the logistics hub of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka.
The Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office reported a Russian drone strike on a civilian vehicle killed two people aged 70 and 71.
Russian glide bombs struck housing in Kostiantynivka overnight, trapping as many as four people under rubble according to the town's military administration chief.
Aerial attacks on Okhtyrka in the Sumy region wounded at least 14 people including three children according to regional authorities.
President Zelensky stated these latest strikes demonstrate 'the need to put pressure on Moscow' including through strengthened sanctions. – AFP
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