Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky ‘ready’ for wartime election after Trump parrots Putin criticism

Ukraine has regained almost half of the key strategic city of Pokrovsk, the country’s military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

Syrskyi, quoted by public broadcaster Suspilne, said Ukrainian forces had made gains from mid-November. Russia’s military last week said its forces had captured Pokrovsk, but Ukrainian officials denied the claim.

“The defence of Pokrovsk continues,” Syrskyi said yesterday, adding that Ukrainian forces have reclaimed about 13 sq km (5 square miles) of the city’s total 29 sq km (11 square miles) since mid-November.

“We are continuing to hold the northern part of the city, approximately up to the rail line. In addition, to the west of Pokrovsk, we have cleared and controlled about 54 sq km.”

Russian troops, he said, were staging a build-up in the area under cover of rain and fog.

“Initially, in autumn, our troops were not present in Pokrovsk as our possibilities were limited. But from November 15 as a result of offensive action, we secured about 13 sq km (5 sq miles),” Syrskyi said.

Sir Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz strongly backed Ukraine after their talks on Monday, with the UK leader saying that the push for peace was at a “critical stage”.

Sir Keir stressed the need for “a just and lasting ceasefire”.

Merz, meanwhile, said he was “skeptical” about some details in documents released by the US.

“We have to talk about it. That’s why we are here,” he said. “The coming days — could be a decisive time for all of us.” he said.

European leaders are working to ensure that any ceasefire is backed by solid security guarantees both from Europe and the US to deter Russia from attacking again. US president Donald Trump has not given explicit guarantees in public.

Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies have repeatedly accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of dragging out the talks while he presses ahead with his invasion.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reaffirmed his strong refusal to cede any territory, resisting US pressure for painful concessions to Russia.

“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anything. That’s what we are fighting for,” Zelensky told reporters in a WhatsApp chat late on Monday.

“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right,” he said. “According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either,” he said.

In an interview with Politico released yesterday, US president Donald Trump pressed Zelensky to accept the US proposal that Ukraine cede territory to Russia, Trump has wrongfully argued Moscow has the “upper hand” in its nearly 4-year-old invasion, and that Zelensky’s government must “play ball”.

Vladimir Putin’s forces have not made any significant territorial gains, the Institute for the Study of War said.

“Russian forces have gained 0.77 percent of Ukrainian territory since the start of 2025 while suffering disproportionately high personnel costs,” the think tank said in an update last night.

Volodymyr Zelensky has been told by Donald Trump that Ukraine has until Christmas to accept his deal to end the war with Russia.

The latest deadline was relayed to the Ukrainian president by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner during a two-hour phone call, reported The Telegraph.

The Trump administration has resumed its efforts to pressure Ukraine into ceding territory to Russia in exchange for undefined security guarantees, Ukrainian officials were quoted as saying.

Ukrainian negotiators have said they feel like they have not been offered sufficient details about potential security guarantees from Washington in order to decide on the matter of giving up territory, which they have always held as a non-negotiable in the peace talks.

Sir Keir Starmer has led tributes to a member of the British armed forces who has been killed in Ukraine.

The prime minister expressed his “deepest sympathy and condolences” for the services member, who died as he watched the testing of a new defensive capability, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The ministry said: “It is with deep regret that we must announce that a member of the UK armed forces died in Ukraine this morning, Tuesday December 9.

“He was injured in a tragic accident while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability away from the front lines.

“The family has been notified and our thoughts are with them at this sad and difficult time.”

A member of the UK armed forces in Ukraine has died in an accident, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

“It is with deep regret that we must announce that a member of the UK Armed Forces died in Ukraine this morning, Tuesday 9 December,” the MoD said in a statement.

“He was injured in a tragic accident whilst observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability, away from the front lines.

“The family has been notified and our thoughts are with them at this sad and difficult time.”

The UK has sent a “small number of personnel” to Ukraine to train local forces, according to the government’s previous reports, and they do not perform frontline roles.

Donald Trump has called Europe a “decaying” group of nations led by “weak” people who failed to end the war in Ukraine and control migration.

“I think they’re weak,” Trump said, refering to Europe’s political leaders in an interview with Politico. “But I also think that they want to be so politically correct.”

“I think they don’t know what to do,” he added. “Europe doesn’t know what to do,” Trump said in an interview given at the White House on Monday.

Trump offered no reassurance to Europeans on backing Ukraine and declared that Russia was obviously in a stronger position than its smaller neighbour.

Trump also said that he put little stock in the role of European leaders in seeking to end the war: “They talk, but they don’t produce, and the war just keeps going on and on.”

Pope Leo XIV has called for Europe to have a role in any Ukraine peace deal and criticised what he said was the Trump administration’s effort to “break apart” the long-standing US-European alliance.

Leo spoke to reporters after meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is on another tour to rally European support for Kyiv. The American pope said they discussed the need for a ceasefire and the Vatican’s efforts to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russian authorities.

Leo was asked about the US peace proposal and the seeming sidelining of European powers in the process.

Speaking as he left his vacation home in Castel Gandolfo, Leo insisted that Europe’s role was crucial to any deal.

“Seeking a peace agreement without including Europe in the talks is unrealistic, given the war is in Europe,” he said.

“Guarantees are also being sought for security today and in the future. Europe must be part of this, and unfortunately not everyone understands this, but I think there is a great opportunity for European leaders to unite and seek a solution together,” he said.

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no time to hold a traditional news conference during a 36-hour trip across Europe this week, so he improvised.

Whilst the president usually answers reporters’ questions in person, he communicated with the news media via Whatsapp group chat.

Whilst flying between London and Brussels, he responded to a long list of questions from Ukrainian and international reporters by relaying voice notes on WhatsApp.

His unprecedented chosen mode of communication was extremely rare for a world leader.