Ukraine-Russia battle newest: Trump and Putin to talk this week as US pushes for ceasefire

Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Andrii Hnatov as the new chief of the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces as the war-hit nation looks to restructure and strengthen its military.

The change comes at a time when Ukrainian troops are struggling to hold on to their foothold in Russia’s Kursk region and facing increasing pressure in Donetsk.

Hnatov replaces Anatoliy Barhylevych, who held the position since February 2024. The appointment was announced by the general staff via its Telegram channel yesterday.

“We are systematically transforming the Armed Forces of Ukraine to enhance their combat effectiveness,” defence minister Rustem Umerov said.

The outgoing army chief Barhylevych will now serve as the general inspector of Ukraine’s defence ministry.

Mr Umerov emphasised that Barhylevych would “remain part of the team,” overseeing military standards and strengthening discipline in the army.

Oleksandr Syrskyi remains in place as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces.

Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv, said mayor Vitali Klitschko early this morning.

Mr Klitschko said that Ukrainian air defence units were trying to repel the attack.

Witnesses heard blasts in parts of the city in what sounded like air defence systems in operation, reported Reuters.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko has reiterated the Kremlin’s position that Moscow is categorically against the deployment of Nato observers to Ukraine.

Britain and France both have said that they were willing to send a peacekeeping force to monitor any ceasefire in Ukraine. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said his country was also open to requests.

“It does not matter under what label Nato contingents were to be deployed on Ukrainian territory: be it the European Union, Nato, or in a national capacity,” Mr Grushko said.

“If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict,” he said.

The Russian official said that a deployment of unarmed post-conflict observers can be discussed only once a peace agreement is worked out.

“We can talk about unarmed observers, a civilian mission that would monitor the implementation of individual aspects of this agreement, or guarantee mechanisms,” Mr Grushko said. “In the meantime, it’s just hot air.”

Russia will seek “ironclad” guarantees in any peace deal on Ukraine that Nato nations will exclude Kyiv from membership and that Ukraine will remain “neutral”, a Russian deputy foreign minister said in remarks published today.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko said that any long-lasting peace treaty on Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demands in a broad-ranging interview with the Russian media outlet Izvestia that made no reference to the US ceasefire proposal.

“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Izvestia cited Mr Grushko as saying.

“Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of Nato countries to accept it into the alliance,” he said.

Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, mayor of the Ukrainian capital said early on Monday.

Klitschko, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said that Ukrainian air defence units were trying to repel the attack.

Reuters’ witnesses heard blasts in parts of the city in what sounded like air defence systems in operation.