Ukraine-Russia conflict newest: UK and French military chiefs in Kyiv talks on ‘reassurance force’ towards Putin’s troops

European foreign ministers have blamed Russia for thwarting a push for peace in the Ukraine war.

Putin “continues to obfuscate, continues to drag his feet,” British foreign minister David Lammy said on Friday ahead of the second day of a meeting of Nato foreign ministers.

“He could accept a ceasefire now, he continues to bombard Ukraine, its civilian population, its energy supplies. We see you, Vladimir Putin, we know what you are doing,” Lammy said.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Putin’s talk of negotiations was “nothing but empty promises” and accused the Russian leader of “playing for time by raising ever new demands”.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Moscow “owes an answer to the United States, that have worked very hard to come up with a mediation effort and a ceasefire proposal.”

“It has to be yes. It has to be no. It has to be a quick answer,” he said.

Russia launched 78 drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine, Kyiv said.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 42 of the drones and that 22 other drones were ‘lost’ using electronic warfare to redirect them.

Damages were recorded in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv regions, it added.

French and British army chiefs are set to meet in Kyiv on Friday as plans for a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ peacekeeping force develop.

“There will be at some point a need for military capacity or reassurance, whenever peace is reached. And this is the reason why our army chiefs will be in Kyiv today in order to advance this work,” French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in Brussels, AFP reported.

Also speaking in Brussels as he arrived at Nato headquarters, David Lammy also said Russian president Vladimir Putin should accept the proposed ceasefire with Ukraine now but he “continues to drag his feet”.

Lammy added that it had been important to hear from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday that the Americans remain committed to NATO.

At least four people have been killed after Russia launched an overnight attack on the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.

Regional authorities said 35 people, including three children, had been injured in the northeastern city in the fourth such strike on the city so far this week.

Rescue teams sifted through rubble throughout the night after Russian drones hit residential quarters, damaging several multi-storey apartment blocks and causing multiple fires.

“As of this morning, unfortunately, there are already four dead. The body of one more person killed by the Russian aggressor has been (removed) from the rubble,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram. “We also have 35 wounded.”

One person has been killed after a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Bryansk region, the local governor said on Friday.

Alexander Bogomaz wrote on Telegram that two village residents had sustained shrapnel wounds, and were taken to hospital.

“The injured were promptly taken to the district hospital. Unfortunately, one of the injured, a man, died,” he said.

Russian air defence units downed 107 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Defence Ministry said on Friday.

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday that he saw a “positive dynamic” in relations between Moscow and Washington, though more meetings were needed to sort out differences.

Mr Putin has been accused of dragging out or actively blocking efforts to finalise the terms of a deal to end the war, with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky calling them “fake conditions to buy time and then try to seize even more land”.

Mr Dmitriev, speaking to both Russian and US media outlets after talks with officials from president Donald Trump’s administration, said he saw prospects for the beginning of a solution to the more than three-year-old war in Ukraine.

He said his talks in Washington had touched on matters as wide-ranging as rare metals production, cooperation in the Arctic and even crewed flight to Mars. He said work was proceeding on restoring direct air links.

Mr Dmitriev’s visit to Washington follows US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia and agreement on US-brokered ceasefires against energy targets and allowing problem-free navigation in the Black Sea.

“Without doubt, we note a positive dynamic in our relations,” Russian news agencies quoted him as telling journalists in Washington.

“A series of meetings will still be needed for us to resolve all our differences. But the main thing we see a positive, creative attitude.”

“We see absolutely clearly that the president’s administration is intent on solving questions, unlike President (Joe) Biden. They conduct themselves with great respect, ask a lot of questions, find compromises,” he said.

Ukraine has informed the US about Russia’s energy ceasefire violations, providing evidence to support the claims, senior Zelensky aide Pavlo Palisa told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.

He said Ukraine had not provided a full list of infrastructure targets to be included in the ceasefire, arguing that this strategic information would be abused by Russia.

“Under no circumstances are the coordinates or complete lists of critical infrastructure facilities given to anyone,” he said.

While Kyiv had agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire in US-mediated talks in Jeddah, Russia declined to adhere to it, demanding it include restrictions on Ukraine’s military capabilities, such as a halt on foreign military aid to Ukraine.

Russia is set to increase its military presence in Ukraine by 150,000 troops next year, a senior Ukrainian official has said, equivalent to around 15 motorised infantry divisions.

Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said Russia was actively recruiting personnel and forming new units.

“Their formation is ongoing. The Russians have no problems with recruiting personnel now. However, it should be understood that all these formations cannot be put into action at the same time,” he said, according to Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.

This buildup comes as Moscow pushes forward on the battlefield, despite supposedly engaging in ceasefire talks with the US. Mr Palisa said Russia was uninterested in broader peace talks, except for negotiations on maritime security, where a truce aligns with its strategic interests.

Kyiv had agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in US-mediated talks in Jeddah on 11 March, but Russia refused unless it included restrictions on Ukraine’s military capabilities. Instead, a limited agreement was reached to protect energy infrastructure and the Black Sea.

Since then, both sides have accused each other of violating the energy truce, while Russia has tied the implementation of the Black Sea agreement to the easing of Western sanctions.

On the frontlines, Russian forces continue to press forward in targeted areas, making tactical gains, Mr Palisa said. However, he noted that Ukrainian troops were mounting counteroffensives.

“If they do this, they will continue to stall (peace talks) to get time,” he added.

Almost a decade after the Brexit referendum, Amber Rudd is hoping to rebuild bridges between the Tories and Europe.

The former home secretary is one of the driving forces behind a new informal Conservative European Affairs Council (Ceac) that aims to encourage pro-European Tories and help the party talk to Europe.

And with US president Donald Trump stepping back from European defence and Russia continuing to threaten the continent, she sees an even stronger case for improving Conservative relations with Europe.