Ukraine-Russia war latest: Outrage after Moscow ‘hits Turkish civilian ship carrying sunflower oil’ with drone attack

Ukraine has relinquished its ambition of joining the Nato military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said ahead of talks with US envoys in Berlin.

The move marks a major shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join NATO as a safeguard against Russian attacks and has such an aspiration included in its constitution. It also meets one of Russia’s war aims, although Kyiv has so far held firm against ceding territory to Moscow.

Zelensky said on Sunday that the US, and European and other partners’ security guarantees instead of NATO membership was a compromise on Ukraine’s side.

“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join Nato, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” he said in answer to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat.

“Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries, Canada, Japan, are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” Zelenskiy said.

“And it is already a compromise from our part,” he said, adding that the security guarantees should be legally binding.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia along the current frontline would be a fair option.

Russia has demanded Kyiv withdraw its troops from parts of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions that Ukraine still holds. Answering questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat, Zelensky reiterated that option would be unfair, adding that the issue of territory remained unresolved and very sensitive.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said services have been working to restore electricity, heating and water supply to regions.

It comes after Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure over the weekend.

Germany is set to host Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday for talks as peace efforts gain momentum and European leaders seek to steer negotiations.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will also meet with the Ukrainian President in Berlin.

For months, American negotiators have tried to navigate the demands of each side as US President Donald Trump presses for a swift end to Russia’s war while growing increasingly exasperated by delays.

The search for possible compromises has run into a major obstacle over who keeps Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russian forces.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 235 Ukrainian drones overnight.

An oil depot caught fire in Uryupinsk in Volgograd region due to fallen drone debris, a regional governor said.

At least ten Russian airports, including in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, imposed temporary flight restrictions during the night, according to the aviation regulator.

A high-level meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is set to take place in Berlin tomorrow.

The top officials will be joined by the leaders of Germany, France and the UK to try and reach an agreement over the US plan for peace in Ukraine, two White House officials told Axios.

Confirming the meeting, Zelensky last night said: “I will have meetings with representatives of president Trump, as well as with our European partners, with many leaders about the foundation of peace – a political agreement on ending the war.”

“The chance is significant now… We are working to ensure that peace for Ukraine is worthy and that there is a guarantee – a guarantee, first of all, that Russia will not return to Ukraine with a third invasion,” he said.

Human rights campaigner Ales Bialiatski became a globally recognised symbol of resistance to the authoritarian rule of Lukashenko when he was awarded a share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, only the fourth person to win the award while detained.

Many activists and opposition figures fled the country when Lukashenko used his security forces to crush mass pro-democracy protests in 2020, but Bialiatski decided to stay.

He was arrested in 2021. In April 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony after being found guilty of finance and smuggling charges related to the funding Viasna, the rights organisation that he founded.

He denied the accusations, insisting they were politically motivated.

In Ukraine, Russia launched overnight drone and missile strikes on five Ukrainian regions, targeting energy and port infrastructure. Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko said that over a million people were without electricity.

An attack on the Black Sea city of Odesa caused grain silos to catch fire at the port, Ukrainian deputy prime minister and reconstruction minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.

Two people were wounded in attacks on the wider Odesa region, according to regional head Oleh Kiper.

Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponising” the cold.

On the front lines, Ukrainian forces said yesterday that the northern part of the critical city of Pokrovsk was under Ukrainian control, despite Russia’s claims earlier this month that it had taken full control of the city.