Peace is out of reach for Ukraine due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing aggression, the defense ministers of the United Kingdom and Germany emphasized on Friday after a meeting of Ukraine’s key allies in Brussels.

As President Donald Trump demands an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, his envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, seeking to revive stalled peace talks.

Russia’s top spy Col. Gen. Sergei Beseda, long a secretive figure, has emerged as Putin’s lead negotiator in US-Russia Ukraine peace talks, signalling Moscow’s shift from diplomacy to intelligence-led negotiations.

More than one hundred Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine are mercenaries who do not appear to have a direct link to China's government, two U.S. officials familiar with American intelligence and a former Western intelligence official said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia on Thursday of working systematically in China to recruit fighters for its war in Ukraine, days after announcing Ukrainian forces had captured two Chinese men fighting for Moscow.

China has described as “irresponsible” accusations by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia is actively recruiting Chinese citizens to fight alongside its forces in the Ukraine war