Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that talks about a security guarantee for Ukraine – against Russia – must involve Moscow itself. "Moscow won't agree with collective security guarantees negotiated without Russia," he said, implying a Russian veto over defenses for Ukraine.

NATO allies and Ukraine are working together to make sure security guarantees for Ukraine are at such a robust level that Russia will never try to attack again, NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Friday, adding that Europe and the United States would be involved in providing them.

The renewed push by US President Donald Trump to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine has injected more urgency to the latter’s bid for membership of the European Union.

U.S. President Donald Trump started the week declaring a diplomatic breakthrough in his bid to prod Moscow and Kyiv closer to peace, announcing he had begun arranging for direct talks between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

I think it’s a big tactical error to rule out a ceasefire and go directly to final status [issues], because it’s most likely to prolong the war and make it difficult, if not impossible, to succeed,” he said in an interview with POLITICO Magazine.

Donald Trump may tell Ukraine and Russia “it’s your fight” if they fail to make progress on peace talks in the next two weeks.