Ukraine-Russia war live: Trump wants Kyiv to give up land in exchange for security guarantees, Zelensky says

Zimbabwe has confirmed the deaths of 15 of its citizens who were recruited into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as authorities issue warnings about widespread fraudulent schemes luring individuals from several African nations into the four-year-old war.

Information Minister Zhemu Soda announced in Harare that the government is intensifying diplomatic efforts to repatriate 66 other Zimbabweans who are still alive. He revealed that victims from Zimbabwe were enticed by “fraudulent” employment agencies offering “deceptive and lucrative job offers,” primarily using “social media platforms as their primary hunting ground.”

Soda detailed the “pattern” of these schemes: victims are promised attractive salaries and safe working conditions, only to have their travel documents confiscated and be “coerced into active combat.” He added, “They receive little to no training and are placed in life-threatening situations. When they are injured, killed or captured, the recruiters vanish, leaving families in Zimbabwe with no information, no support and no one to hold accountable. In many cases, the promised remuneration is never paid.”

Relatives and friends of Ukrainian servicemen gathered in Kyiv to draw attention to those still in captivity, missing in action, or killed in the war but whose bodies have not yet been returned.

Several family members held banners with pictures of their missing loved ones in Kyiv on Wednesday.

More than 90,000 Ukrainians are officially registered as missing due to the, Ukraine’s commissioner for missing persons in February.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine has expertise in defending against drones, and Gulf states are showing a strong interest in taking Kyiv’s help.

“We already see that not only ‘shaheds’ are being used in the region, but there is also growing evidence of the use of FPV drones,” he said on X, referring to First-Person View drones, which provide a real-time, live video feed from an on-board camera.

“This is modern warfare, and everyone must be prepared for it. Ukraine has this expertise, and in exchange for our support we need help in areas where we face greater challenges.

“This includes protection against ballistic threats and financial resources for defence. Ukraine offers a mutually beneficial partnership: we can strengthen those who can strengthen us.

“The situation in the world now is such that only coordinated and joint actions can guarantee real results and genuine security. We are being blocked in Europe, and as long as this risk remains, we must seek out additional opportunities to strengthen ourselves.

“The Middle East and the Gulf are the right direction and serious opportunities to make Ukraine stronger.”

Foreign ministers from the world’s leading Western democracies meet in France this week against the backdrop of wars in Iran and Ukraine, and mounting unease over an increasingly unpredictable US foreign policy.

The G7 foreign ministers are expected to push back against any attempt to force Ukraine into an unfavourable peace deal.

The talks come as negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine have stalled, raising concerns in Europe that the United States could pressure Kyiv into concessions as it seeks a quick diplomatic breakthrough.

European officials said they would stress to US secretary of state Marco Rubio that any agreement must not undermine Ukraine’s security, calling instead for tougher sanctions on Moscow and sustained military support for Kyiv.

They are also expected to focus on preparing Ukraine for another winter of war, including protecting its energy infrastructure from continued Russian strikes.

The meeting, which Ukraine’s foreign minister is attending, comes against the backdrop of growing unease among allies over Washington’s shifting foreign policy and its handling of both Ukraine and the Middle East conflict.

The two-day gathering at the restored 12th-century Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, about 40km (25 miles) southwest of Paris, brings together ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the EU.

“We will reiterate firm support for Kyiv and for US mediation efforts, stressing the need to maintain strong pressure on Moscow through sanctions,” an Italian diplomatic source said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia is counting on the United States losing interest in Ukraine if peace talks drag on, warning there is a real risk Washington could disengage.

Speaking in Kyiv, Zelensky said Moscow was betting that stalled negotiations would lead the US to “walk away”, as a fourth round of trilateral talks scheduled for this month was postponed due to the Iran conflict.

He also questioned whether Russia would be willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands more troops to seize the remaining parts of Donbas it does not control – around 6,000 square kilometres.

Zelensky reiterated that a face-to-face summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was the “only way” to resolve key disputes over territory and security guarantees and secure a peace deal.

He played down past tensions with Trump, saying the US president was approaching the war pragmatically and wanted a swift end to the conflict.

“I am not a box of chocolates or a car, to be liked or disliked,” Zelensky said. “He probably wants the war to end quickly. We also want that.”

The Ukrainian leader also thanked the Trump administration for continuing supplies of Patriot air defence systems despite growing demand due to the conflict in the Gulf, though he said deliveries remain insufficient.

Ukraine has previously warned that shipments of the US-made systems – crucial for intercepting Russian ballistic missiles – could be affected by shifting global priorities.

Zelensky added that Kyiv is stepping up domestic production of long-range missiles and drones, enabling it to strike targets deep inside Russia in response to continued bombardment.

The US is prepared to offer Ukraine high-level security guarantees as part of a peace deal – but only if Kyiv agrees to withdraw from the eastern region of Donbas, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

In an interview with Reuters, Zelensky indicated that Washington’s proposal ties long-term protection for Ukraine directly to territorial concessions, a condition he suggested could undermine the country’s future security.

“The Americans are prepared to finalise these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” he said.

Russia has long insisted that full control of Donbas is a core war aim, raising the stakes for any negotiated settlement.

Zelensky warned that giving up the region would weaken Ukraine’s defensive position and risk emboldening Russia, arguing that control of eastern territories is central to both Ukraine’s security and that of Europe.

“I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees,” he said.

Key questions around the proposed guarantees remain unresolved, including who would fund Ukraine’s military deterrence and how allies would respond in the event of renewed Russian aggression.

Russia sought to blackmail the United States by offering to stop sharing military intelligence with Iran if, in return, Washington would cut off Ukraine from its intelligence data, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.

Zelensky, who said on Monday that Ukraine’s military intelligence has “irrefutable” evidence that Russia is continuing to provide intelligence to Iran, told Reuters he had seen the data but provided no further details.

Speaking at his presidential compound in Kyiv, Zelensky said that some Iranian drones — used to attack US military assets and its allies during the war in the Middle East — contained Russian components.

“I have reports from our intelligence services showing that Russia is doing this and saying: ‘We will not pass on intelligence to Iran if America stops passing intelligence to Ukraine.’ Isn’t that blackmail? Absolutely,” Zelensky said.

He did not specify whom Russia was addressing in the reported remarks. Russia has denied assisting Iran in its month-old conflict with the United States and Israel – a denial that Washington said earlier this month it had also received directly from Moscow during discussions on the issue.

Zelensky added that he hopes Ukraine can secure long-term agreements with some Gulf countries to fund the production of Ukrainian drone interceptors or supply much-needed air defence missiles.

Ukrainian drone strikes have killed two civilians in Russia’s border region of Belgorod, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Gladkov said an 18-year-old man riding a motorcycle was killed in a village near the border, while a separate strike killed a woman in her car in the town of Graivoron.

Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, has been repeatedly targeted during the war, with Kyiv stepping up cross-border drone and artillery attacks in recent months.

Moscow rarely provides independent verification of such incidents, and Ukraine does not always comment on reported strikes inside Russian territory.

Russian attacks killed two people in Ukraine’s north-eastern city of Kharkiv and the surrounding region, while a strike on the Danube port of Izmail damaged port facilities and energy infrastructure, officials said.

Prosecutors in the Kharkiv region said in a statement on Telegram early on Thursday that a woman injured in an attack on the city had died of her injuries in hospital.

They said nine people were injured in strikes on two districts of the city, a frequent target of Russian forces, located about 30km (18 miles) from the border.

Prosecutors also said a Russian drone killed a man in his car in a district closer to the border.

Local officials in the Danube port of Izmail in south-western Ukraine said the town had come under attack, with damage to port and energy facilities.

In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 17 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted and destroyed on their way to the capital over the course of Wednesday.

The interception of drones targeting the capital has become relatively frequent, although the number involved varies widely.