The Russian invasion

The outside world's response
Trump's Ukraine envoy has a peace plan ready for him

Keith Kellogg, appointed as the US ambassador to Ukraine by Donald Trump, has previously laid out his preferred peace plan in detail. CNN reports.

He believes that the conflict should be frozen at the current front lines, that a demilitarized zone be introduced, and that future American aid should be conditional on Ukraine negotiating with Russia.

All plans for Ukraine in NATO are to be paused indefinitely - instead, a peace agreement with security guarantees is to be signed, according to the plan.

Sanctions against Russia are to be eased in the event of a ceasefire, and completely lifted when a peace agreement is reached. Ukraine shall not be prevented from trying to regain occupied land, but may only attempt to do so through diplomatic channels.

The future National Security Councilor Mike Waltz is reported this week to have considered Kellogg's plan.

Russian Defense Minister travels to North Korea

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has traveled to North Korea to hold talks with the country's military and political leaders, AP reports.

It is still unclear what will be discussed. But the visit comes just days after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to agree a response to North Korean troops being sent to Russia.

The US and its allies have said North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to support the Russians in the war, with some also taking part in the fighting.

Ukraine's response
The former foreign minister: Zelensky and Putin have the same Trump strategy

The situation is dark for Ukraine - if it continues as it is now, the war is lost. That's what the country's former foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba says in an interview with the Financial Times.

He expresses gratitude for Joe Biden's efforts for Ukraine, but is not worried about Donald Trump's return to the White House.

According to Kuleba, Zelensky and Putin share the same view of Trump – they see him as an opportunity. Both are signaling their willingness to negotiate because neither wants to be the first to say no to Trump, he says.

- The first one to do that loses the game, right? Let's say Trump gets mad at Putin - will something change in revenge, something that strengthens Ukraine?

Zelenskyj willing to give up ground against NATO invitation

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy may consider a ceasefire if the country is invited to NATO, even if Russia does not return the occupied territories, he told Sky News.

- If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, the Ukrainian territory we control must be brought under the NATO umbrella.

The condition is that the NATO invitation takes into account Ukraine's internationally recognized borders, he adds. If the free part of Ukraine is quickly covered by the NATO umbrella, Kyiv can then negotiate diplomatically on the return of the Russian-occupied part, according to the president.

It is the first time Zelenskyy has opened for a ceasefire that includes continued Russian control over the occupied territories.