Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week his country could be ready to hold elections in the next 60 to 90 days if security could be guaranteed, seeking to push back on claims by US President Donald Trump that he is using the war with Russia to cling to power.

The president said he had exchanged “pretty strong words” with European leaders, while Russia signaled it saw itself as increasingly on the same page as the U.S.

At least three oil tankers have been hit by explosions in what appears to be a stepped up unilateral effort by Ukraine to sink Russia's sanctions-dodging oil sales.

Ukraine delivered its response to the latest US-drafted peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia to the Trump administration on Wednesday, US and Ukrainian officials told CNN, as the contours of a tenuous potential deal take shape and the US president continues to make clear he wants the conflict resolved quickly.

The European Union is set to lock up Russia’s assets in Europe until Russia ends its war on Ukraine and compensates for the damage.

In the early months of the invasion, in 2022, the Russians tried to suffocate Ukraine’s economy by imposing a naval blockade of its ports. About 20 million tons of grain got stuck in the port city of Odesa, causing global food prices to spike and raising fears of famine in parts of Africa and the Middle East that rely on supplies from Ukraine.