Amid this opposition, a series of meetings is expected. Today, there will be a meeting between US and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, and a virtual one between the coalition of the willing, hosted by Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron. Ukraine's official also says they expect a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump in the next few days.

The European Union’s defense chief has proposed deeper integration of the bloc’s defense industry with Ukraine as a U.S. peace plan remains in flux and Russia’s unconventional warfare operations rattle the 27-nation bloc.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Kyiv was working with partners "to look for compromises that strengthen but not weaken us."

Some European leaders have pushed back against parts of the the U.S.-led Ukraine peace plan, demanding full involvement in negotiations as talks continue.

Russia has launched a wave of attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, striking residential buildings and energy infrastructure

The world’s attention was fixed on talks between Ukraine and the U.S. in neutral Geneva over the weekend. Delegations from both countries have redrafted conditions of an earlier peace plan, which although it has not been officially released,

US army secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday for talks with Ukraine’s military intelligence chief and a Russian delegation as Washington pushes a peace deal to end the Kremlin’s war.

A criminal gang has been arrested in Russia for using homeless people to steal their payments, authorities have said.

As for Mr Trump, he again betrayed his underlying bias: sympathy for Russia and indifference to Ukraine. Ahead of the Geneva talks he dismissively said Mr Zelensky “can continue to fight his little heart out” if no agreement were reached, and complained on social media that “UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS.”