Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would have had to face a re-election campaign in the spring of 2024 if it had not been for Russia’s full-scale invasion

Ukraine’s August 2024 offensive into Russia’s Kursk region initially seemed a strategic triumph, catching Moscow off-guard and highlighting Russian military incompetence. -Utilizing advanced Western weaponry,

They pushed him to hold elections in the middle of the war, believing no doubt that Ukrainian voters would do them the favour of unseating him. Two months ago Mr Zelensky was believed to be dead set against holding a vote.

A key Kremlin negotiator is expected in Washington this week for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, two sources familiar with the plan said, the most senior Russian official to visit since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Putin suggested Ukraine be placed under a form of temporary administration to reach a settlement in the war, Russian news agencies reported.

The U.S. president is getting impatient at Russian leader Vladimir Putin for dragging his feet over a peace plan.

A member of Vladimir Putin's inner circle could be travelling to Washington DC in the first visit by a top Kremlin official since Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine.