Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky to speak with Trump after US ‘approves peace deal with Moscow’

Volodymyr Zelensky will speak to Donald Trump after being presented with a draft peace deal that has been drafted by the US and Russia, without Ukraine’s involvement.

The U.S. president approved of a secret deal brokered between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev, that would reportedly force Ukraine to give up some of its arms and lease key territories to Russia.

The deal would require Kyiv to cede control of the eastern Donbas region while legally retaining ownership of it, in exchange for an undisclosed rental fee from Moscow, officials familiar with the deal told the Telegraph.

It is one of a number of concessions reportedly demanded from Ukraine, including that it give up long-range missiles and slash its military personnel by half.

A source told NBC News that Trump himself had approved the 28-point plan this week, citing a US senior government official.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military officials say their efforts to hold on to the strategic city of Pokrovsk are being complicated by Russian soldiers disguising themselves as civilians.