Russia's troop buildup on Ukraine's border raises tensions. Zelenskyy and Trump push for peace talks, but Moscow's refusal to hand over memorandum stalls negotiations.

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near Ukraine's northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there.

Russia has massed more than 50,000 troops, including some of its best forces, near Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, but Kyiv has taken steps to prevent them from conducting a large-scale offensive,

US President Donald Trump has appeared to set a two-week deadline for Vladimir Putin, threatening a different response if the Russian counterpart was still stringing him along.As the Kremlin escalated its attacks on Ukraine,

Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation at peace talks on Ukraine, said on Wednesday he had sent proposals to Ukraine with a date and venue to exchange memorandums, or conditions, to stop the fighting.

Germany has given Ukraine the green light to strike targets inside Russia using long-range weapons supplied by Berlin, in a decision that signals a notable hardening of Western resolve as the war grinds on.

While world leaders bicker over the prospects for peace, the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two is heating up fast.

The United States and Russia quarrelled in public on Wednesday over the intensifying Ukraine war after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that President Vladimir Putin was "playing with fire" and Moscow massed 50,

Friedrich Merz has plunged into diplomatic efforts to try to secure a ceasefire and keep Western support for Ukraine intact since becoming Germany’s leader nearly three weeks ago.

By Sarah Marsh and Yuliia Dysa BERLIN/KYIV (Reuters) -Germany and Ukraine aim to jointly develop the industrial production of long-range missiles, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday as he vowed to keep piling on more pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.