Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky hails ‘good chance to end war’ and urges Trump to push Putin for ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron said that Russia must accept a proposed 30-day ceasefire deal put forward by the United States and Ukraine.

Macron added he had discussed the situation on Friday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, said he and Macron had discussed the "state of diplomacy, the possibilities that exist and the...technical aspects of overseeing a ceasefire".

Zelensky said that in all these matters, "we have clear support from France".

Volodymyr Zelensky has explained how a ceasefire could be monitored and enforced by the air.

"Tracking violations is possible, in my opinion, by implementing the following steps: the first step is satellites, and the second step is joint US-Ukrainian intelligence," Zelensky explained.

"If the US receives the full scope of information from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides, I believe everything can be controlled today.”

Zelensky believes that the risk of a new invasion can be prevented by deploying a "contingent as an additional force stationed at strategic points in Ukraine — on water, in the air, and elsewhere."

"Air defense protection must be ensured 100% during the ceasefire," Zelensky said.

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron and Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store ahead of a call with the "coalition of the willing" on Saturday.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the Prime Minister and Mr Macron reflected on the "significant breakthrough" in US-Ukraine talks on a peace plan and discussed the defence chiefs meeting in Paris earlier in the week.

The spokesperson added: "Tomorrow's meeting of the Coalition of the Willing would be another important moment to further galvanise support and maintain momentum, the Prime Minister added."Mr Store and Sir Keir "reiterated their steadfast support for Ukraine" before the Prime Minister "shared his intention for the call to drive forward action to support a just and enduring peace for Ukraine", the spokesperson said.

Firefighters put out a fire at a civilian hospital following a Russian drone attack in Zolochiv in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine:

For all his prevaricating, it’s clear the Russian president wants an end to the war, writes Mary Dejevsky:

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says his country is “now close to the first step in ending any war” after accepting a plan for a 30-day truce in principle.

“Right now, we have a good chance to end this war quickly and secure peace. We have solid security understandings with our European partners,” he wrote on social media.

“We are now close to the first step in ending any war – silence.”

Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev said Ukrainian troops remaining in the Kursk region of Russia will be ruthlessly destroyed if they continue to fight.

Mr Medvedev posted on social media that sparing them would be a humane gesture but the flipside for Ukraine was that "if they refuse to lay down their arms, they will all be methodically and mercilessly destroyed".

He said the coming hours would show what choice Kyiv would make.

Russia will spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in its western Kursk region if Kyiv tells them to surrender, president Vladimir Putin has said after US president Donald Trump urged him to avoid a "horrible massacre" there.

Ukraine denied its men were encircled.

Mr Trump said he had asked the Russian president to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainians who he said were "completely surrounded". "This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II," he said.

Mr Putin accused Ukrainian troops of carrying out crimes against civilians but said he understood the call by Mr Trump to take humanitarian considerations into account.

"In this regard, I would like to emphasise that if (the Ukrainian troops) lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and decent treatment in accordance with international law and the laws of the Russian Federation," Mr Putin said.

"To effectively implement the appeal of the US president, a corresponding order from the military-political leadership of Ukraine is needed for its military units to lay down their arms and surrender."