Ukraine war latest: Zelenskyy says Trump envoy 'spreading Russian narratives' - and accuses China of supplying Russia with artillery (2025)

We'll be back soon with all the latest updates from the war in Ukraine.

Until then, here are today's key lines:

• Officials from the US, Ukraine and Europe have met for talks in Paris today focused on ending the war in Ukraine;
• A French official described the talks as "positive and constructive";
• Zelenskyy said Ukraine has evidence of China supplying Russia with artillery;
• He also said Ukraine could sign a memorandum of intent with the US over a minerals deal as soon as Thursday;
• Meanwhile, President Trump has said he doesn't hold Zelenskyy responsible for the war in Ukraine, but that he's "not a big fan";
• Elsewhere, Vladimir Putin met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamas Al-Thani;
• And Russia's foreign ministry said Germany would be directly participating in the war in Ukraine if Kyiv uses Taurus missiles supplied by Berlin to hit Russian infrastructure.

Russia is using a recently-amended "road safety" law to force residents of occupied Ukraine to obtain Russian citizenship.

The federal law began requiring all drivers in occupied Ukraine to obtain Russian drivers' licences as of 1 April.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, residents in those areas that currently possess Ukrainian licences must now apply for a Russian licence before 1 January 2026.

Doing so requires a newly-simplified procedure which forces residents to first submit a Russian passport or resident document, beginning the process of citizenship.

The Ukrainian Resistance Centre responded by calling the scheme "passportizsation on wheels" on Telegram, labelling it as yet another Russian ploy intended to pressure residents of occupied areas into receiving Russian documentation.

The road safety law will also allow Russian occupation officials to collect personal data on residents of occupied areas, which they can later use against residents in the case of dissent or non-compliance.

A French presidency official has described today's Ukraine peace talks in Paris as "excellent" and "constructive".

As we have been reporting, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a series of talks today with leaders, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, his German and French counterparts, and Ukrainian officials.

The French official said they have started a process where Europeans are involved in talks over Ukraine's future.

"The 'E3' are around the table and we're doing it with a European ambition," the senior adviser to Macron told reporters after the talks, referring to France, Britain and Germany.

"What's important is that we have started a process in Paris today that is positive and where the Europeans are associated," he added.

He said a meeting of top negotiators from the same countries will take place in London next week.

President Trump says he doesn't hold Volodymyr Zelenskyy responsible for the war in Ukraine, but says he is "not a big fan".

"I don't hold Zelenskyy responsible, but I'm not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started," he says during the White House news conference.

"And, so I'm not happy with him, and I'm not happy with anybody involved, " he adds.

"I'm not blaming him, but what I am saying is that I wouldn't say he's done the greatest job. Okay? I'm not a big fan."

He adds that there is "no way" Vladimir Putin would have invaded Ukraine if he had been president at the time, and that now he is "trying to get him to stop".

For context:

On Monday, Trump said he blamed Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden and Zelenskyy, in that order, for the war.

He said: "Biden could have stopped it, and Zelenskyy could have stopped it, and Putin should have never started it.

"Millions of people are dead because of three people.

"Let's say Putin number one, let's say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelenskyy.

President Trump is holding a news conference alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the White House.

Asked how long Vladimir Putin has to respond to a ceasefire proposal before facing either tariffs or additional sanctions, Trump said: "We're going to be hearing from them this week, very shortly, actually.

"But we want it to stop. We want the death and the killing to stop," he added.

Addressing Trump, Meloni said: "Together we can build a just and lasting peace. We support your efforts, Donald."

"I think we are doing well in that effort ... I think we are close," Trump replies.

Sky's Europe correspondent Adam Parsons says US officials will be under pressure today as they sit down with European leaders.

He says there's a "certain amount of tension" after EU leaders and diplomats have spent the last few months feeling "pretty frozen out and pretty bewildered" over the US's approach to achieving peace in Ukraine.

"The European Union has spent the last few months wondering what on earth is going on," he says.

He adds there are concerns that America has "let Russia off lightly" and is "too wary of upsetting Moscow" while ceasefire talks are ongoing.

He says the big question today will be whether the US is on Europe's side against Russia - or are they "more and more sympathetic to what is being said in Moscow?"

A short time ago, we caught a few words from Emmanuel Macron during his meeting with European and US officials to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Addressing the meeting in Paris, Macron said "everybody wants peace - a robust and sustainable peace".

"This is a very important occasion for a convergence with Ukrainian friends, Europeans along with you," he told US officials.

As we have been reporting throughout the day, France has been hosting a series of talks on Ukraine, including with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and top Ukrainian and European officials.

Lord Kim Darroch, former UK ambassador to the US, has told Sky News comments made by the US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Ukraine are a "cause for concern".

It comes after Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused US special envoy Steve Witkoff of "spreading Russian narratives" about the war (see post at 5.06pm).

Lord Darroch said Witkoff does seem to have "bought into Putin's version of the history of Ukraine, which is a very contentious and partisan one".

On the other hand, he said President Trump has been "implying that he's quite angry with Russia for not agreeing to an unconditional ceasefire".

Lord Darroch said he hoped today's meeting in with US officials in Paris would be an "opportunity" for Ukraine and the Europeans to get an update on talks with Russia.

He said we "don't know very much" about Witkoff's latest meeting with Vladimir Putin last week so a "comprehensive debrief" would be a "good thing".

He added that the meeting was a "good opportunity" for Europeans to urge the US to put more pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire.

We have more lines from that news conference from Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon.

He has accused Russia of launching the same number of missiles and drones at Ukraine as before a temporary ceasefire on attacks against energy infrastructure was agreed last month.

He said that while Russia had reduced the number of strikes against energy targets, it is attacking civilian infrastructure instead.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a US-brokered, 30-day moratorium on military strikes targeting oil fields, power stations and other key energy infrastructure on both sides of their shared border in March.

For context:Both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of violating the pause since it was agreed.

Earlier, Russian state media Interfax quoted the Russian foreign ministry as saying Ukraine has carried out 10 attacks on such targets over the last 24 hours (see post at 1.06pm).

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also claimed Ukraine had violated the 30-day moratorium 80 times since it came into effect.

Yesterday, Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson told a news briefing that Russia attacked energy facilities in Kherson and Mykolaiv in the south and Poltava in the centre of the country over the past 24 hours alone.

Earlier this morning, Ukraine's largest private energy producer DTEK said a Russian attack had damaged its energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

During the news conference, the Ukrainian president also accused US special envoy Steve Witkoff of "spreading Russian narratives" about the war in Ukraine.

As we have been reporting, Witkoff is currently in Paris with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio for talks with Emmanuel Macron (see 3.56pm post).

The US State Department said the talks were intended to "advance President Trump's goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and stop the bloodshed".

Vladimir Putin hosted Witkoff for the latest of several meetings in St Petersberg last week.

Russian state media said the talks lasted for more than fourhours.