Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv and Washington continue to hold different positions on the issue of ceding Ukrainian territory, underscoring persistent divisions even as diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia intensify.

Kyiv will not accept any peace agreement to end Russia’s full-scale invasion that puts Ukraine's Donbas region under Moscow’s control, Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The Ukrainian president made the comments after Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov had said that Kyiv and Washington had made "real progress" during two-day talks in Berlin.

BERLIN - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday concluded two days of talks with US representatives in Berlin, describing them as "productive", while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said recent diplomatic momentum has made a ceasefire conceivable.