{"id":173266,"date":"2025-11-26T14:29:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T14:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-russia-contradicts-trump-on-peace-talks-as-fierce-battles-rage-at-frontline-sky-news\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T14:29:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T14:29:20","slug":"ukraine-war-latest-russia-contradicts-trump-on-peace-talks-as-fierce-battles-rage-at-frontline-sky-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-russia-contradicts-trump-on-peace-talks-as-fierce-battles-rage-at-frontline-sky-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine war latest: Russia contradicts Trump on peace talks – as 'fierce battles' rage at frontline – Sky News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russia has contradicted Donald Trump on whether or not Moscow is making concessions in peace talks. And Trump’s envoy is under pressure over a leaked recording. Meanwhile, there are “fierce battles” raging at the frontline. Listen to The World below as you scroll through the latest.
Wednesday 26 November 2025 14:19, UK
By Deborah Haynes<\/a>, security and defence editor<\/b>
Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov is one of Ukraine’s top commanders and one of the country’s youngest. 
At just 39, he’s led the Ukrainian military intelligence service \u2013 or GUR \u2013 since before Russia’s full-scale invasion. 
But Budanov has been waging covert operations against Russian forces since Vladimir Putin first targeted Ukraine in 2014. 
In that time, Budanov has been wounded on three occasions in battle, received awards for courage and even survived an assassination attempt. 
His wife has also been targeted in a poisoning. She too survived. 
A close ally of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Budanov was once touted as a potential candidate to become defence minister. 
But he has stayed in his intelligence role, overseeing top secret operations, including a major ongoing mission to develop and deploy long-range drones loaded with explosives that are being launched against military and energy targets deep inside Russia. 
Wanted by Russia, over an attack against a large bridge that links Crimea to Russia in 2022, Budanov’s selection to take part in peace talks in Abu Dhabi with American and Russian officials may not be particularly welcomed by Moscow. 
Still, it is a sign that this Ukrainian general is one to watch. 
We’re hearing more from the European Union now after that virtual meeting earlier, with the bloc’s foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas saying Russia’s military should be limited in size in order to end the Ukraine conflict.
“If we want to prevent this war [from continuing], then actually we should curb the army of Russia and also their military budget,” Kallas told reporters today.
Her comments come after reports revealed there are discussions around limiting the size of Ukraine’s armed forces in the various US peace plans – without a similar requirement for Russia.
Kallas said the EU had seen “zero indication” that Russia is ready for a ceasefire, adding any peace agreement needs to include concessions from Russia.
But, as we reported earlier, Russian deputy foreign minister told Sky News today that “there can be no talk of any concessions or surrendering” from his country (see post at 12.18).
Kallas also told reporters that more sanctions against Moscow were necessary to stop the country from invading again and further support was required for Ukraine.
Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister, has been speaking after that meeting of European Union foreign ministers we mentioned at 12.33.
The EU is likely to find a solution in December on how to secure future funding for Ukraine, she said, after the video call.
There has been a continuing debate about what to do with Russian assets frozen in EU countries since the invasion of Ukraine.
A Russian missile plant has been hit by a Ukrainian attack, according to Ukraine’s military.
The site, which Ukraine says produces navigation equipment and other components for cruise and ballistic missiles, was struck in Russia’s Chuvashia.
Ukraine’s military said the plant is in the city Cheboksary.
The report has not been independently verified. We’ll bring you any updates if Russia comments on the Ukrainian claims.
Donald Trump has posted on his Truth Social platform in the last 40 minutes – but he’s not expanded on his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Instead, the 79-year-old American president has denied reporting in the US media that his stamina and energy are fading in his second term.
Trump says that the claims “I am perhaps losing my energy” are false, saying “facts” show “the exact opposite”.
He was hitting back at a report in the New York Times<\/a> – which he describes as a “hit piece” – headlined: Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Ageing in Office<\/i>.
In recent weeks, Trump has sounded hoarse at some media appearances. However, he has still regularly appeared in front of the cameras – often touching on his frustration with the war in Ukraine – though the NY Times report says his schedule is lighter, compared to his first presidency.
Last night, as we reported, he boasted of “tremendous progress” in peace talks.
It’s often difficult to sum up the president’s communication style, so here’s his Truth Social post in full…
Two people of Russian nationality have been arrested in France, on suspicion of spying for a foreign power.
In total, four people were arrested by French police, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
One of those arrested was identified as a woman of dual French-Russian nationality, who prosecutors said had been under surveillance by France’s DGSI domestic intelligence agency since January.
More now from Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who has been telling our team in Moscow that the Kremlin’s position is that there can be “no concessions” in peace talks (see 12.18 post).
Ryabkov has also revealed today that Russia is in talks with China regarding efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Ryabkov also said it’s Russia’s understanding that Ukraine is still getting arms and intelligence from the US, despite Donald Trump’s peace efforts and his administration’s attempts to improve Washington-Moscow ties.
No progress has been made regarding resuming direct flights between the US and Russia, Ryabkov also told reporters at a news conference.
The EU foreign ministers were supposed to convene for an extraordinary video conference within the last hour or so to discuss the Ukraine peace plan, among other things.
Earlier, the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also renewed her push to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine at today’s plenary of the European Parliament (see our post at 9.19).
This comes as Europe and EU officials are fighting to remain in the conversation and not get sidelined as America, Russia and Ukraine are hashing things out on their own.
European delegations joined Ukrainian-American talks about the peace plan in Geneva this weekend. 
But the counterproposal that the UK, Germany and France drew up then appears to have been largely ignored. 
When asked about the European pitch, Marco Rubio said he hadn’t seen any counter plan, while Moscow suggested on Monday that the plan “doesn’t work for us”.
The EU’s unity on the issue is also fractured, with reporting emerging today that Hungary’s pugnacious premier, Viktor Orban, is planning another trip to Moscow.
Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has just been questioned by Sky News on whether Russia has agreed to any concessions, after the US peace plan was updated in consultation with the Ukrainians.
Ivor Bennett<\/a>, our Moscow correspondent, explains Ryabkov’s answer can be summed up simply – with no sign of Russia giving any ground. 
As the US increases its efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine, Ryabkov said his country was “prepared to work with the materials we have”.
But Ryabkov adds: “There can be no talk of any concessions or surrendering our approach regarding the key issues we’re facing, including in the context of the Special Military Operation.”
That’s despite Donald Trump saying this morning that Russia was “making concessions” (see our 6.27 post).
Ryabkov says Russia welcomes “the Trump administration’s efforts to find reasonable solutions and reasonable outcomes”.
“I emphasise that the various elements of the Anchorage agreement represent, in and of themselves, compromise solutions,” he says, referring to Trump and Putin’s meeting in Alaska earlier this year.
The peace plan will continue to be discussed, Ryabkov adds.
Dan Driscoll has emerged as a key figure in recent peace negotiations. 
As Trump envoy Steve Witkoff will be working the Russian side in Moscow next week, it will fall to Driscoll to negotiate with Ukraine in parallel.
Yesterday, he was reportedly hosting the not-so-secret talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials in the UAE.
But you could be forgiven for being unaware of his involvement until now. 
Here, US correspondent Mark Stone<\/a><\/b> explains his role…<\/b>
As army secretary, Driscoll is one of the top civilians within the Pentagon.  
He leads the US Department of the Army, which is one of the three military departments within the Department of War (formerly the Department of Defence, before a Trump rebrand). 
In the hierarchy, he sits just under Pete Hegseth, the secretary of war, but the speculation in Washington is that there is tension between the two of them.
Vance friend, Hegseth foe?<\/b>
Hegseth can’t fire or purge Driscoll, though, because he is a close friend of the vice president. 
He and JD Vance were at Yale together and Trump likes him. 
Unusually for a Trump official, he also enjoys bipartisan popularity. 
It was Driscoll who was sent to present the 28-point plan to Zelenskyy in Kyiv last week.
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Install the Sky News app for free<\/p>\n

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