Now, nearly three years into Russia's invasion, Kremlin forces have brought panic and destruction to its banks in a war of attrition that has pit invader and defender on opposing banks.

The gathering due in the evening was set to bring together German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish leader Donald Tusk, Italian premier Giorgia Meloni and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen and could also include French President Emmanuel Macron.

The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war -- leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration.

Donald Trump has added another Fox News contributor to his future administration, this time tasking him with ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Wladimir Klitschko accused Joe Rogan of spreading Russian propaganda on his podcast and invited him to discuss the Ukraine war on his show.

Russia on Thursday carried out a strike on the city which President Vladimir Putin said was a test of its new Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

The grim anniversary opened with an overnight Russian strike in the eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy that gutted a Soviet-era resident building and killed at least nine people, including a child.

Ukraine is bracing for the most difficult winter year of the Russian invasion, launched by the Kremlin in February 2022.

More than two and a half years into the war, Kyiv is losing new territory almost daily in its eastern Donbas region and under mounting pressure to forge an exit strategy -- which it says must start with ramped-up Western support.

Zelensky's comments came days after visiting several European capitals to press his case for more military and financial help in the war against invading Russian forces.

The chair of the House Oversight Committee said the goal is determining whether the government "attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit the Vice President's presidential campaign"

Zelensky will present his proposals -- which he calls a "victory plan" -- to President Joe Biden, as well as presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Russian attack drones flying towards Ukraine also breached the airspace of NATO members Romania and Latvia, the countries said Sunday, triggering calls for a robust response from the military alliance.

He will also meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and then head to Italy, following the meeting at Ramstein Air Base, which comes days after 55 people were killed and 300 wounded in a Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava.

Moscow has stepped up its aerial attacks after Ukraine's offensive in Russia's Kursk region, which caught Russian troops by surprise.

Donetsk has been partially controlled by Russian proxy forces since they wrested control over swathes of the industrial territory in 2014.

The premier has trodden a delicate balance between maintaining India's historically warm ties with Russia while courting closer security partnerships with Western nations as a bulwark against regional rival China.

AFP journalists saw dozens of Ukrainian military vehicles daubed with white triangles, the insignia apparently used to identify forces involved in Kursk operation, kicking up dust on roads in the Sumy border territory.

Moscow's defence ministry said it had rushed its troops and aviation units to the border in southwestern Kursk region after a morning raid by Ukrainian units -- the latest such attack throughout the conflict.

For more than two years, Ukraine has pleaded with its Western partners for the aircraft -- long considered the crown jewel in the sprawling list of military hardware Kyiv has sought.

The announcement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited special forces in the border region of Kharkiv, where Moscow's forces launched a surprise ground offensive in May but failed to make any major breakthrough.

With its castle, medieval tower and river-side beach, the western Ukrainian tourist town of Starokostiantyniv doesn't seem an obvious target for Russian missile and drone strikes.

Russia said Sunday its forces had captured two frontline villages in Ukraine, Andriivka in the eastern Lugansk region and Pishchane in the northeast Kharkiv region.

Zelensky said on Monday that Russia "should be" represented at a second summit on the Ukraine conflict, following high-level talks last month in Switzerland that Moscow did not attend and heavily criticised.

Last year, NATO's failure to issue Ukraine a clear timeframe for membership did not go down well.

Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky signed a landmark 10-year security deal between Washington and Kyiv on Thursday in what the Ukrainian leader called a historic day in the fight against Russia's invasion.

Zelensky, who is also due to address the German parliament, will join the heads of the G7 developed nations later this week in Italy.

Switzerland will stage a conference on Ukraine this coming weekend, with world leaders set to discuss how to reach an eventual peace process -- although Russia is not taking part.

Macron said he would offer Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when the two meet for talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday that the pilots be trained from this summer.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused China on Sunday of working hard to stop countries from going to a peace summit, which Beijing has publicly criticised because Russia is not invited.