Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top European leaders on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deliberately stalling diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, news agency AP reported. They also firmly rejected any proposal that would require Kyiv to surrender territory seized by Russian forces in exchange for peace — an idea US President Donald Trump has suggested on occasion.

Eight European heads of state, along with senior European Union officials, issued a joint statement declaring their intention to move ahead with plans to utilise Moscow’s billions of dollars (euros) in frozen assets abroad to aid Kyiv in its war efforts, despite concerns about the legality and potential consequences of such action.