As the Trump administration works toward a halt in the fighting, many experts fear that Ukraine will be forced to accept a ceasefire deal that will only give Russian forces a badly needed breather.

Donald Trump says he believes Russia has "the cards" in any peace talks to end the war in Ukraine because Russia has "taken a lot of territory". The US president told the BBC he trusted that Moscow wants to see an end to the war, which Russia started when it waged a full-scale invasion almost three years ago.