Ukraine updates: Russia criticizes Merz's Putin remarks

President Donald Trump hosted the newly elected Polish nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, at the White House, complete with a military flyover and an offer to send more US troops to Poland.

Talks were expected to focus on efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Trump called the war "stupid" and said that ending it would have been "much easier" for him. 

Trump offered Nawrocki to boost the US military footprint in Poland. "We'll put more there if they want," he said in the Oval Office. "We're with Poland all the way and we'll help Poland protect itself."

Nawrocki praised the presence of U.S. troops and said it was "the first time in history" that Poland had been happy to host foreign troops. He stressed that Warsaw aims to continue increasing its military spending within the NATO alliance.

Europe is ready to offer security guarantees to Ukraine once a peace accord is signed to end the war sparked by the full-scale 2022 Russian invasion, French President Emmanuel Macron said in Paris alongside Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"We are ready, we the Europeans, to offer the security guarantees to Ukraine and Ukrainians the day that a peace (accord) is signed," Macron said, adding that the preparatory work is done.

According to the French leader, the guarantees will be endorsed on Thursday by the "coalition of the willing" backing Kyiv.

"We are ready for a robust peace and lasting peace for Ukraine and the Europeans," added Macron. "The question now is to know the sincerity of Russia."

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said he saw no signs that Russia wanted to end the war.

US President Donald Trump said that he has no further message for President Vladimir Putin and awaits a decision as Russia continues to show little interest in ending its war with Ukraine.

"I have no message to President Putin," Trump told reporters. "He knows where I stand and he'll make a decision one way or another"

However, Trump hinted at fresh sanctions against Russia if Putin fails to make a Ukraine peace deal.

"Whatever his decision is, we'll either be happy about it or unhappy. And if we're unhappy about it, you'll see things happen," the US president said.

A White House official later said that US President Donald Trump will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the next few days.

Earlier on Wednesday, the French presidency announced that several European leaders, including Zelenskyy and France's Emmanuel Macron, would call Trump on Thursday afternoon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to continue fighting in Ukraine and achieve his goals by force if a peace deal could not be reached through negotiations.

Speaking in Beijing at the end of his visit to China, Putin said he perceived "a certain light at the end of the tunnel", given what he said were sincere efforts by the United States to find a settlement to the war in Ukraine.

"It seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict. That is my assumption," Putin told reporters.

"If not, then we will have to resolve all the tasks before us by force of arms," the Russian leader added.

Putin also said he was ready to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Moscow, but only if the meeting was well prepared and would lead to tangible results.

However, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha dismissed the suggestion of Moscow as a venue for such a meeting as "unacceptable."

Sybiha said that at least seven countries have offered to host a meeting between Putin and the Ukrainian president, who is ready to travel to any of these countries for the talks.

As US President Donald Trump tries to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia, discussions are underway on what might happen to the Ukrainian region of Donbas, which comprises Donetsk and Luhansk, and whether Ukraine might have to accept territorial concessions in exchange for a ceasefire. 

Read what the residents of eastern Ukraine told DW about the possibility of surrendering Donetsk and Luhansk to Russia. 

Leaders taking part in the "coalition of the willing," a group of allies working on security guarantees for Ukraine, might invite US President Donald Trump to join the hybrid call, a German government spokesperson said.

"I can't pre-empt anything, but there are deliberations to dial in the US president," the spokesperson said during a press briefing in Berlin.

Members of the coalition are meeting in Paris on Thursday.

The mostly virtual meeting is expected to focus on what type of security guarantees can be provided to Ukraine to prevent another Russian attack in the event of a ceasefire.

The United Kingdom has imposed new sanctions on Russian officials and youth organizations linked to what it described as Moscow's policy of forcibly deporting and indoctrinating Ukrainian children.

Organizations such as the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which runs re-education programs for Ukrainian children and teenagers, subjecting them to militaristic training, and its president, Aymani Nesievna Kadyrova, are among those targeted, according to the statement.

The sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans, and other penalties.

"The Kremlin's policy of forced deportations, indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children is despicable," UK Foreign Minister David Lammy said.

Ukraine says more than 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory during the war without the consent of family or guardians, calling the abductions a war crime.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 over the abduction of Ukrainian children.

The Kremlin said people should ignore German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's comments about peace talks for Ukraine after he had made what Moscow called a series of "unfavorable" remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Tuesday, Merz called Putin "perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time." 

"He is a war criminal," Merz told German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1, adding he has "no reason to believe" the Russian leader wants a ceasefire with Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Merz's proposal to hold Ukraine-Russia ceasefire talks in Geneva should not be considered because of his comments.

Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, European football's governing body, said banning Russian teams has not helped end the war in Ukraine, and he also opposes banning Israeli athletes over the war in Gaza.

Speaking to Politico, he said he wanted politicians to do more to stop these wars.

Russian teams have been banned from taking part in matches organised by football's European and world governing bodies since Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"We were among the first to act, truly believing that sport could help put an end to this tragedy. Sadly, life showed us otherwise. Now I don't see much reaction from politics. From civil society it's huge," he said.

"I cannot understand how a politician who can do a lot to stop the slaughter, anywhere, can go to sleep seeing all the children and all the civilians dead. I don't understand it. You know, the idea football should solve these problems? No way," he added. 

He also supported the idea of reinstating Russian under-17 teams into European competitions. 

"I still think that the children should be treated differently because, you know, they are raised in fear and hatred," he said.

"They would understand that we are not their enemies, that nations are not enemies between each other. But politicians, they don't care about that," he said, adding that children also don't vote.

NATO chief Mark Rutte expects to receive clear information tomorrow, or soon afterward, about what security guarantees can be provided to Ukraine.

He said he anticipates that clarity will emerge during a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and allied leaders.

The "coalition of the willing," made up of about 30 countries, is scheduled to meet in Paris on Thursday.

They intend to support Ukraine's military and would discuss the deployment of troops if a ceasefire is reached.

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, however, stated that there are no concrete plans for military action, "at least not in Germany."

He emphasized that long-term security guarantees can only be decided once a ceasefire or peace agreement is in place.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a series of high-level diplomatic engagements aimed at increasing pressure on Russia and securing further support for Ukraine.

His first stop will be the Ukraine-Nordic and Baltic States Summit in Denmark on Wednesday.

In a statement posted on social media, Zelenskyy said: "We are preparing significant reinforcements for Ukraine."

He is also due to have bilateral meetings in France later on Wednesday.

"We are also preparing a format of the coalition of the willing and new steps in relations with the European Union and the United States," he wrote.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine suffered another night of Russian drone and missile attacks, posting pictures of what he said were emergency services responding to those attacks. 

"Putin is showing his impunity. And this undoubtedly requires a response from the world. It is only due to the lack of sufficient pressure, primarily on Russia's war economy, that this aggression continues," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his soldiers' fighting "heroically" with Russian forces in Ukraine.

The two leaders held bilateral talks in Beijing after attending a military parade hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"At your initiative, as is well known, your special forces participated in the liberation of the Kursk region," Putin told Kim. "Your soldiers fought courageously and heroically."

South Korea estimates North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops and large amounts of military equipment, including ballistic missiles and artillery, to support Russia's war in Ukraine. According to Seoul, some 2,000 North Korean soldiers are estimated to have died fighting for Russia in Ukraine. 

Kim said that cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has "significantly strengthened" since the two countries signed a strategic partnership pact in June last year.

"If there's anything I can do for you and the people of Russia, if there is more that needs to be done, I will consider it as a fraternal duty, an obligation that we surely need to bear, and will be prepared to do everything possible to help," Kim said. 

Young drone pilots are reshaping Ukraine's defense strategy, with FPV drones becoming a vital tool in countering Russia's larger forces. DW meets new soldiers and the technology helping keep Russia at bay.

US President Donald Trump said he is "very disappointed" with his Russian counterpart,Vladimir Putin, for failing to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.

Trump was speaking on the Scott Jennings Radio Show.

Trump recently gave Putin a two-week deadline to start talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"I'm very disappointed in President Putin, I can say that," Trump responded when asked if he felt betrayed by Putin's response. "We had a great relationship, I'm very disappointed." 

The president recently gave Putin a two-week deadline to start talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump said his administration was planning on "doing something to help people live." He did not provide any specifics on potential steps the US would take.

Speaking later in the Oval Office, Trump said there would be consequences if Putin and Zelenskyy fail to meet to end the war in Ukraine.