U.S., Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are back around a table for a second round of technical talks, but in Kyiv, Russian bombs bring suffering and skepticism.

As losses mount, the pace of Russia's advance has at times been slower than the Battle of the Somme during World War I, a report says.

Europe must ban entry to all Russian veterans of the war against Ukraine or face a surge in crime rates and hybrid attacks, Estonian officials have warned. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna warned that battle-hardened "ex-prisoners and rapists" could flood Europe after the war and carry out nefarious activities on behalf of Russian intelligence.

Russia's defense spending has surged, burdening the economy as sanctions strain resources and borrowing increases to fund military costs.

The reasons could be "possible limitations of a technical or political character," Ukraine's military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

US President Donald Trump said that he has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin not to target Kyiv for one week as the region experiences frigid temperatures. View on euronews

Russia’s war in Ukraine has now gone on longer than the World War II war with Germany. The current war has cost Russia 1.4 million men killed, disabled or missing. Only a few hundred civilians have become casualties.