The Kremlin stuck fast to its demands in crunch talks with Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday, signalling that peace with Ukraine was not meaningfully any closer.

A spokesperson said that the meeting was “constructive” but that parts of the plan remained unacceptable to Russia. Putin had said earlier in the day that changes proposed by Europe and Kyiv had thrown up complications, being careful not to appear obstinate to US mediators.

He said European countries were trying to sabotage negotiations with “absolutely unacceptable” demands, adding that Russia was “ready” to fight a war in Europe if forced to.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were “constructive and meaningful” but “we are no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine, and there is much work to do”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conceded that “we’ve gotten closer, but we are still not there”.

Ukraine, meanwhile, continued talks with the US. President Zelensky said on Tuesday they had whittled the 28-point original draft plan down to 20 points, though “some things still need to be worked out”.

Donald Trump issued remarks yesterday as his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner reached Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.

“Our people are over in Russia right now to see if we can get it settled. Not an easy situation, let me tell you. What a mess," Trump said in Washington, adding that there were casualties of 25,000 to 30,000 per month in the war.

The talks failed to achieve a compromise and Witkoff and Kushner are now believed to have left Moscow.

Several European nations have stepped up their support for Ukraine on the eve of a meeting of allied Nato foreign ministers focused on Russia's war against Ukraine in Brussels.

Norway's foreign minister Espen Barth Eide has pledged €500m to buy weapons for Ukraine, through a Nato initiative to supply Kyiv with weapons bought from the US.

Germany said it will provide an additional $200m worth of military equipment for Ukraine through the PURL mechanism, said foreign minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday ahead of his trip to Brussels.

Estonia will send troops to Ukraine should security guarantees for the country include a peacekeeping force, Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said ahead of a Nato meeting in Brussels today.

In September, Russian president Vladimir Putin warned that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, particularly while its invasion was still ongoing, would be considered “legitimate targets” by Moscow’s forces.

His comments follow remarks from French president Emmanuel Macron that 26 of Ukraine’s allies have pledged to deploy troops as a “reassurance force” for Ukraine once fighting ends.

President Vladimir Putin has warned European powers that if they started a war with Russia then Moscow was ready to fight and that the defeat of European powers would be so absolute that there would be no one left to even negotiate a peace deal.

Asked by a reporter about remarks in the Russian media that Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto had cautioned that Europe was preparing a war against Russia, Putin said that Russia did not want a war with Europe.

"If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and starts it," Putin said, then it would end so swiftly for Europe that Russia would have no one left to negotiate with. Putin used the Russian word for "war".

He also suggested that the war in Ukraine was not a full-blown war and that Russia was acting in a "surgical" manner which would not be repeated in a direct confrontation with European powers.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he was afraid the United States could lose interest in the Ukrainian peace process and that Russia's goal was to bring this about.

“Yes, I am afraid. If somebody from our allies is tired, I'm afraid," Zelensky told an event in Dublin when asked if he was concerned the US could lose interest in the peace process.

“It's the goal of Russia to withdraw the interest of America from this situation,” he said.

Russia and the US have failed to agree terms on a peace deal in Ukraine after five hours of talks in Moscow, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

He said peace in Ukraine was "no closer" but also no further away.He noted that the two sides failed to reach a compromise on one of the most difficult issues – territorial disputes.

Ushakov described the discussions as constructive but acknowledged that differences remain over Ukraine.

The comments came after Russian president Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin with US president Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Russian strategic policy, known as the Gerasimov doctrine, argues that chaos in the ranks of the enemy is victory and a path to greatness. By that standard Putin should be stringing up bunting in the Kremlin.

He has achieved unimagined strategic effect by manipulating the Trump administration, which has contorted itself in its efforts to force a Russian victory on Ukraine and against Europe.

Europe must take over negotiations, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley:

The EU has announced a deal to ban all imports of Russian gas by autumn 2027.

According to the regulation, there will be a legally binding and stepwise prohibition on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas imports from Russia, with a full ban from the end of 2026 and autumn 2027 respectively.

The move will contribute to the “overarching goal of achieving a resilient and independent EU energy market, while preserving the EU's security of supply,” EU lawmakers said in a statement.

“Today, the Council presidency and the European Parliament’s representatives reached a provisional agreement on the regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU's REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy following Russia's weaponisation of gas supplies with significant effects on the European energy market,” they said.

Calling it a big win for all of Europe, Lars Aagaard, Denmark’s minister for climate, energy and utilities, said: “We have to put an end to EU’s dependence on Russian gas, and banning it in the EU permanently is a major step in the right direction. I am very pleased and proud that we have been able to reach an agreement with the European Parliament so quickly. It shows that we are committed to strengthening our security and safeguarding our energy supply.”

A drone attack by Ukraine sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia's Tambov region, governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said this morning.

"Firefighters and law enforcement officers arrived at the scene promptly. All necessary forces and resources have been mobilised," he said.

The Russian defence ministry said that 102 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted and destroyed over Russian regions overnight.

Moscow typically only confirms how many Ukrainian drones it has downed, and does not provide the total number fired.