Medvedev, who ranks just behind Putin in the security council, wants Russia to press the attack as its "primary objective," saying US could resume.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Thursday its forces had captured another village in eastern Ukraine as it advances westward through the region of Donetsk more than three years into its invasion of its smaller neighbour.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there can be "no pause" in pressure on Russia after another night of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine.

Ukrainian troops are reportedly making gains along three parts of the front as Russian forces face a manpower shortage and poor command. One pro-Moscow military blogger has lamented how Ukrainian forces are exerting growing pressure on Russian troops in the Donetsk region, as a map shows the latest state of play.

"China is very careful. They're very cautious," Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Committee, told Newsweek.

European officials have been told that President Donald Trump wants to link the proposed US-Ukraine minerals deal to demands for Kyiv to commit to a quick ceasefire with Russia, according to people familiar with the matter.

Volodymyr Zelensky has joined the leaders of the EU’s 27 countries to discuss boosting military support for Ukraine