European Union leaders are aiming to greenlight a new raft of sanctions against Russia at a summit on Thursday.

Russia and Ukraine pounded each other with heavy overnight missile attacks as diplomatic efforts to end the war faltered, with the White House saying there were no imminent plans for presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to meet.

Ukraine's defense ministry said it continues to hit Russia's industries, "weakening the offensive potential of the aggressor state."

Russia launched multiple drone and missile strikes on Ukraine as the latest peace attempts by US President Donald Trump appeared to be floundering.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended President Donald Trump’s leadership on Ukraine, saying only Trump has the power to “get this done” and bring lasting peace. REPORTER: Secretary General, can I just ask you,

President Trump on Wednesday rejected a report from The Wall Street Journal that the U.S. had given approval for Ukraine to launch missiles deep into Russian territory, distancing itself from strikes carried out by Kyiv using British long-range rockets targeting Russian military facilities.

Russia said on Tuesday its conditions for peace in Ukraine remained unchanged since the August summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that it was unclear when their next meeting would take place.

"In Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, restoration work is underway across all affected areas following Russian strikes on our energy infrastructure. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, (Russian forces) even used FPV drones to target transformers,