President Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to offer a rationale for Ukraine to go on offense against Russia, notable rhetoric as the momentum around peace talks has stalled.

Russia has launched 574 drones and 40 missiles on Ukraine in one of the heaviest bombardments in weeks, Ukrainian officials say. One person was killed in a drone and missile strike on the western city of Lviv, while 15 others were reported wounded in an attack on the south-western Transcarpathia region.

President Donald Trump spoke about his efforts at peace between Russia and Ukraine on Fox News. He talked about wanting to get into heaven for peace.

Oil prices edged up on Thursday, bolstered by signs of strong demand in the United States, with uncertainty over efforts to end the war in Ukraine also lending support.

Russia has launched hundreds of drones and missiles on western Ukraine overnight in one of the heaviest bombardments in recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have said. Strikes were reported in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lviv, where one person was killed and others injured.

Russian troops currently control about 20% of Ukrainian territory, but the Ukrainian constitution forbids giving up territory or trading land.

Russia said Wednesday attempts to resolve security issues relating to Ukraine without Moscow's participation were a "road to nowhere," and that much diplomatic work needs to be done before Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are ever in the same room.

Russia’s illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 was quick and bloodless, and it sent Moscow’s relations with the West into a downward spiral unseen since the Cold War.

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith defended President Donald Trump from those who blame him for the Russia-Ukraine war, instead placing blame onto former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton for their actions in the region while in office.

Russia has occupied a fifth of Ukrainian territory - and a big map showing the area shaded in red was put up in the Oval Office as if to emphasise that point for President Donald Trump's talks with Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he has called Russian President Vladimir Putin and begun to arrange a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a critical step toward bringing a possible end to Russia's war on Ukraine.

Russia’s foreign minister has cast fresh doubt on peace talks, questioning “the legitimacy” of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to sign any future agreements after targetting a US factory in a large bombardment on Ukraine.