Ukraine is finalising a new peace proposal for Washington as President Volodymyr Zelensky insists that any settlement with Russia must not involve giving up Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky said Kyiv would submit an updated framework after again rejecting calls for territorial compromise, stating he has “no right” under the country’s constitution or international law to cede land. His comments followed meetings with European and NATO leaders aimed at preventing support for any deal that would leave Ukraine exposed to future aggression.

He told reporters a revised proposal could be sent to the United States as early as Tuesday.

Overnight, the city of Sumy in north-west Ukraine was left without electricity following a wave of Russian drone strikes targeting energy facilities. Regional authorities reported more than a dozen drones hit infrastructure sites, and emergency teams are assessing potential casualties.

In western Ukraine, the death toll from one of Russia’s most lethal strikes in the Ternopil region continued to rise. Officials confirmed two additional bodies were recovered after a missile attack last month, bringing the total number of victims to 38, including eight children.

Zelensky’s tour of Europe followed an intensive weekend of negotiations between Ukrainian and U.S. representatives, though those discussions failed to produce terms acceptable to Kyiv. The president was due to receive a detailed briefing from his chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, who was involved in direct talks that also included Russian representatives.

“Russia is demanding we abandon our territory, but we are not prepared to surrender anything,” Zelensky said. He added that Ukrainian law, the constitution and broader international norms leave no legal or moral basis for land concessions. Any alteration to Ukraine’s borders, he said, would have to be approved through a national referendum.

Russia’s military leadership claimed on Tuesday that its forces were advancing across the front line and targeting Myrnohrad, near the strategic hub of Pokrovsk. Moscow has asserted control over the city, which it sees as a key step toward occupying the wider Donbas region. Ukraine disputes that claim, and Ukrainian commanders recently showed live footage of ongoing fighting inside the city.

Zelensky said a U.S.-drafted peace plan had been reduced from 28 points to 20 amid pushback from Ukraine and European governments, who viewed the initial version as overly favourable to Russia. He stressed that none of the provisions supporting Ukraine had been removed, and that there had been no movement on questions involving territory.

Control of the eastern Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain among the most sensitive points in the talks. A leaked draft earlier suggested full Russian control over Donbas and a shared distribution of energy from Zaporizhzhia, despite the fact Russia has not captured the entire region after nearly four years of conflict.

European leaders say there has been progress in reshaping the proposal in recent weeks and have welcomed U.S. efforts to support a path toward ending the war. A high-level meeting in London on Monday — attended by leaders from the UK, France, Germany and Ukraine — was widely interpreted as a united show of backing for Kyiv amid concerns about pressure from Washington.

Officials said the discussions highlighted the need for a “just and lasting peace” backed by credible security guarantees for Ukraine. The structure of those guarantees remains a central unresolved issue, with work underway to form a broader coalition willing to provide long-term defence support.

Both the UK and France have signalled openness to deploying international forces in Ukraine as part of a security arrangement, while several European defence partners have raised doubts about that approach. The extent of future U.S. involvement also remains unclear.

After the London talks, Zelensky travelled to Brussels for meetings with NATO and EU leadership and is expected to hold discussions in Italy on Tuesday.

Moscow has also characterised its recent conversations with U.S. officials as constructive, though there has been no public indication that Russia intends to revise its wartime demands, which have remained unchanged since the invasion began in February 2022.

Trump, meanwhile, has portrayed Zelensky as the main obstacle to securing an agreement. He has made a swift end to the conflict a central foreign policy objective and has repeatedly claimed he could deliver a deal quickly. He said Moscow was “comfortable” with the proposal presented to both sides and expressed disappointment that Zelensky had not reviewed it in full.

Zelensky said he is awaiting Umerov’s direct briefing on the talks held over three days in Miami. “Some issues can only be handled face to face,” he said.

President Donald Trump has rolled out a $12bn support plan aimed at assisting farmers facing low crop prices and disruption linked to recent trade conflicts.

According to the administration, roughly $11bn will be disbursed as one-time payments to producers of major row crops under the Farmer Bridge Assistance programme. Another $1bn is reserved for farmers growing products not covered under the scheme.

Although many in the agriculture sector remain politically aligned with Trump, farmers have faced significant market uncertainty during his second term, particularly due to trade tensions with China.

Trump also warned on Monday that Mexico could face an additional 5% tariff in a dispute over water access for farms in the United States.

Officials say the new package is designed to support farmers dealing with what the administration describes as “years of unjustified trade actions” and broader inflationary pressures.

Trump announced the initiative during an event at the White House, backed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, as well as members of Congress and representatives of farming groups.

“Boosting domestic farm output is central to making life affordable again and lowering grocery bills,” he said.

Farmers growing crops such as sorghum and soybeans have been hit especially hard by the breakdown in trade relations with China, a major buyer of those commodities.

A White House official said the payments are meant to help farmers sell their current harvests, plan for the 2025 growing season, and act as a temporary measure until trade conditions improve.

Rollins noted that the remaining $1bn in funds will help assess the state of specialty crop production and guide future support decisions.

When asked about additional relief packages, Trump said future action would “depend” on how markets respond. “Farmers don’t want handouts; they want fair competition,” he added.

The announcement comes amid rising public concern over the cost of living — an issue Trump has sometimes downplayed — and frustration from farmers who lost access to Chinese markets due to new tariffs.

China, the world’s largest soybean consumer, sharply reduced imports from the U.S. earlier this year after the administration imposed new levies on Chinese goods.

Later the same day, Trump accused Mexico of breaching a decades-old water-sharing treaty and threatened a 5% tariff in response, saying American farmers deserve the resources promised under the agreement.

Some farmers say the government relief will provide short-term breathing room but won’t fix deeper challenges caused by high operating costs and shrinking export opportunities. Rising prices for seeds, fertilisers, and other inputs continue to weigh on profit margins.

Several farmers noted that previous support packages under Trump provided temporary assistance but did not reverse long-term pressure on the sector. Earlier aid programmes issued $22bn in 2019 and $46bn in 2020, including pandemic-related support.

Recent talks between Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping led to a pledge from Beijing to buy significant quantities of U.S. soybeans through 2028. Though current purchase volumes fall short of those targets, officials say the pace of imports is increasing and could meet near-term goals.

Explaining the rationale behind the new package, Treasury Secretary Bessent said American soybean producers had been used as leverage in trade negotiations and that the aid would help farmers plan ahead. He said the goal is to bridge the sector through a difficult period until market conditions improve.

Trump also signed an executive order over the weekend establishing task forces to strengthen food supply chains and investigate alleged anti-competitive behaviour within the agriculture industry.

Communities along the Thai-Cambodian border emptied out on Monday as fresh fighting between the two countries left at least five people dead.

Bangkok and Phnom Penh blamed each other for triggering the latest violence, which marks the worst flare-up since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire in July.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand “never sought conflict” but would take “whatever steps are required to defend its territory.” Former Cambodian leader Hun Sen countered by accusing Thailand of acting like “invaders” and provoking a response.

More than 40 people have been killed since tensions rose in May, causing major disruptions to trade, cross-border travel, and imports.

On Monday, the Thai army reported returning fire after Cambodian forces allegedly attacked positions in Ubon Ratchathani Province, including through air operations along disputed areas. Cambodia’s defence ministry rejected that claim, insisting the Thai side launched strikes first in Preah Vihear Province.

Officials from both governments confirmed that one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians were among the dead, with dozens of people injured.

For Thai schoolteacher Siksaka Pongsuwan, the toll is not only measured in casualties. He said children growing up near the fighting are “losing opportunities and valuable time” compared to students in safer locations.

The education ministry said nearly 650 schools across five Thai provinces were ordered to shut down for safety reasons after tensions surged on Sunday.

Videos circulating online captured scenes of panic in Cambodian border towns, with parents racing to pull their children from classrooms.

This is not the first time students have faced disruption. Heavy fighting in July erupted during exam week, forcing Pongsuwan’s school to shift entirely online. Many students, however, could not participate due to limited internet access or a shortage of school tablets.

In Cambodia, former journalist Mech Dara posted several videos showing children fleeing classrooms and described the situation as deeply distressing.
“How many times must these kids experience such terrifying moments?” he wrote, calling the conflict a “nightmare” for young learners.

He also shared a photo of a boy eating a meal in a bunker while still wearing his school uniform. “Why should this child and his family be eating underground?” he asked.

Pongsuwan said gunfire can still be heard in his village, leaving families unsure whether it is safer to leave or remain.
“If you ask if we’re afraid — yes, we are,” he said. “Should we evacuate? Will we really be safer? Or should we stay where we are?”

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has condemned a drone strike on a kindergarten and hospital in Sudan that left 114 people dead, calling the attack “senseless.”

The strike took place on Thursday in the town of Kalogi in South Kordofan. UN figures show that 63 children were among those killed.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the two rival forces in Sudan’s civil war, has been accused of carrying out the attack by the army and a medical network.

In a separate statement, the RSF claimed to have taken control of Heglig, Sudan’s largest oil field.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when a power struggle between the RSF and the army erupted into war. The Kordofan region — which includes North, South, and West Kordofan — lies between Khartoum and Darfur and has become a major battleground as the army attempts to advance toward Darfur, currently held by the RSF. Nearly eight million people live across the three states.

Initial reports from local authorities indicated at least 50 deaths in Kalogi, including 33 children. Updated figures from the WHO’s monitoring system later confirmed 114 fatalities and 35 injured.

A local official in Kalogi said drones struck the kindergarten first, then hit the hospital, and attacked again as residents attempted to rescue children trapped in the rubble.

The RSF has not publicly commented on the incident. The group has previously denied targeting civilians, despite facing accusations of large-scale attacks in other areas of the country.

Tedros said survivors from the strike were transferred to a hospital in South Kordofan for urgent treatment, and that emergency calls for blood donations and medical supplies have been issued.

“Paramedics and responders came under fire while trying to move the injured from the kindergarten to the hospital,” he said.

He added that the WHO “condemns these senseless attacks on civilians and health facilities,” and again called for an end to the violence and greater access to humanitarian assistance.

While avoiding assigning blame for the attack, Tedros renewed his call for a ceasefire, saying: “Sudanese people have suffered far too much.”

The RSF described the capture of Heglig — near Sudan’s southern border — as a major development. Military personnel reportedly pulled back from the site to prevent damage to the oil facilities. Staff working at the field have also left the area.

Heglig contains the main processing infrastructure for South Sudanese oil exports, which represent a key source of revenue and are crucial for both countries’ access to foreign currency.