US president Donald Trump has suggested Ukraine should “fight back” to win against Russia in his latest fiery tirade on Truth Social, as he continues his attempts to broker peace between the warring nations.

European NATO leaders must not be naive when discussing a Ukraine peace force but face up to the reality that they would need to deploy tens of thousands of troops to the country for the long term, the head of Germany's soldiers' union said.

NATO aircraft scrambled from Romania following a large-scale Russian attack on across Ukraine overnight, including in the Odesa region near Danube River border with allied nation.

Western defense companies are increasingly establishing new presences in Ukraine and working directly with Ukrainian companies.

European leaders are discussing a security guarantee for Ukraine that would commit Kyiv’s allies to decide within 24 hours whether to provide military support to the country if it’s again attacked by Russia.

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.

As the front lines froze, and air defenses got better, Russia and Ukraine pivoted away from close bombing runs to standoff attacks.