NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that Ukraine is not in a strong enough position to begin negotiating an end to the war with Russia and said any deal struck must “prevent the Russian from getting what they want.

Russia opposes simply freezing the conflict in Ukraine because Moscow needs a "solid and long-term peace" that resolves the core reasons for the crisis, President Vladimir Putin's foreign intelligence chief said on Tuesday.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged the alliance on Tuesday to deliver greater support for Ukraine after a record Russian drone attack during the night. Rutte said NATO support was critical for upholding Ukraine's defence against the Russian invasion but that the alliance needs "to go further to change the trajectory of the conflict.