Hopes of an end to the war in Ukraine suffered a double blow last night as the US reduced its peace force role and Russia set out demands for a truce.
Firstly it emerged UK and European officials visiting the US capital have been told they must provide all the security in Ukraine if a settlement is reached.
Hours later, Vladimir Putin's mouthpieces in Moscow confirmed none of the Kremlin's peace demands have changed, despite recent high profile talks.
Together these developments signalled that a settlement to the three-year conflict, which has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties, is further off.
Hopes had been raised following Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska and after Western leaders went with Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Monday.
