Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks at a council meeting in Moscow.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday threatened to go to war against NATO if European countries stick to their plans to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer "are playing dumb," Medvedev, who is the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, wrote on X.

"Time and again they are told that peacekeepers must be from non-NATO states," he wrote.

"You want to give military aid to the neo-Nazis in Kiev. That means war with NATO. Consult with [US President Donald] Trump, scumbags," he added.

Starmer has suggested establishing a "coalition of the willing" to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine to secure an eventual ceasefire.

Ukraine has agreed to a US proposal of a 30-day ceasefire, provided Moscow complies. Russia, however, opposes an unconditional ceasefire.

The Kremlin has shown a preference for engaging directly with the United States in peace negotiations, often sidelining Ukraine and European states in the process.

Finnish president says Putin 'doesn't want peace'

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the chances of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine are "abysmal."

"Putin doesn't want peace," Stubb said during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired on Sunday. Putin's original goal was for Ukraine to "cease to exist," Stubb said, adding that the Russian president "has not changed his goal."

After a meeting via videolink of 29 world leaders on Saturday, Starmer too accused Putin of trying to "delay" a ceasefire.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also accused Russia of showing no interest in ending the war, pointing to the continued wave of airstrikes on Ukrainian cities.

"Those who want the war to end as soon as possible do not act this way," Zelensky wrote in a post on X.

Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, has been a NATO member for almost two years.

Stubb argued that the international community must maximize the pressure on Putin. The Finnish president advocated for more sanctions, the use of frozen Russian assets and "militarizing Ukraine to the teeth" to help bring the conflict to an end.

The last direct Ukrainian-Russian ceasefire negotiations took place in 2022 shortly after the start of the war, but ended without results.

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's full-scale invasion with Western support for more than three years.

Drone strikes continue: Ukraine and Russia report casualties

Earlier on Sunday, authorities in both Ukraine and Russia reported casualties from airstrikes.

At least one person was killed and three others injured in fresh Russian drone attacks on the town of Izyum in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region.

Among the injured in Izyum were two young people, Ukrainian civil defence officials said on Sunday. The attacks caused damage to a house, they reported.

Ukrainian air-defence forces reported a total of 90 drone strikes across multiple regions. More than half of the drones were intercepted, and dozens were destroyed, it added.

The Kharkiv region, in particular, has been repeatedly targeted. Authorities also confirmed damage in the Kiev and Odessa regions.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that it destroyed 31 Ukrainian drones overnight.

In the Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that a drone struck a residential building in Gubkin, injuring a woman and a 7-year-old child.

In the village of Dolgoye in the Kursk region, a woman was injured when a drone dropped an explosive device on her home.

The information provided by both sides could not be independently verified.

Zelensky appoints new chief of armed forces

The Ukrainian General Staff announced on Sunday that General Andriy Hnatov, previously its deputy chief, was now the new head, following an order by Zelensky.

Hnatov is to renew and improve the command structure of the armed forces at all levels, it said on Telegram, adding that the former chief of the General Staff, Anatoliy Barhylevych, will become the new inspector general in the Defence Ministry.

No official reasons were given for the reshuffle. However, the Ukrainian armed forces have suffered significant setbacks in the fight against Russia in recent weeks.

In addition to territorial losses in the east of the country, Ukrainian troops have also recently been pushed back in the western Russian region of Kursk.

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Not for Russia to decide on peacekeepers in Ukraine, Macron says

The stationing of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, as proposed by Britain and France as part of a ceasefire agreement with Russia, is a question for Kyiv to decide and not Moscow, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview.

Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been rushing to consolidate military support for Ukraine as U.S. Preident Donald Trump presses for a peace deal with Russia. Starmer hosted a virtual meeting on Saturday with Macron and other non-U.S. allies of Ukraine.

"Ukraine is sovereign. If it asks for allied forces to be on its territory, it's not something for Russia to accept or not," Macron said in a joint interview with several French regional newspapers published late on Saturday.

Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea of soldiers from countries belonging to the NATO alliance being stationed in Ukraine.

Macron said any peacekeeping force would consist of "a few thousand troops per country" to be deployed at key locations, adding a number of European and non-European countries were interested in participating.

But like other aspects of a potential truce, the form of any peacekeeping force remains uncertain.

Finland's President Alexander Stubb told BBC television that any firm commitments would come once there was a clear plan.

"There are anywhere from zero to 50 different ways they can help, boots on the ground is only one way. You can talk about intelligence, you can talk about different types of things but it's too early to commit right now," he said.

Britain and France both say they could send peacekeepers to Ukraine, while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country was also open to requests.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he supported in principle Washington's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine but that his forces would fight on until several crucial conditions were worked out.

Russia and Ukraine continued aerial attacks on each other, inflicting injuries and damages, officials said early on Sunday.

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Starmer urges Putin to sign up to Ukraine ceasefire after virtual meeting with global leaders

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign up to a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine now, if he is serious about peace.

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