Trump says ‘Putin is afraid of the US but not Europe’ in latest attack on allies - US president says future operation to capture Russian president would ‘not be necessary’

A nuclear-capable missile fired into Ukraine near Poland sent a message to Europe days after its leaders agreed to postwar security guarantees, Russian analysts said.

Lviv. Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile overnight at a target in Ukraine near the border with NATO-member Poland on Jan. 9. The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) designed to project power across Europe.

Dubbed the "Coalition of the Willing" – key Ukrainian allies are set to gather with top US envoys in Paris on Tuesday to discuss security guarantees, as they press ahead on US-brokered plans to end the war with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday pressed allies for ironclad security guarantees against any renewed Russian attack while also seeking progress on EU membership talks and tougher sanctions on Moscow.

An explicit commitment that Washington would backstop Kyiv was scrapped in the leaders’ final joint statement.

Most Ukrainians see this as a ruse that could allow Vladimir Putin to circumvent Ukraine’s defences and continue his invasion. Even with its impressive fortifications, in the past few months Ukraine has been losing ground. Most of the city of Pokrovsk has fallen.

Ukraine has said that it expects the European Union not to impose additional or excessive demands during talks on EU financial support and Ukraine's membership negotiations.