Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late on Tuesday that no one would give peace to his country as a gift, but he believed the United States would stand alongside Kyiv as it fights to stop Russia's 34-month invasion.

Russian natural gas exports via Soviet-era pipelines running through Ukraine to Europe were halted in the early hours of Wednesday as a transit deal expired. Ukraine now faces the loss of some $800 million a year in transit fees from Russia,

Ukraine is at a crossroads. The direction it takes increasingly depends less on Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration have long been seen as supplicants rather than partners in discussions.