New US-brokered plan will be ready in days - Zelensky

Ukraine's president left Germany armed with Nato-style security guarantees - but Donetsk loses power in attack

- JAMES C. REYNOLDS

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has said revised US-brokered peace plans could be presented to Russia within days, following successful talks in Berlin.

The Ukrainian president left Germany confident that proposals negotiated with the US would soon be finalised after receiving crucial security guarantees from his European allies and Washington.

He said that American envoys were set to present the outcomes of this week's talks to the Kremlin - but not before Russia could pour cold water on the plans.

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated that Moscow would not give back land to end the war, and would not accept any Nato peacekeepers stationed in a postwar Ukraine.

As Russia was accused of stalling efforts to end the conflict, hundreds of thousands of people were left without power in Ukraine following heavy bombardment nationwide.

The country's deputy energy minister said early yesterday that the entire Donetsk region had been cut off following a Russian attack. Nearly 290,000 people in Odesa were left in the dark, even after workers restored power to 330,000 homes.