European countries have pushed back against a US-backed peace plan for Ukraine that sources say would require Kyiv to give up more land and partially disarm, conditions long seen by Ukraine's allies as tantamount to capitulation.

Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday that Washington had signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a US-drafted framework to end the war, which includes territorial concessions and curbs to Ukraine's armed forces.

The acceleration in US diplomacy comes at an awkward juncture for Kyiv, with its troops on the back foot at the front and Zelenskiy's government undermined by a corruption scandal that has resulted in parliament firing two cabinet ministers.

Russia has been pounding Ukrainian cities and infrastructure

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