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At least four people died in overnight Russian strikes on Ukraine, as Moscow shows no signs of compromise just two weeks before the fourth anniversary of the full-scale aggression.

129 Russian drones were identified overnight, the Ukrainian air force said, adding that of these 112 were shot down or neutralised, Reuters reported.

There are now growing hints of US pressure on Ukraine to end the war as soon as possible and preferably before the summer, even at the cost of accepting far-reaching concessions.

On Monday, Matthew Whitaker rejected Ukraine’s claims that the US set a deadline to end the war by June, saying “I don’t think that is anything that the United States has put out there” (Europe Live, Monday).

But Financial Times reported (£) overnight that Ukraine is working on holding presidential elections and a referendum on peace deal, potentially as early as in May, with Washington pressing Kyiv to move as quickly as possible or risk losing critical security guarantees.

The paper pointed out that holding the election would be a major departure from Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s previously repeated suggestions that it was impossible, or at least impractical, to do it during an active war, with many voters either displaced or in active service struggling to take part.

FT suggested that Zelenskyy could announce the plan as early as on 24 February, the fourth anniversary of the full-scale aggression, but its actual implementation would still be conditional on the progress made in talks with Russia, with Moscow not showing signs of dropping its maximalist demands.