Russia's leader said during a four-hour TV marathon that claims that an attack on Europe was planned were "nonsense".

President Vladimir Putin said he’s willing to discuss bringing Russia’s war in Ukraine to an end, even as he ruled out changes sought by Kyiv and Europe to a US peace plan drawn up with Moscow.

Putin said at an annual meeting with top military officers that Moscow will move to expand a “buffer security zone” along the border.

Putin set out the Kremlin's stance in the opening moments of his annual end-of-year press conference, a marathon event that typically runs for four hours.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky was in Poland to highlight the important role Kyiv and Warsaw play for the security of Europe. He also thanked EU leaders for agreeing to provide his country with a €90bn (£79bn; $105bn) loan - although approval only came after a fraught, at times heated, summit.

The US is preparing a fresh round of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject a peace agreement with Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.

The move comes days after a deal with Washington that lifted U.S. sanctions against the Belarusian potash industries, a key source of export earnings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 19th, “We hope to live peacefully without military conflict next year. We will strive to resolve all issues through negotiations.” President Putin, attending the annual year-end press conference that day,