Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Kyiv's military backers Wednesday to ramp up support in a bid to pressure Russia towards peace.

"We must not allow Russia to blur reality or mislead the world. Moscow must be forced into diplomacy," Zelensky said in a video address to defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

The call for action comes as Kyiv's main backer the United States has stepped back from its support for Ukraine under President Donald Trump and pushed for a quick end to the fighting unleashed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

In a sign of Washington's disengagement, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth missed the gathering in Brussels, despite being due to fly in for a NATO meeting on Thursday.

In his address, Zelensky urged allies to step up deliveries of air defences to w

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