General Oleksandr Syrskyi said a "just peace" can only be achieved if fighting is halted along current frontlines and then for negotiations to take place.
Signalling a complete lack of trust in claims by the Kremlin that it wants to end its war, he accused Vladimir Putin of using an attempt by Donald Trump to broker peace talks as "cover" while Russian troops try to capture more land by force on the battlefield.
The rare intervention offers the clearest indication yet of the Ukrainian military's red lines as Washington tries to negotiate a settlement that - according to an initial draft - would require Kyiv to surrender the whole of the Donbas region in the east of the country to Moscow.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, backed by the UK and other European allies, has been trying on the diplomatic front to strengthen Ukraine's position.
But President Putin has said Russia would either seize the Donbas militarily or Ukrainian troops would have to withdraw.
Europe's fate at stake
Speaking frankly, General Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine, signalled that his country's soldiers would fight on if diplomacy fails - and he warned that the fate of the whole of Europe is at stake.
"Our main mission is to defend our land, our country, and our population," he said in an exclusive interview in the basement of a building in eastern Ukraine. Sky News has been asked not to disclose the location for security reasons.
"Naturally, for us it is unacceptable to simply give up territory. What does it even mean - to hand over our land? This is precisely why we are fighting; so we do not give up our territory."
Many troops have died fighting for Ukraine since Russia first seized the peninsula of Crimea and attacked the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which comprise the Donbas, in 2014.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians were then mobilised to fight alongside professional soldiers following Putin's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russia well short of original goal
Nearly four years on, Russia occupies almost a fifth of Ukraine, including large parts of the Donbas, but well short of an original goal of imposing a pro-Kremlin government in Kyiv.
Asked whether the sacrifice of those people who gave their lives defending their country would be in vain if Ukraine is forced to hand over the land it still controls in the Donbas to Moscow, General Syrskyi, speaking in Ukrainian through a translator, said: "You know, I do not even allow myself to consider such a scenario.
"All wars eventually end, and of course we hope ours will end as well. And when it does, a just peace must be established.
"In my understanding, a just peace is peace without preconditions, without giving up territory. It means stopping along the current line of contact."
The commander then broke into English to say that this means: "Stop. A ceasefire. And after that negotiations, without any conditions."
Switching back into Ukrainian, he said: "Any other format would be an unjust peace, and for us it is unacceptable."
Ukraine's contingency plans
While Ukraine's will and ability to fight are key in confronting Russia's much larger army, so too is the supply of weapons, ammunition and other assistance from Kyiv's allies, most significantly the US.
But, with the White House under Donald Trump, becoming less predictable, the Ukrainian military appears to be considering contingency plans in case US aid stops.
Asked whether Ukraine would be able to continue fighting if President Trump did halt support, General Syrskyi said: "We are very grateful to our American partners and all our allies who have been supporting us throughout this war with weapons and equipment.
"We hope they will continue providing full support. But we also hope that our European partners and allies, if necessary, will be ready to provide everything required for our just war against the aggressor.
"Because right now we are defending not only ourselves, but all of Europe. And it is crucial for all Europeans that we continue doing so, because if we are not here, others will be forced to fight in Europe."
General's assessment of fighting on ground
A decorated commander, with the call sign "snow leopard", General Syrskyi has been conducting combat operations against Russia's invasion for more than a decade.
He was made military chief in February 2024 after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacked the previous top commander. General Valerii Zaluzhnyi is now Kyiv's ambassador to London.
General Syrskyi offered his assessment of the fight on the ground, saying:
• Ukrainian troops still control the northern part of the fortress city of Pokrovsk in the Donbas and will keep battling to retake the rest of it, contrary to Russian claims to have captured what has been a key target for Moscow for the past 16 months.
• Russia is firing between 4,000 to 5,000 one-way attack drones at Ukrainian positions along the frontline every day as well as 1,500 to 2,000 drones that drop bombs. But Ukraine is firing the same volume - and even more - back. "In terms of drones, there is roughly parity. At the moment, we are deploying slightly more FPV [first person view] drones than the Russians."
• Russia's armed forces still have double the volume of artillery rounds of Ukraine's, but the range and lethality of drone warfare mean it is harder to use artillery effectively. Now, 60% of strikes are carried out by drones.
• More than 710,000 Russian soldiers are deployed along a frontline that stretches some 780 miles (1,255km), with the Russian side losing around 1,000 to 1,100 soldiers a day, killed or wounded "and a majority are killed".
"At this stage the Russian army is attempting to advance along virtually the entire frontline," General Syrskyi said.
Where are the harshest battles?
The fiercest battles are around Pokrovsk, as well as the northeastern city of Kupiansk, in Kharkiv region, the Lyman area, also in the Donbas, and near a small city called Huliaipole, in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian army is conducting a strategic defensive operation, aiming to contain the enemy's advance, prevent them from breaking deeper, inflict maximum losses, and carry out counter-offensive actions in those sectors where we see the enemy is vulnerable," the commander said.
"Our strategy is to exhaust the Russian army as much as possible, prevent its advance, hold our territory, while simultaneously striking the enemy in the near rear, the operational depth, and… into Russia itself, with the aim of undermining its defence capability and industrial capacity."
He is referring to a capability Ukraine has developed to launch long-range drones, laden with explosives, deep into Russia to strike military targets as well as oil refineries.
The operation is aimed at destroying fuel for the tanks, warships and jets that are attacking Ukraine and - crucially - reducing oil revenues that help to fund Russia's war machine.
Sea drones crash into Russia's warships
The Ukrainian military is also deploying explosive sea drones that are smashed into Russian warships as well as tankers used to transport sanctioned Russian oil.
Asked if his forces were ready - and had sufficient manpower - to keep fighting if necessary, General Syrskyi said: "We have the resources to continue conducting military operations."
Yet Ukraine is suffering from a shortage of troops on the frontline.
Soldiers and wider society are also exhausted and facing another winter of war.
No sign of Moscow winding down war effort
President Putin has an advantage when it comes to troop numbers and firepower over time, which makes continued support to Kyiv from its allies more vital than ever.
General Syrskyi cautioned that Moscow showed no sign of winding down its war effort despite the Russian leader telling President Trump he is prepared to negotiate.
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"So we do everything so that if the enemy continues the war, and you can see that although we want peace, a fair peace, the enemy continues its offensive, using these peace talks as cover," he said.
"There are no pauses, no delays in their operations. They keep pushing their troops forward to seize as much of our territory as possible under the cover of negotiations."
He added: "So we are just forced to wage this war… protecting our people, our cities and towns, and our land."
The commander said this is what motivates his soldiers.
"If we do not do this, we can see clearly what the Russian army leaves behind, only ruins, only deaths."
As for whether the UK and other European nations should be preparing their people for the possibility of a wider war with Russia, the general said: "Of course, the armed forces of every country ensure reliable protection of their citizens, their children, and their territory.
"With the existence of aggressive states, above all the Russian Federation and its allies, this issue is extremely urgent.
"Everything must be done to ensure the capability to maintain a level of defence, and armed forces modern enough to repel aggression, both individually and in support of the allies."
But the fates of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales won't be determined until they compete in pre-tournament play-off matches in March.
England are in Group L along with Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Their first match will be against Croatia, who beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Scotland's first match will be against Haiti, in Group C.
Brazil and Morocco are the other Group C teams - both countries were also in the same opening group as Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France.
Wales have yet to find out if they will qualify as they must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, and then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.
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If they can overcome these play-off opponents then they will secure their place in Group B along with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. But Northern Ireland will also be vying and hoping to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Republic of Ireland also need to get through the play-offs first and are paired against the Czech Republic for their semi-final. Should Ireland win that match, they will need to beat either North Macedonia or Denmark to get to the finals where an opening group containing joint hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea awaits.
The report concluded Vladimir Putin "must have" authorised the use of a nerve agent in the attack and was therefore "morally responsible" for the British woman's death.
Ambassador Andrei Kelin dismissed those claims and said he did not have a message for her family because Moscow was not involved.
"It's a tragic death, it is of course sad and Russia has nothing to do with it," he said.
The poisonings of Sergei Skripal - a former Russian spy - and his daughter were, he insisted, staged by the British government and secret services.
"The script is very elaborated," he said.
"It has been done by very talented professionals. It reminds me of Ian Fleming or even Agatha Christie"
But the ambassador offered no evidence to support his claim.
In contrast the British government and independent investigative journalists have produced abundant evidence to show the poisonings were the work of Russia military intelligence agents.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, of which Russia is a member, verified British claims novichok was used, a nerve agent invented and used only by Russia.
A public inquiry found two agents from Russia's GRU spy agency, using the aliases Alexander Petrov, 46, and Ruslan Boshirov, 47, had brought the Nina Ricci bottle containing the novichok to Salisbury from Moscow.
The officers came to London on 2 March with a third agent, known as Sergey Fedotov, to kill Mr Skripal - a former Russian spy who worked as a double agent for the UK.
In its report, the inquiry said Petrov and Boshirov had likely used this same bottle to apply the nerve agent to Mr Skripal's door before it was "carelessly discarded".
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Charlie Rowley, 52, found the bottle and gave it to Ms Sturgess, 44, who sprayed herself with its contents on 30 June 2018, and died just over a week later.
Mr Skripal, 74, his daughter Yulia, 41, and Mr Rowley, 52, all survived, but were left seriously ill.
Ambassador Kelin said the report had been timed to upset delicate peace talks over Ukraine.
He said: "By this I think the British government would like to derail talks that are very interesting and in a high stage."
The ambassador said he was personally worried about the possibility of a wider conflict erupting from the war in Ukraine.
Asked if there was a greater chance now of war between Europe and Russia than he had seen in his career, he answered there was.
"Yes, of course, listening to all these statements, about the need to prepare for the war, like our president has said, recently, two days ago that, we do not want to wage a war against Europe.
"But if Europe would like to wage a war against Russia, then we are prepared. Right now."
Nathaniel Spencer, 38, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.
It follows a police investigation into alleged sexual offences between 2017 and 2021.
Staffordshire Police said in a statement the charges come after a complex investigation by the Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.
Ben Samples, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit and Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit, said: "We have decided to prosecute Nathaniel Spencer for a number of serious sexual offences allegedly carried out against patients while he was working as a doctor - including assault by penetration and sexual assault against a child.
"Our prosecutors have worked at length to support a detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police, carefully reviewing the available evidence to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings."
Spencer, from Birmingham, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.
Thomas Markle, 81, reportedly had his leg amputated following surgery in the Philippines, where he moved to this year.
Meghan has been estranged from her father since around the time of her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.
Mr Markle, a retired television lighting director and director of photography, made headlines across the globe after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs in the days ahead of the ceremony.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex said: "I can confirm she has reached out to her father."
Meghan is said to have previously tried to reach out to him in the past.
Mr Markle has never met his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
At the start of this year, Mr Markle told of how he dreamed of bringing his "whole family together" and wished his daughter "no ill-will".
Mr Markle revealed that he didn't "like some of the things" Meghan had done but would "always love her".
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His interview with the Mail on Sunday came amid the duchess' return to Instagram and the release of a trailer for her lifestyle show on Netflix.
Mr Markle said: "I'm not running away. I am going in search of a more positive life.
"Every day I see something about Meghan. This week it has been the new TV show."
In his first interview after his daughter's wedding, Mr Markle said he didn't attend the big day because he was embarrassed about staging the photos.
"The truth is I couldn't get over the fact that that had happened. All that stuff was working on me, I had a bit of a heart condition.
"This pushed me a little further to the part where I had heart palpitations. I had to drive at 2am to a hospital. They sent me to another little hospital and then they sent me to a bigger hospital and I had a heart attack."
A day-and-a-half later he said he felt better and checked himself out against doctors' wishes in a bid to make it to the wedding, but the heart palpitations returned when he got home, which at the time was in Mexico.
"At that time I started getting chest pains and I said I have to cancel because I didn't take care of the heart problem before. I had a good friend take me back to a hospital across the border to the States where I was told that my condition was very bad and they had to operate, and I had heart surgery."