The US plan to end the war in Ukraine envisions Kyiv joining the EU in January 2027, a senior official said on Friday, as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify. Meanwhile, Ukraine said it had recaptured two settlements in the northern Kharkiv region and pushed Russian troops back in Kupiansk, a key railway hub that Russia claimed to have seized last month. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.

Yesterday's key developments:

• Ukraine has submitted a detailed counterproposal to the US peace plan, taking time to carefully review and refine their response.
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged sports bodies to fully reintegrate Russian and Belarusian athletes into junior competitions and allow them to compete with their national flag and anthem.
• The US is pushing for a demilitarised"free economic zone" between Russian and Ukrainian troops in the east of the country as part of a settlement to end the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.