South African police have launched an investigation into serious allegations that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of Jacob Zuma, enticed 17 men into fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine under false pretences.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed the probe, which stems from an affidavit submitted by Zuma-Sambudla’s sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube.

The document claims Ms Zuma-Sambudla, alongside two unnamed individuals, misled the men by promising them security training in Russia, only for them to become embroiled in the conflict without their consent. The identities of the two other alleged accomplices remain undisclosed.

Ukraine supports the “essence” of a peace deal framework following Geneva talks, a Ukrainian official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The most sensitive issues are yet to be discussed between Trump and Zelensky, according to the source.

Nato must speed up work on strengthening the protection of its eastern flank from drones, Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said after Romania scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday after drone incursions into its airspace.

“Operation Eastern Sentry requires reinforcement. Eight countries have declared their forces, this must be accelerated. This is also a conclusion if this violation is confirmed today,” Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz said after a meeting with his French counterpart.

Romanian defence minister Ionut Mosteanu earlier said the NATO pilots came close to shooting down a drone which had repeatedly entered the alliance member country’s airspace, but had held off, over concern about causing damage on the ground.

Drone fragments without an explosive charge were later found on Romanian territory.

“We are dealing with a new Russian provocation against Romania, a drone which the Romanian army and German Eurofighters have tried to shoot down,” Mr Mosteanu said.

In the Commons, the prime minister told MPs he wanted to update them “in relation to the news, as I understand it.”

However, he added, it was coming to him “second hand” and might not be “entirely accurate” – promising to return with more information if he was wrong.

He added: “But my understanding is, this is not a new agreement. It is Ukraine confirming that they are happy with the draft that emerged in Geneva yesterday, which of course, doesn’t have the question of territory.

“So our best understanding is this is a confirmation of basically what came out of Geneva, but it isn’t a new set of proposals or agreements in any way.”

Ukraine has accepted the terms of a Washington-brokered peace deal, according to US reports, after days of wrangling between the White House, Moscow and Kyiv.

A US official said Kyiv had “agreed to a peace deal” to stop Russia’s four-year invasion, CBS News reported hours after Ukraine’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov said it had reached a “reached a common understanding” with the White House.

Umerov had said that president Volodymyr Zelensky is likely to visit the US in the next few days to finalise a deal with President Donald Trump to end Ukraine’s war with Russia.

The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Sir Keir Starmer has reaffirmed the UK’s support for Ukraine on a call with Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday morning, telling him that international unity has to be shown in support of the war-torn nation.

The prime minister also shared his condolences after a number of people were killed in overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv, with Downing Street saying that Sir Keir paid tribute “to the Ukrainian people who showed such courage and resilience in the face of daily hardship and bloodshed from Putin’s ongoing onslaught”.

In a readout of the call, a spokesperson added: “Reflecting on talks in Geneva, the leaders agreed on the importance of securing a just and lasting peace. The prime minister said Ukraine can rely on the UK’s support as discussions continue.

“Looking ahead to this afternoon’s Coalition of the Willing call, the leaders discussed the international unity that has to be shown in support of Ukraine and underlined the importance of the continued work of coalition partners in preparation for the deployment of the multinational force following the cessation of hostilities.”

Whitehall correspondent Kate Devlin reports:

The prime minister has condemned Vladimir Putin as he updated MPs on the situation in Ukraine.

He said that more than a million Russians had been killed and injured in the war “all because of the depraved ambitions of one man”.

In a rare personal moment, the Labour leader also said that last night he celebrated his daughter’s 15th birthday and “later I saw images on the news of a young girl about the same age being pulled from the rubble of a building in Ukraine where her mother had just been killed. It is abhorrent.”

The Independent’s Whitehall correspondent Kate Devlin reports:

Sir Keir Starmer has warned that there is “a long way to go and a tough road ahead” on possible peace for Ukraine.

The PM also revealed he had spoken to President Zelensky again this morning as he set out the UK’s position to MPs in the House of Commons.

He also stressed again that any decision on Ukraine’s future must be determined by Ukraine.

Sir Keir and President Zelensky discussed ongoing work by the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ to prepare for the deployment of a multinational force to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, Downing Street said.

Sir Keir Starmer is currently addressing the House of Commons on the Ukraine peace process, ahead of talks wit other members of the Coalition of the Willing later.

He tells MPs that “the initial draft of the 28-point plan included points that were not acceptable”.

But also it included some elements that “will be essential for a just and lasting peace”, he says, referencing US security backstop plans.

“Elements relating to Europe and Nato will need the consent of Europe and Nato members,” he added.