9 h. ago Zelenskyy employs strategic optimism to highlight Russia’s abundant bad faith

Ukrainian president has learned Trump’s team demand positivity and there is little point in trying to ‘inject reality’At a press briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, explaining where initial US-brokered peace negotiations had got to, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, struck a notably different tone. Long gone is the tetchiness on display in London in the aftermath of the Ukrainian leader’s catastrophic trip to the White House. In its place was a degree of optimism so high that it could only be interpreted as political positioning.Though he complained about comments made by Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy, that four Ukrainian regions wholly or partly occupied by Russia consisted of people who wanted Moscow’s rule in an “overwhelming majority” – these were “in line with the messages of the Kremlin”, Zelenskyy said – he insisted that had advantages too. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago Watch Putin’s speech in full after Starmer accuses Russia of ‘playing games’ with Ukraine ceasefire

Watch in full as Vladimir Putin speaks after Sir Keir Starmer accused Russia of “playing games” with peace and delaying a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Politics

10 h. ago European leaders agree now ‘not the time’ to lift sanctions against Russia

Support for Ukraine continues with divided opinion on Franco-British plan for ‘reassurance force’ to help ceasefireEuropean leaders have affirmed their support for Ukraine at a Paris summit and agreed now was “not the time” to lift sanctions against Russia, but with splits remaining on Franco-British plans for a “reassurance force” to help guarantee an eventual ceasefire.France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Thursday the meeting of more than two dozen heads of state and government had agreed unanimously that sanctions on Moscow should not be eased until “peace has clearly been established” in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Watch live: Putin speaks after Starmer accuses Russia of ‘playing games’ with Ukraine ceasefire

Watch live as Vladimir Putin speaks after Sir Keir Starmer accused Russia of “playing games” with peace and delaying a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Politics

13 h. ago Starmer calls for deadline on Ukraine peace talks to stop Putin’s ‘games’

Sir Keir Starmer said plans for a military deployment to Ukraine were being stepped up to secure any peace deal.

Politics

13 h. ago Britain and France WILL lead 'reassurance force' in Ukraine after peace deal with delegation heading to Kyiv within days to discuss the plan, Macron reveals

A Franco-British delegation will head to Ukraine in the coming days to discuss what Emmanuel Macron calls a 'reassurance force' and the future shape of the Ukrainian army.

Politics

14 h. ago Putin is 'playing games' on Ukraine peace, says Keir Starmer as PM urges Trump not to lift sanctions

Emmanuel Macron says a Franco-British team will travel to Ukraine to help Kyiv bolster its military

Politics

22 h. ago Keir Starmer warns Vladimir Putin must 'play ball' ahead of crunch Paris summit

Prime Minister Keir Starmer travels to Paris today for a gathering of the 'coalition of the willing', a group of leaders prepared to help police a potential peace deal in Ukraine

Events

26 h. ago ANDREW NEIL: How Rachel Reeves led to tax rises and MUCH worse after Spring Statement

A government that was elected last July with a core mission to boost Britain's economy was forced to announce the official Whitehall number cruncher had slashed its growth forecast in half.

Politics

27 h. ago No peace deal until you return our thousands of abducted children, Ukraine tells the Kremlin

Daria Zarivna - an adviser to the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, said: 'Our openness to engage in peace talks should not be confused with compromising on key issues'.

Economics

27 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russia desires war while Ukrainians ‘take risk of peace’, says Macron

‘Coalition of the willing’ leaders to meet in Paris; no ceasefire in place as Russia demands concessions. What we know on day 1,128See all our Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

Events

31 h. ago Macron says European peacekeeping force could 'respond' if Ukraine attacked by Russia

‘The only ones who would, at that moment, trigger a conflict, a bellicose situation, would be the Russians if they decided again to launch an aggression’, says French leader

Politics

32 h. ago WW3 fears as Macron says European peacekeeping force could 'respond' if Russia attacks

A proposed European peacekeeping force for Ukraine could “respond” if Russia attacks, said Emmanuel Macron

Politics

33 h. ago Macron says a proposed European force for Ukraine could 'respond' if attacked by Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron says that a proposed European armed force for possible deployment in Ukraine in tandem with an eventual peace deal could “respond” to a Russian attack if Moscow launched one

Politics

39 h. ago Russian strikes show Moscow does not want ‘real peace’, says Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s president said drone attacks just hours after ceasefire talks were ‘a clear signal to the whole world’See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine’s president has accused Russia of being insincere about moving towards peace as he reported an attack by 117 drones, just a day after both countries had agreed to a maritime ceasefire subject to Moscow obtaining agricultural sanctions relief.Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that launching nationwide strikes after the peace negotiations was proof of Russia’s true intentions, though the Kremlin insisted the US-brokered talks were proceeding constructively. Continue reading...

Events

53 h. ago ANDREW NEIL reveals his extraordinary phone call with top White House insider

As self-inflicted security breaches go, it was epic - the sort of blunder-cum-fiasco you'd expect if the Keystone Cops had been put in charge of the nation's military and intelligence services.

Events

56 h. ago 'Trump is on the rampage. It's not safe to talk': ANDREW NEIL reveals his extraordinary phone call with top White House insider... and why the war plans leak scandal confirms a terrible truth

As self-inflicted security breaches go, it was epic - the sort of blunder-cum-fiasco you'd expect if the Keystone Cops had been put in charge of the nation's military and intelligence services.

Events

57 h. ago Ukraine ceasefire deal looks like a Russian wishlist tied with a US bow

A moratorium on attacks on ships in the Black Sea seems to be contingent on sanctions relief – a key Kremlin demandThe Kremlin is pressing its advantage with a White House that is impatient to show that Donald Trump is the only leader who can deliver peace in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.At first blush, the deal agreed by US negotiators in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday offers concession on concession to the Kremlin, leaving observers to question whether Russia had given anything to secure its first offer of sanctions relief since the beginning of the war. Continue reading...

Economics

59 h. ago Russia and Ukraine agree to ‘eliminate the use of force’ in Black Sea

Kremlin stipulates maritime ceasefire will start only if it gets sanctions relief on agricultural exportsRussia-Ukraine war: latest news updatesRussia and Ukraine have agreed to “eliminate the use of force” in the Black Sea after parallel talks with US negotiators in Saudi Arabia, though the Kremlin said a maritime ceasefire would start only if it received sanctions relief on agricultural exports.The two sides also agreed to implement a previously announced 30-day halt on attacks against energy networks and expand its scope to more locations, but resolving fundamental issues, including any division of territory, remains far off. Continue reading...

Politics

60 h. ago Russia and Ukraine agree to avoid strikes on energy infrastructure or vessels in the Black Sea, following successful US talks

Both sides agreed separately to avoid military strikes on vessels, the primary objective of the latest round of talks in Saudi Arabia.

Events