76 m. ago Western troops in Ukraine would be ‘legitimate targets’, Putin says

Russian president’s threat follows French proposal for postwar support for Kyiv that would include presence of Nato countries’ forcesVladimir Putin has said any western troops placed in Ukraine would be “legitimate targets” for Russian strikes, upping the stakes as Kyiv’s allies scramble to come up with a convincing offer of postwar support to Ukraine.Speaking a day after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced still-vague plans for a package of support for Ukraine backed by 26 nations, Putin on Friday said any guarantees that involved boots on the ground would violate Moscow’s longstanding objections to Nato troops in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Politics

26 h. ago These Ukrainians refused to leave their homes. Now they have no choice

Residents of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region are facing devastating conditions as evacuations continue amid ongoing conflict

Politics

34 h. ago From bagpipes to borscht: exploring Edinburgh’s Ukrainian heritage on foot

A new walking tour offers a chance to meet the city’s Ukrainian community, with stops for hearty dumplings, castle views and shared historiesBefore arriving in Edinburgh, Nataliya Bezborodova’s impression of Scotland was shaped largely by Hollywood. “My knowledge of this country was pretty much based on the film Braveheart,” she admits with a laugh, standing before the grand neoclassical columns of the National Galleries of Scotland. As if on cue, the castle’s daily gun salute fires overhead, scattering pigeons and punctuating our conversation with a jolt.Three years have passed since the 47-year-old anthropologist left her home in Kyiv for Edinburgh, after the Russian invasion. Celluloid warriors have long been replaced by the rhythms of life in a city she now knows like the back of her hand. So well, in fact, that she has launched a walking tour revealing a layer even locals might miss: the story of Edinburgh’s vibrant Ukrainian community. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Vladimir Putin meets Xi Jinping arrives in China for security summit – Ukraine war live

Russian president and his Chinese counterpart shake hands as more than 20 world leaders attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in TianjinFollowing a meeting with Ukraine’s top general, Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country’s forces are planning new strikes deep into Russia.In a post on X, the Ukrainian leader wrote:We analysed in detail the situation in the Zaporizhzhia direction and the enemy’s intentions. Also the situation in the border areas of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine’s defence. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago At least 23 dead in overnight Kyiv attack as UK and EU summon Russian envoys

Missile strikes on Ukrainian capital hit EU and British Council offices in deadliest assault in monthsThe UK and European Union have summoned their Russian envoys after overnight missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 23 people and damaged the city’s British Council and EU offices, in the deadliest aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.Four children were among those killed after a residential building in the eastern Darnytskyi district was struck in the middle of the night, according to Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago UK and EU summon Russian envoys after Kyiv offices damaged in strikes

Overnight attacks kill 18 and severely damage buildings including those housing EU delegation and British CouncilUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK and European Union have summoned their Russian envoys after overnight missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 18 people and damaged the city’s British Council and EU offices in the most deadly aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.Four children are among the 17 reported dead after a residential building was struck in the middle of the night within the eastern Darnytskyi district, according to Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago At least 21 dead in overnight Kyiv attack as UK and EU summon Russian envoys

Missile strikes on Ukrainian capital hit EU and British Council offices in deadliest assault in monthsThe UK and European Union have summoned their Russian envoys after overnight missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 21 people and damaged the city’s British Council and EU offices, in the deadliest aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.Four children were among those killed after a residential building in the eastern Darnytskyi district was struck in the middle of the night within the eastern Darnytskyi district, according to Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago ‘Massive’ Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv kills at least 14 people

Zelenskyy says Moscow ‘chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table’ after assault affecting more than 20 locations• Europe live – latest updatesRussian airstrikes have killed at least 14 people in a succession of attacks on Kyiv and wounded dozens in the most deadly night raid on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.Twelve people were reported killed when a five-storey residential building in the eastern Darnytskyi district was struck in the middle of the night, Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago As Putin’s bombs fall on Ukraine, the Royal Opera House had a call to make about Anna Netrebko. It made the wrong one | Martin Kettle

The Russian soprano says she has condemned the war and has no affinity with this Kremlin. But hosting her still seems unwisePuccini’s Tosca is high on the list of operas I don’t much care if I never see again. So the fact that the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, unquestionably one of our era’s exceptional opera singers, is due to sing Tosca in a new production at Covent Garden next month does not present me with a dilemma. I won’t be there anyway.It might be more difficult, I admit, if Netrebko was singing Verdi, where she is so outstanding. But this column is not about my taste in opera. It is about something of wider moral importance. Netrebko’s London performances pose complex questions but require straightforward answers. First, is it right for a prestigious British institution, the Royal Opera House, to be hiring Netrebko while the Ukraine war continues? The answer could in theory be yes, were she to repeat her opposition to the war, but on the current evidence it is no. Continu...

Politics

8 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy picks Olha Stefanishyna as ambassador to US

Ukrainian officials due in Washington on Friday; Russians short of fuel as oil refineries burn. What we know on day 1,282Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Olha Stefanishyna, a former top cabinet minister, as Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, ending months of speculation. She takes over as ambassador from Oksana Markarova, who held the position for six years, including more than three years of full-scale war with Russia, and became a target for partisan criticism from Republicans. It was announced in July that Markarova would be replaced. Stefanishyna served in Zelenskyy’s administration as a deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, playing a major role in the country’s integration into western institutions, and as minister of justice.Zelenskyy announced his officials will meet US counterparts in New York on Friday as the Ukrainian president continues to push for a one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin despite Kremlin refusals. “Friday, meetings will take plac...

Politics

1 week ago Poland’s president vetoes legislation to prolong benefits for Ukrainian refugees

Karol Nawrocki says only Ukrainians in work should receive child benefit payments in PolandPoland’s president has vetoed legislation to prolong benefits received by Ukrainian refugees in Poland, following up on a campaign promise to tighten welfare payments amid a steady growth in anti-Ukrainian sentiment among Poles.Karol Nawrocki, who took office earlier this month after winning an election in spring, said only Ukrainians in work should receive child benefit payments. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Russia accuses Ukraine of strike on nuclear plant in wave of drone attacks

Moscow says operating capacity of reactor at Kursk site reduced by 50% as Kyiv celebrates independence dayMoscow has accused Kyiv of launching dozens of drone attacks, including one that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant, as Ukrainians marked 34 years since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union.The drone attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant in western Russia, 37 miles (60km) from the border with Ukraine, caused damage to an auxiliary transformer and forced a 50% reduction in the operating capacity of a reactor, Russian authorities said. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Moscow blames Ukraine drone attack for nuclear power plant fire

Despite talk of peace by Russia and Ukraine, the war is continuing along the 2,000 km front line

Events

1 week ago Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from striking deep inside Russia – report

Wall Street Journal says move is part of Trump administration’s effort to get Putin into peace talksUS defense officials have blocked Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia since late spring as part of a Trump administration effort to get Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks , according to a report on Saturday.The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from using US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, or Atacms. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Interflex training programme for Ukrainian recruits to continue until 2026

Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK was ‘ramping up’ its support for Ukrainian forces, ahead of independence day celebrations in Kyiv.

Politics

1 week ago Justice department releases transcripts of Ghislaine Maxwell interview with deputy attorney general – live

Transcripts and audio recordings from Maxwell’s interviews with deputy attorney general Todd Blanche released As we bring you more information about the reported FBI raid on John Bolton’s Maryland home, it’s worth pointing out that Bolton was stripped of his security clearance when Trump started his second term in office. The president also got rid of Bolton’s government detail, despite being the target of an assassination plot due to Bolton’s criticism of the Iranian regime.Bolton served as Trump’s third national security adviser in his first term in office, but has since become a vocal critic of the president. Less than an hour ago, a post from Bolton’s X account critiqued the state of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. “Russia has not changed its goal: drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, meetings will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but I don’t see these talks making any progress.” Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago Trump threatens to send troops to Chicago and says he could bring in ‘regular military’ to Washington DC – live

US president attacks Democrat-run cities as he also says Putin might come to US World Cup and confirms $2bn request to Congress to ‘beautify’ capitalAs we bring you more information about the reported FBI raid on John Bolton’s Maryland home, it’s worth pointing out that Bolton was stripped of his security clearance when Trump started his second term in office. The president also got rid of Bolton’s government detail, despite being the target of an assassination plot due to Bolton’s criticism of the Iranian regime.Bolton served as Trump’s third national security adviser in his first term in office, but has since become a vocal critic of the president. Less than an hour ago, a post from Bolton’s X account critiqued the state of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. “Russia has not changed its goal: drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, meetings will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but I don’t see these talks making any progress.” Continue ...

Events

2 w. ago Trump says he wasn’t briefed on FBI raid of John Bolton’s home – live updates

President says ‘I’m not a fan of John Bolton,’ who served as his national security adviser during his first term, and expects briefing later from justice departmentFBI raids home of John Bolton, Trump’s ex-national security adviserAs we bring you more information about the reported FBI raid on John Bolton’s Maryland home, it’s worth pointing out that Bolton was stripped of his security clearance when Trump started his second term in office. The president also got rid of Bolton’s government detail, despite being the target of an assassination plot due to Bolton’s criticism of the Iranian regime.Bolton served as Trump’s third national security adviser in his first term in office, but has since become a vocal critic of the president. Less than an hour ago, a post from Bolton’s X account critiqued the state of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. “Russia has not changed its goal: drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, meetings will continue because Trump want...

Politics

2 w. ago Putin dusts off his delaying tactics playbook as Kremlin stalls Zelensky peace

Vladimir Putin is dusting off his stalling and delaying tactics playbook as peace talks with Ukraine falter and Russia continues to build up troops on the frontline and pound Ukrainian targets. 

Politics

2 w. ago Trump steps back from Russia and Ukraine peace talks for now, sources say

US president told top advisers trilateral meeting would take place after leaders of the two countries have met firstDonald Trump intends to leave Russia and Ukraine to organize a meeting between their leaders without directly playing a role for now, according to administration officials familiar with the situation, taking a step back from the negotiations to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The next stage in Trump’s eyes to end the war in Ukraine remains a bilateral meeting between Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, the officials said. Continue reading...

Politics