33 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Trump says ready for more Russia sanctions

US treasury secretary foreshadows oil tariffs in cooperation with Europe; Alaska meeting gave Putin the publicity he wanted, says Zelenskyy. What we know on day 1,293Asked by a reporter at the White House on Sunday if he was ready to move to “the second phase” of sanctions targeting Russia, Donald Trump responded: “Yeah, I am.” The US president stopped short of saying he was committed to such a decision or what a second phase might entail. The White House did not immediately respond to an email on Sunday asking what steps Trump was contemplating. Trump said on Sunday night that “certain European leaders are coming over to our country on Monday or Tuesday individually” and he would also speak to Vladimir Putin soon.The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said on Sunday that the US and the EU could put “secondary tariffs on the countries that buy Russian oil”, pushing the Russian economy to the brink of collapse and bringing Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. China is a major ...

Politics

1 week ago All but one EU states demand Russia ‘stop the killing’ in Ukraine as Zelenskyy urges Monday deadline for Putin meeting – Europe live

EU member states, except Hungary, sign joint statement calling out Russia’s disregard for international lawEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is in Latvia today, and has been speaking to the media in the last few minutes.Speaking alongside Latvia’s prime minister Evika Siliņa, she praised the country’s work on becoming “a true drone and anti drone powerhouse” in Europe, contributing to Nato’s security in the region bordering with Russia.We know that Europe is only safe if the eastern border is safe.“The risks your country and the other Baltic States warned us about, unfortunately, have materialised. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine is now in its fourth year, Putin is a predator, Putin’s proxies have been targeting our societies for years with hybrid attacks, with cyber-attacks, [and] the weaponising of migrants is another example.” Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Work with partners on security guarantees ‘must be accelerated,’ Zelenskyy says

Specifics on Ukraine’s defence should be detailed ‘in near future’ as Finnish president says Russia deploying a ‘typical’ delaying tacticA combat drone, presumed to be Ukrainian, went off course and exploded over Estonia without causing any casualties, the Baltic state and close Ukraine ally said on Tuesday, AFP reported.Pieces of the drone, which left a crater on crashing, were discovered by an agricultural worker near the south-eastern town of Tartu, 75 kilometres (45 miles) from the border with Russia. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Finnish president says he hopes Trump’s patience with Putin will run out soon

Alexander Stubb says Russia deploying a ‘typical’ delaying tactic as Trump warns of ‘consequences’ if Putin-Zelenskyy meeting does not happenFinnish president Alexander Stubb has been speaking at a press conference before the country’s ambassadors’ conference in Helsinki.In comments reported by the Finnish public broadcaster, Yle, he said that he hoped Trump’s patience with Putin would run out soon. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump again mulls Russia sanctions as Ukraine peace remains elusive one week after Alaska summit

Russia’s foreign minister says no meeting planned between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr ZelenskyyDonald Trump renewed a threat to impose sanctions on Russia if there was no progress toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, as Moscow said there remained “no meeting planned” between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.“I’m going to make a decision as to what we do and it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or we do nothing and say it’s your fight,” Trump said, showing apparent frustration at Moscow a week after his meeting with Putin in Alaska. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Putin wants to ‘wriggle out’ of meeting, Zelenskyy claims, and says Russia does not want to end war – Europe live

Ukrainian president backs Donald Trump suggestion of more offensive reaction to Russian attacksKim Jong-un has hailed North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine as “heroes”, at a ceremony to honour soldiers who recently returned from the conflict, state media said on Friday.The North Korean leader said in a speech this week that his troops had displayed “fighting spirit of the heroes” during their operation to retake Russia’s Kursk region from Ukrainian forces – which had established a foothold there last year – the state news agency KCNA said. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Europe’s show of unity at the White House is a plus for Ukraine, but peace is still a distant dream | Andrey Kurkov

As Russian drones and missiles continue to rain down death, the prospect of a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting seems unlikelyIt was night in Ukraine when President Trump met President Putin in Alaska – a night during which Russia shelled only frontline Ukrainian cities. People in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro and even Kharkiv could sleep, but they did not. They were waiting for news from Alaska. I was also awake and watching the news feed, aware that this meeting would lead to nothing, or worse, something bad for Ukraine. But in difficult, seemingly hopeless situations, human nature is prone to desperate optimism. In the middle ages, people often hoped for a miracle, forgetting about the logic of events. So, the night of 15 August was a night of hope for a miracle, which, of course, did not happen.Unlike on the eve of the Alaska meeting, in Ukraine, there was no particular tension in the buildup to the meeting of European leaders at the White House on Monday, despite images of a hugely powerful ...

Events

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

2 w. ago Russia says it must be part of international talks on Ukraine’s security

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov dismisses European diplomacy as ‘clumsy effort to sway Trump’Russia-Ukraine war – live updatesMoscow has said it must be part of any international talks on Ukraine’s security, as Russia continues to stall on Donald Trump’s push for a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Wednesday that Moscow must be included in any talks on Ukraine’s security guarantees, dismissing European diplomacy as “aggressive escalation” and a “clumsy effort to sway Trump”. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Ben Jennings on the prospective meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy – cartoon

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Politics

2 w. ago Trump rules out sending US ground troops to Ukraine and warns Putin of ‘rough situation’ if he does not move towards peace – live

US president says it’s possible Russian leader does not want to make dealVolodymyr Zelenskyy navigated Monday’s meeting more successfully than his Oval Office encounter in February, which ended abruptly when Donald Trump and JD Vance publicly upbraided him for not being grateful enough.In his opening remarks to the media on Monday, the Ukrainian president repeated his thanks at least eight times, the Associated Press reports.A meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin ... could it finally happen?The need for security guarantees agreed – but details unclearTrump believes he is very good at solving conflictsA potential boost for the US arms industry Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago European leaders discuss Ukraine security guarantees after Trump talks

Leaders continue flurry of diplomacy amid uncertainty over whether Putin-Zelenskyy meeting will be agreedEuropean leaders are holding fresh talks after their White House meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid uncertainty over Vladimir Putin’s readiness to meet the Ukrainian president.The so-called “coalition of the willing” will first meet virtually, co-chaired by Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, before joining a video conference hosted by the European Council president, António Costa. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Ukraine live updates: ‘Dynamics have accelerated,’ says Polish PM as coalition of the willing debrief takes place after White House meeting

European leaders meet virtually after talks at the White House where Trump said arrangements being made for meeting between Putin and ZelenskyyFull report: Trump arranging Zelenskyy-Putin meeting as European leaders push for US security guaranteesSketch: All smoke and no fire as Zelenskky emerges unbruised after Trump meetVolodymyr Zelenskyy navigated Monday’s meeting more successfully than his Oval Office encounter in February, which ended abruptly when Donald Trump and JD Vance publicly upbraided him for not being grateful enough.In his opening remarks to the media on Monday, the Ukrainian president repeated his thanks at least eight times, the Associated Press reports.A meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin ... could it finally happen?The need for security guarantees agreed – but details unclearTrump believes he is very good at solving conflictsA potential boost for the US arms industry Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago Four key takeaways from Trump’s White House summit on Ukraine

The US president has hosted European leaders at short notice amid intense political efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Here are four key points to what was achievedUkraine war: live updatesFull report: Trump arranging Zelenskyy-Putin meeting as European leaders push for US security guaranteesDonald Trump has hosted leaders from across Europe as part of a flurry of diplomacy to find a path to peace in Ukraine. Coming just days after a disappointing summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the pressure was on to make headway in a years-long conflict that the US president once said he could solve in 24 hours.Below are some key points arising from the US president’s range of bilateral and multilateral talks with the leaders of Ukraine, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and Nato. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Ukraine live updates: Trump and European leaders press Putin to agree to Zelenskyy meeting

US president says arrangements being made for bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy and that US will help guarantee Ukraine’s security if a deal is reachedFull report: Trump arranging Zelenskyy-Putin meeting as European leaders push for US security guaranteesSketch: All smoke and no fire as Zelenskky emerges unbruised after Trump meetBritish prime minister Keir Starmer has described the talks at the White House as “good and constructive” and said they produced “real progress”.Speaking after the summit, Starmer said: “There was a real sense of unity between the European leaders that were there and President Trump and President Zelenskyy.”The other material outcome was the agreement that there will now be a bilateral agreement between President Putin and President Zelenskyy, that was after a phone call between President Trump and President Putin during the course of this afternoon, followed by a trilateral that will add in Trump.That is a recognition of the principle that on s...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump claims to be setting up meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin after talks with European leaders end – live

US president says he began arrangements for bilateral meeting after calling Vladimir Putin following talks with European leaders at White HouseTrump tells Zelenskyy ceasefire not needed for Russia-Ukraine peace dealSketch: All smoke and no fire as Zelenskky emerges unbruised after Trump meetA Russian drone attack on a five-storey apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early Monday killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others, Ukrainian authorities said.The attack, which took place just before dawn, reduced part of the building to rubble and sparked fires on at least three floors, the region’s governor Oleg Synegubov said on Telegram. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump says Washington will arrange meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin

US president also discussed ‘security guarantees’ for Ukraine with European counterparts

Politics

3 w. ago Putin ready to make Ukraine deal, Trump says before Alaska summit

US president’s comment that Russian and Ukrainian leaders may have to ‘divvy’ things up likely to raise alarmDonald Trump has said he believes Vladimir Putin is ready to make a deal on the war in Ukraine as the two leaders prepare for their summit in Alaska on Friday, but his suggestion the Russian leader and Volodymyr Zelenskyy could “divvy things up” may alarm some in Kyiv.The US president implied there was a 75% chance of the Alaska meeting succeeding, and that the threat of economic sanctions may have made Putin more willing to seek an end to the war. He also said a second meeting – at present not confirmed – between himself, Putin and Zelenskyy would be the more decisive. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Putin faces ‘very severe consequences’ if no Ukraine truce agreed, Trump says

US president also says he would push for three-way summit with Volodymyr Zelenskyy if Alaska meeting goes wellVladimir Putin will face “very severe consequences” if he does not agree a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine at his summit with Donald Trump in Alaska, the US president said on Wednesday.Speaking after a call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders, including Britain’s Keir Starmer, Trump also suggested he would push for a second summit if his meeting with Putin goes well – this time including his Ukrainian counterpart. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago European leaders meet Zelenskyy ahead of Trump’s summit with Putin

European countries rushing to build a common approach with US on how to end war

Politics