57 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: US ambassador to Nato says Zelenskyy could attend Alaska summit but decision is Trump’s

Matthew Whitaker spoke as Europeans put pressure on US to include Ukrainian president in meeting with PutinThe US ambassador to Nato said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could attend this week’s US-Russia summit in Alaska, as European leaders push for Kyiv to be part of the negotiations. Ambassador Matthew Whitaker was asked on CNN whether Zelenskyy might join US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday. “Yes, I certainly think it’s possible,” he said. “Certainly, there can’t be a deal that everybody that’s involved in it doesn’t agree to. And, I mean, obviously, it’s a high priority to get this war to end.” Whitaker said the decision would ultimately be Trump’s to make. “If he thinks that that is the best scenario to invite Zelenskyy, then he will do that,” he said, adding that “no decision has been made to this point.”Germany warned the White House on Sunday against any deal hatched “over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainia...

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6 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy – don’t let Russia ‘deceive us in the details’

Clock ticking to secondary sanctions on Friday; majority still trust Zelenskyy but rating down after anti-corruption debacle. What we know on day 1,261Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia seemed “more inclined to a ceasefire” after a visit to Moscow on Wednesday by a US envoy. “The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US,” Ukraine’s president said in his nightly address.Despite the engagement, sanctions targeting Russian oil “are still expected to be implemented on Friday”, a senior Trump administration official said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Separately, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said he did not want to exaggerate the progress made during Steve Witkoff’s talks with Putin. Many “impediments” remained, especially Russia’s territorial claims, and there was no concrete proposal for a ceasefire. There have been unconfirmed reports that the Kremlin could propose a halt to long-range strikes by both...

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7 d. ago US special envoy Steve Witkoff meets Putin in Moscow as Russia strikes Ukrainian gas facility – Europe live

Donald Trump has set a Friday deadline for progress on ending the Ukraine war, after which Russia could face increased US sanctionsWe are getting first pictures from inside the Kremlin showing Russia’s Putin welcoming Witkoff for their talks.Earlier today, Witkoff also went for a walk through Zaryadye Park near the Kremlin with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation, AP reported pointing to footage aired by Tass. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Call for Nato action after Russian drone intrudes on Lithuania

Russia talking down Medvedev’s influence after nuclear threats; oligarch’s superyacht goes on sale with proceeds to Ukraine. What we know on day 1,260Lithuania has called for Nato help to boost its air defences after Russian military drones repeatedly violated its airspace. “Last Monday, a Russian military drone violated Lithuanian airspace,” said Kęstutis Budrys, the foreign minister in Vilnius. “This marks the second such incident in less than a month. Similar airspace violations have also been reported recently by other allies.”Budrys added that he and the defence minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, had asked the Nato secretary general for “immediate measures to enhance air defence capabilities in Lithuania and accelerate the full implementation of the rotational air defence model. Air defence is vital to allied security. Securing Nato’s eastern flank must remain a top priority for the alliance.”Amid the nuclear row between Donald Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin has moved to play ...

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8 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Netherlands to buy €500m of US arms for Kyiv in first for new Nato supply line

Government says Patriot parts and missiles included while Nato chief expects announcements from other alliance countries soon. What we know on day 1,259See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russian war by buying oil

Stephen Miller says it’s astonishing that ‘India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil’; 120 firefighters needed to put out blaze at Sochi oil depot. What we know on day 1,258See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageA top aide to President Donald Trump has accused India of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying oil from Moscow, after the US leader escalated pressure on Delhi to stop buying Russian oil. “What he [Trump] said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia,” said Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House and one of the US president’s most influential aides. Miller’s criticism on Sunday was some of the strongest yet by the Trump administration about one of the US’s major partners in the Indo-Pacific. “People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That’s an astonishing fact,” Miller said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning ...

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3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russia insists on sticking to its war demands amid Trump sanctions threat

Kremlin says ‘our goals are clear’ over conditions Kyiv and its allies have rejected as Russian drone attacks injure several around Ukraine. What we know on day 1,244See all our Russia-Ukraine coverageRussia has said it is open to peace with Ukraine but insists achieving its goals remains a priority, days after Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia’s demands on Sunday, including Ukraine withdrawing from Russia-annexed regions and abandoning its Nato aspirations – terms that Kyiv and its allies have rejected. “The main thing for us is to achieve our goals,” Peskov told state TV. “Our goals are clear.”Ukrainian officials proposed a new round of peace talks this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, while Russian state media said on Sunday that no date had yet been set for the negotiations but Istanbul would probably remain the host city. A week ago Trump, the US...

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3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: EU and UK increase sanctions on Russia as drone strike on Odesa kills one

EU agrees 18th package of sanctions against Moscow, including a moving price cap on Russian oil 15% below market rates. What we know on day 1,242One person was killed and at least one apartment building set alight in Odesa after Russian forces staged a mass drone attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port. The city’s mayor, Gennadiy Trukhanov, said at least 20 drones had converged on the city. “Civilian infrastructure was damaged as a result of the attack. A residential high-rise building is on fire” and rescuers were pulling people out, he said. The Odesa region’s emergency service said later that five people were rescued from burning apartments but “one rescued woman died”.The Russian defence ministry said its air defence systems destroyed 87 Ukrainian drones in a five-hour period on Friday evening, including over the Bryansk region bordering northern Ukraine and the Moscow region. Russian aviation authorities were once again forced to suspend flights at Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo ai...

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3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: US moving ‘with haste’ to enable weapons shipments to Kyiv, says Washington

Nato commander says separately that preparations under way to send first Patriot systems to Ukraine in deal involving European countries buying arms. What we know on day 1,241See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageThe US is moving to get weapons to Ukraine quickly under President Donald Trump’s plan for Europe to buy arms and is weighing selling Patriot air defence systems from its own stocks, Washington’s envoy to Nato has said. “We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done, and, you know, I think things are actually moving very quickly,” the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, told journalists on Thursday. “But I can’t verify a date that this will all be completed.” Trump on Monday announced a deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte for European states in the alliance to buy US weaponry – particularly advanced Patriot systems – and give it to Kyiv, but questions have been raised over where the systems will come from and how soon they can get to Ukraine amid Russi...

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3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Weapons will be Europe’s support to Ukraine – not Trump’s, Kallas suggests

‘If you promise to give the weapons, but say somebody else is going to pay, it’s not really given by you’; Russia bombs shopping centre, killing two. What we know on day 1,240Donald Trump’s move to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine at Europe’s expense has created some mild friction in EU-US relations. “If we pay for these weapons, it’s our support,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, on Wednesday. “So it’s European support, and we are doing as much as we can to help Ukraine If you promise to give the weapons but say that somebody else is going to pay for it, it’s not really given by you, is it? We welcome President Trump’s announcement to send more weapons to Ukraine, although we would like to see the US share the burden.”A meeting of Patriot owner nations and Ukraine donors – aiming to find additional Patriot air defence systems for Kyiv and chaired by Nato’s top military commander – could take place on Wednesday of next week, Reuters reported. A ...

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