Ukraine is no longer restricted from carrying out “long-range” strikes against Russia with weapons supplied by its Western allies, German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said.
"Until a while ago, it couldn't. It can now," Mr Merz said. "We call this 'long-range fire' in jargon, also supplying Ukraine with weapons that attack military targets in the hinterland," he added.
It comes after Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin “absolutely crazy” for a record-breaking drone attack on its smaller neighbour, and the Kremlin said the US president was being "emotional".
Mr Trump issued some of his sharpest criticism of Mr Putin after Russia fired 355 drones and nine missiles at Ukraine — the largest aerial attack of the more than three year war.
He added that if the Russian leader tried to conquer all of Ukraine, it would “lead to the downfall of Russia” as he warned of further sanctions.
Russia has carried out more than 900 attacks on Ukraine in the past 72 hours, the war-hit nation’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address, stating that the strikes are a “political choice” made by Mr Putin.
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Key Points
- No more range restrictions on the weapons supplied to Ukraine, says Germany
- Zelensky says over 900 drones launched against Ukraine in three days
- Kremlin says Trump’s comments about Putin due to ‘emotional overload’
- Kremlin warns against 'dangerous' move by West to allow long-range Ukrainian attacks
Zelensky: Russia preparing new offensive
08:49
,
Tom Watling
Russia is preparing to conduct “new offensive operations” despite ongoing talks of a possible truce, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed.
“There is currently no indication that they are seriously considering peace or diplomacy,” he wrote. “On the contrary, there is ample evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations.”
His comments follow a significant increase in Russian attacks along points of the frontline in eastern Ukraine and a massive uptick in long-range aerial attacks on cities across the country.
Trump considering sanctions on Russia after deadly weekend of strikes - report
08:29
,
Tom Watling
Donald Trump is considering slapping sanctions on Russia after claiming Vladimir Putin has “gone absolutely crazy”, The Wall Street Journal is reporting.
The US president has long warned Putin that he would sanction Russia if the autocrat continued to object to peace. Those threats have proved empty thus far, even as Putin has consistently wrecked attempts to put a truce in place.
Over the weekend, Russia fired some 900 drones and missiles at positions across Ukraine, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Saturday night’s attack of 355 drones and nine missiles was Russia’s largest attack of the war, Kyiv’s air force claimed.
According to the WSJ, any new restrictions will likely not include banking sanctions.
Russia fires 60 drones across Ukraine, says Kyiv
07:50
,
Tom Watling
Russia has fired another volley of drones at targets across Ukraine after a weekend of massive attacks, Kyiv’s air force has reported.
Russia fired 60 drones overnight, the air force said, of which 43 were shot down.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said last night that Russia had fired more than 900 drones and missiles over the weekend.
Russia says it downs 99 Ukrainian drones overnight
07:44
,
Tom Watling
Russia's defence ministry has claimed that its air defence systems downed 99 Ukrainian drones, including 56 over the Belgorod region, overnight.
It follows a weekend in which Russia fired more than 900 drones across Ukraine, killing over a dozen people, including several children.
Ukraine also fired a salvo of drones at military production factories over the weekend.
More than 200 Ukrainian POWs have died in Russian prisons, says Kyiv
07:22
,
Arpan Rai
More than 200 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) have died in prison since Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago, officials in Kyiv have said.
Of the more than 5,000 POWs Russia has repatriated to Ukraine, at least 206 died in captivity, including more than 50 when an explosion ripped through a Russian-controlled prison barracks, according to the Ukrainian government.
An additional 245 Ukrainian POWs were killed by Russian soldiers on the battlefield, according to Ukrainian prosecutors.
Abuse inside Russian prisons likely contributed to many of these deaths, adding to evidence that Russia is systematically brutalising captured soldiers, according to officials from human rights groups, the UN and the Ukrainian government, and a Ukrainian medical examiner who has performed dozens of POW autopsies.
Ukrainian officials say the frequent repatriation of bodies that are mutilated and decomposed point to an effort by Russia to cover up alleged torture, starvation and poor health care at dozens of prisons and detention centers across Russia and occupied Ukraine.
No more range restrictions on the weapons supplied to Ukraine, says Germany
07:15
,
Arpan Rai
Germany and other major allies are no longer imposing any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion, its new chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
The German leader said that "there are no longer any range restrictions for weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine — neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, and not by the Americans either."
"That means Ukraine can also defend itself by, for example, attacking military positions in Russia," Mr Merz said at a forum organised by WDR public television.
"Until a while ago, it couldn't. — It can now," he said.
"We call this 'long-range fire' in jargon, also supplying Ukraine with weapons that attack military targets in the hinterland," he added.
Mr Merz did not elaborate, and it wasn't clear whether he was referring to the easing of restrictions on longer-range weapons late last year.
Germany, along with the UK and France, has plunged into diplomatic efforts to try to secure a ceasefire and keep Western support for Ukraine intact.
Zelensky says over 900 drones launched against Ukraine in three days
07:13
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said the hundreds of Russian attacks on his country are a “political choice” made by Vladimir Putin.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said: “Over 900 attack drones launched against Ukraine in just three days, along with ballistic and cruise missiles. There is no military logic in this, but it is a clear political choice of Russia – the choice to keep waging war.”
“We can see from the information obtained by intelligence and from open-source data that Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war.”
Mr Zelensky has asked the Russian leader to “start respecting those he talks to”.
“For now, he is simply playing games with diplomacy and with diplomats. That must change,” Mr Zelensky said.
Over 900 attack drones launched against Ukraine in just three days, along with ballistic and cruise missiles. There is no military logic in this, but it is a clear political choice of Russia – the choice to keep waging war.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 26, 2025
Recently, a meeting was held in Istanbul. Now, the… pic.twitter.com/Al8rmTYPom
Navy to use AI to detect ‘hostile’ Russian activity in the Arctic
07:11
,
Arpan Rai
The UK Navy is to use artificial intelligence to detect hostile state activity in the Arctic, amid the increasing threat from Russia in the region.
The area is a key flank of European and Britain’s security, while the Kremlin’s operations there aid it war in Ukraine and threaten critical infrastructure like undersea cables to the UK, ministers warn.
On a visit to Iceland, the Foreign Secretary David Lammy will announce a new joint scheme between the two countries to use cutting edge AI technology to monitor the activity of state actors.
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Netherlands sends last batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
07:02
,
Arpan Rai
The last batch of F-16 fighter jets to aid Ukraine against Russia's invasion have departed from the Netherlands.
“The last Dutch F-16s destined for Ukraine have left the Netherlands. The aircraft left Volkel Air Base for Belgium today, where they are being prepared for delivery. In total, the Netherlands has donated 24 fighter aircraft to Ukraine,” the Dutch ministry of defence said in a statement.
Ukraine received its first F-16 jets from the Netherlands and Denmark in 2024. The war-hit nation made several appeals for the top-tier warplanes shortly after Russia started its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ruben Brekelmans, the Dutch defence minister, said Ukraine is already saving lives and using the jets efficiently in the war against Russian forces.
"They have already saved lives. The F-16s have a better overview of the battlefield and a higher chance of survival than the outdated Soviet aircraft that the Ukrainian air force flew,” Mr Brekelmans said.
Russian forces capture four villages in Ukraine's Sumy, says official
06:32
,
Arpan Rai
Russian forces had captured four villages in Ukraine’s Sumy region as part of an attempt to create a "buffer zone", a Ukrainian official said yesterday.
Sumy region governor Oleh Hryhorov listed four villages inside the border that he said were now held by Russian forces – Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka. He said their residents had long been evacuated.
"The enemy is continuing attempts to advance with the aim of setting up a so-called 'buffer zone,'" he wrote.
Ukrainian forces, he said, "are keeping the situation under control, inflicting precise fire damage on the enemy".
Mr Hryhorov said fighting was continuing around other villages in the area, including Volodymyrivka and Bilovodiv – two settlements that Russia's defence ministry had earlier yesterday said were now held by Moscow's forces.
Russia's military and Russian military bloggers have in recent days reported captured villages in Sumy, which has come under frequent Russian air strikes for months.
Trump threatens more sanctions on Russia: 'He's killing a lot of people'
06:06
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump has said he is weighing new sanctions on Moscow after accusing Vladimir Putin of going “absolutely CRAZY" by unleashing a massive aerial attack on Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at the airport in Morristown, New Jersey, Mr Trump said of Mr Putin yesterday: "I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him? Right? He's killing a lot of people. I'm not happy about that."
He raised the possibility of imposing more sanctions on Russia in response to the ongoing attacks.
Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence
05:37
,
Arpan Rai
As Washington settled in for a typically sleepy Memorial Day following the passage of Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in the House, the president fired off one of his trademark furious rants on Truth Social, but the target was a surprise.
It was aimed squarely at Russian president Vladimir Putin. Despite what he called a “very good relationship” with Putin, Trump in his latest statement on the Ukraine-Russia war blasted the Russian leader as “absolutely crazy.”
Mr Trump sudden harsh turn was illuminative, if not for the reason he may have intended, writes John Bowden:
Kremlin warns against 'dangerous' move by West to allow long-range Ukrainian attacks
05:25
,
Arpan Rai
Any decision by European countries that might give Ukraine enhanced long-range missile capabilities would be a dangerous move, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said yesterday.
The remarks from Vladimir Putin’s close aide come shortly after German chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke about the absence of range restrictions for weapons delivered to Ukraine, which one German government official said did not represent a change in policy.
"These potential decisions, if such decisions have indeed been made, run absolutely contrary to our aspirations for reaching a political settlement," Mr Peskov said.
Such decisions, if there were any, were quite dangerous, the Kremlin spokesperson said.
Mr Merz announced yesterday that his government would do everything possible to keep supporting Ukraine militarily, pointing out that the lack of range restrictions meant Ukraine could attack military targets in Russia.
Donald Trump has a new battle on his hands… to win the Nobel Peace Prize
05:11
,
Arpan Rai
Ending a war in 24 hours is tricky – as self-proclaimed peacemaker Donald Trump is discovering. Even four months isn't a long time when the conflict you’ve offered to help resolve involves a maniacal head of a nuclear-armed mafia state determined to take over a plucky democratic neighbour.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s refusal to wave a white flag presents a serious obstacle not only to Trump’s peace plans, but more importantly, to his hopes of a Nobel prize – an award that the narcissist in the Oval Office desperately wants and thinks he deserves.
Michael Day writes:
Intelligence shows Putin planning new offensive against Ukraine, says Zelensky
04:53
,
Arpan Rai
Russia is planning to launch a new offensive in Ukraine and not looking to end the war, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“We can see from the information obtained by intelligence and from open-source data that Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war,” Mr Zelensky said in his latest nightly address, adding that Moscow is counting on a “prolonged war”.
“There is currently no indication that they are seriously considering peace or diplomacy. On the contrary, there is ample evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations,” Mr Zelensky said.
He has asked Ukraine’s “partners” to not ignore the intelligence reports.
“I am confident that our partners’ intelligence services are having the same information, seeing the same facts – and it’s important that they do not turn a blind eye, but report to their leadership,” he said.
Kremlin says Trump’s comments about Putin due to ‘emotional overload’
04:30
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump’s claims that Vladimir Putin has gone “absolutely crazy” are down to “emotional overload”, the Kremlin has claimed.
Mr Trump on Sunday said his Russian counterpart Mr Putin had "gone absolutely CRAZY" by unleashing a massive aerial attack on Ukraine and said he was weighing new sanctions on Moscow, though he also scolded Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to president Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about Mr Trump's remarks about Mr Putin.
“Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions,” Mr Peskov said.
No more range restrictions on the weapons supplied to Ukraine, says Germany
04:05
,
Arpan Rai
Germany and other major allies are no longer imposing any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion, its new chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
The German leader said that "there are no longer any range restrictions for weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine — neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, and not by the Americans either."
"That means Ukraine can also defend itself by, for example, attacking military positions in Russia," Mr Merz said at a forum organised by WDR public television.
"Until a while ago, it couldn't. — It can now," he said.
"We call this 'long-range fire' in jargon, also supplying Ukraine with weapons that attack military targets in the hinterland," he added.
Mr Merz did not elaborate, and it wasn't clear whether he was referring to the easing of restrictions on longer-range weapons late last year.
Germany, along with the UK and France, has plunged into diplomatic efforts to try to secure a ceasefire and keep Western support for Ukraine intact.
Zelensky says over 900 drones launched against Ukraine in three days
04:02
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said the hundreds of Russian attacks on his country are a “political choice” made by Vladimir Putin.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said: “Over 900 attack drones launched against Ukraine in just three days, along with ballistic and cruise missiles. There is no military logic in this, but it is a clear political choice of Russia – the choice to keep waging war.”
“We can see from the information obtained by intelligence and from open-source data that Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war.”
Mr Zelensky has asked the Russian leader to “start respecting those he talks to”.
“For now, he is simply playing games with diplomacy and with diplomats. That must change,” Mr Zelensky said.
Over 900 attack drones launched against Ukraine in just three days, along with ballistic and cruise missiles. There is no military logic in this, but it is a clear political choice of Russia – the choice to keep waging war.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 26, 2025
Recently, a meeting was held in Istanbul. Now, the… pic.twitter.com/Al8rmTYPom