Russia has vowed that Vladimir Putin will not be spoken to in the language of ultimatums by US president Donald Trump.
Deputy Russian foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said it would not be possible to reach a US-brokered peace deal if Mr Trump undermines Mr Putin’s fundamental aims.
“Without solving the problems which were the root causes of what is happening, it will not be possible to reach an agreement,” Mr Ryabkov said. “So variations and half-measures are not the path we are prepared to go along.”
He suggested the non-negotiables for Mr Putin include Ukraine abandoning hopes of joining Nato and its withdrawal of troops from the four regions Russia illegally annexed in September 2022. All four regions remain partially unoccupied.
It comes as Ukraine’s defence ministry approved the military use of a domestically-produced drone.
The Baton drones - the word translates to “a loaf of bread” in Ukrainian - were designed to withstand extreme weather and travel at high speeds, allowing them to catch up with and strike moving targets.
Ukraine has prioritised drone warfare since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, heavily investing in aerial, naval, and ground-based unmanned systems.
Key Points
- Kyiv intercepts huge overnight Russian drone barrage
- Zelensky calls for US and European security guarantees
- US funding freeze threatens investigations of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine
- Ukrainian forces advance further inside Kursk using highway
- Trump declines to discuss talks with Putin but says US making progress
says Trump aides to visit Ukraine this week
17:17
,
Tom Watling
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that “serious people” from US president Donald Trump's administration will visit Ukraine this week.
In a video released by Ukrainian media outlet UNIAN, Mr Zelensky said the visit would take place before the annual Munich Security Conference this weekend where he said he plans to have a meeting with US vice president JD Vance.
China's foreign minister to visit Britain on Thursday for talks
16:34
,
Tom Watling
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is due to visit Britain on Thursday to hold talks with his British counterpart David Lammy in a sign that relations between the countries are normalising after years of tensions.
Issues to be discussed include international security and the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesman told reporters.
Lammy and Wang will revive the UK-China Strategic Dialogue, a forum last held in 2018 to discuss bilateral issues.
That dialogue was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and after Britain restricted some Chinese investment on worries over national security and over a crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong.
The Labour government, in power in Britain since July, has made improving ties with China one of its main foreign policy goals after a period under successive Conservative governments when relations plunged to their lowest level in decades.
British finance minister Rachel Reeves visited China last month in a bid to revive economic and financial talks that had been frozen since 2019.
British embassy employee accused of assaulting journalist in Russia
16:00
,
Tom Watling
US funding freeze threatens investigations of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine
15:16
,
Tom Watling
The Trump administration's freeze of foreign funding has begun impacting an international effort to hold Russia responsible for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, according to eight sources and a Ukrainian document seen by Reuters, halting dozens of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in aid.
Ukraine has opened more than 140,000 war crime cases since Moscow's February 2022 invasion, which has killed tens of thousands, ravaged vast swathes of the country and left behind mental and physical scars from occupation. Russia consistently denies war crimes have been committed by its forces in the conflict.
US-funded international initiatives such as the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA) have provided expertise and oversight to Ukrainian authorities. Kyiv has been praised by its Western partners for probing alleged crimes while the war is still raging.
At stake are six US-funded projects at the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) valued at $89 million, according to a Ukrainian document on the US funding and cuts seen by Reuters.
Funding for at least five of those projects has already been frozen, according to five sources directly involved, who cited interruptions in payments. The affected worked on issues ranging from the preservation of evidence from the battlefield to anti-corruption initiatives and reform of Ukraine's prosecution system.
Two of the listed projects were funded by USAID, three by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement and one directly by the Department of State, the document showed.
Of that funding, $47 million was directly allocated to war crimes accountability, the document showed.
Where are Ukraine's mineral resources and why does Trump want them?
14:48
,
Tom Watling
Russia says all of Putin's conditions must be met if there is to be a peace deal on Ukraine
14:03
,
Tom Watling
Russian deputy foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees US relations and arms control, has said that all of president Vladimir Putin's conditions for ending the conflict in Ukraine must be met before any settlement is possible.
On 14 June, Mr Putin set out his terms for an immediate end to the war: Ukraine must drop its Nato ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mostly controlled by Russia.
Mr Ryabkov said that the sooner the United States and the West understood that all of Mr Putin's conditions needed to be met, the sooner there would be a settlement in Ukraine.
Mapped: Ukraine’s counterattack into the Russian Kursk region explained
13:30
,
Alexander Butler
Watch: Trump says Ukraine Russia war is going to end after phone call with Putin
11:45
,
Alexander Butler
Russia 'yet to receive good proposal to start peace talks' despite Trump claims of progress
11:15
,
Alexander Butler
A senior Russian politician has said that Moscow is yet to receive a good offer to start peace negotiations, despite claims by Donald Trump that talks were progressing.
Deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin told the RIA state news agency: "It is important that words be backed up by practical steps that take into account Russia's legitimate interests, demonstrating a readiness to eradicate the root causes of the crisis and recognise the new realities."
"Concrete proposals of this nature have not yet been received," he added.
It comes after Trump spoke to Putin over the phone and claimed he was making progress on a way to end the nearly three-year-long conflict.
“I do believe we’re making progress. We want to stop the Ukraine-Russia war,” he said.
Xi Jinping to visit Moscow, Russian state media reports
10:45
,
Alexander Butler
Chinese President Xi Jinping has accepted a Russian invitation to attend the commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, according to Russian state media.
"Chinese President Xi Jinping has accepted an invitation to take part in the celebrations on 9 May in Moscow on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War."
'Let's do a deal': Zelensky touts Ukraine's rare earth stores to Trump
10:15
,
Alexander Butler
At the end of last week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered Donald Trump and the US a partnership over Ukraine's stores of rare earth and minerals.
Earlier in the week week, Trump said he wanted Ukraine to supply the US with critical resources in exchange for financial support in its war with Russia.
In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Zelenskyy said: "If we are talking about a deal, then let's do a deal, we are only for it."
While emphasising that Kyiv was not proposing "giving away" its resources, he said he was open to a mutually beneficial partnership to develop them jointly.
Ukraine’s leading rapper is now leading drone warfare against Russia
09:47
,
Alexander Butler
Kyiv intercepts huge Russian drone barrage
08:41
,
Alexander Butler
Overnight Russian drone attacks sparked a fire in Kyiv and injured a woman and damaged several houses in the northeastern city of Sumy, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.
The Ukrainian military said on Monday that it had shot down 61 out of 83 drones with 22 more likely downed by electronic warfare.
No injuries were reported in the attack that sparked a fire at a non-residential building in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
But a 38-year-old woman was hospitalised after Russia launched drones at Sumy, which is the administrative centre of the broader Sumy region, Ihor Kalchenko, governor of the region said on Telegram.
Zelensky calls for US and European security guarantees
08:40
,
Alexander Butler
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Donald Trump to stop Vladimir Putin from invading his war-torn country ever again as part of any peace deal.
Zelensky said a frozen conflict along the 600-mile front would only lead to Russian aggression “again and again” and called for more security guarantees from the US and Europe.
It comes after Trump spoke to Putin over the phone and claimed he was making progress on a way to end the nearly three-year-long conflict.
“If I had an understanding that America and Europe will not abandon us and they will support us and provide security guarantees, I would be ready for any format for talks,” Zelensky said.
Trump is set to meet with Zelensky next week to discuss Washington’s peace proposal. “We have to get that war ended,” Trump said on Sunday.
Ukraine’s leading rapper is now leading drone warfare against Russia
08:00
,
Arpan Rai
Oleksandr Yarmak has not the slightest sympathy for Russians.
At 33, he is head of research and development in Ukraine’s drone warfare, devising ever more creative ways to make the most of the lethal technology.
He is also a chart-topping artist who has used his years fighting on the frontline turning his experiences into rap songs that have become national war chants.
His troops watch their Russian counterparts on Ukrainian military feeds bowing, waving, curling up in terror, and sometimes just standing still, in the final seconds before a drone hits them.
Sam Kiley reports:
FBI director nominee Kash Patel paid by Russian filmmaker close to Kremlin: Report
07:30
,
Arpan Rai
President Donald Trump’s nominee to be FBI director, Kash Patel, was paid $25,000 by a Russian filmmaker with connections to the Kremlin, The Washington Post reports.
Documents obtained by the paper reveal that Patel was paid by Global Tree Pictures, a film company owned by Igor Lopatonok, a Russian national who also holds US citizenship.
Lopatanok has produced shows pushing US “deep state” conspiracy theories and views skeptical of the West, which are also relentlessly promoted by the Kremlin, a financial disclosure form submitted by Patel as part of his confirmation process revealed.
Mapped: Where are Ukraine's rare earth mineral resources and why does Trump want them?
07:00
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump has announced he wants Ukraine to pay for financial and military support by affording Washington access to the country’s vast but untapped rare earth minerals.
He said on Monday he wants “equalisation” from Ukraine for the US’ “close to $300 billion” in support.
“We're telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths,” Mr Trump said. “We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things.”
Below, we look at where these resources are in Ukraine, and why Kyiv has struggled to mine these minerals.
What happened to the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine on the frontline?
06:30
,
Arpan Rai
North Korean troops have been pulled back from the frontline amid devastating losses, according to Ukrainian and American officials.
Kim Jong Un’s forces have not been seen on the battlefield for around three weeks, Ukrainian special forces said.
The reports have been backed by South Korea’s spy agency, who said that the North Korean troops had been withdrawn from the war frontline around the middle of January, the National Intelligence Service said.
"Since mid-January, there have been no signs of North Korean troops deployed in Russia's Kursk region engaging in combat," the NIS said.
China's Xi accepts invitation to attend Moscow's Victory Day in May – report
06:13
,
Arpan Rai
Chinese president Xi Jinping has accepted Russia's invitation to attend the commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, Russia's TASS news agency reported today..
"Chinese president Xi Jinping has accepted an invitation to take part in the celebrations on 9 May in Moscow on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War," TASS cited Russian ambassador to China, Igor Morgulov, as telling Russian state television.
The Kremlin said in December that it had invited "many countries" to attend the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, which Russians call the "Great Patriotic War”.
Photo: Ukrainian troops fire French howtizers on Russian forces on the hottest sector of frontline
06:03
,
Arpan Rai
Russia says yet to receive satisfactory proposals to start talks on Ukraine
05:46
,
Arpan Rai
Moscow is yet to receive a good offer to start talks on Ukraine, Russia's deputy foreign minister said in remarks published this morning.
"It is important that words be backed up by practical steps that take into account Russia's legitimate interests, demonstrating a readiness to eradicate the root causes of the crisis and recognise the new realities," deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin told RIA state news agency in an interview.
"Concrete proposals of this nature have not yet been received," he said.
Mr Galuzin's comments were the latest in a series of contradictory or guarded messages from both Moscow and Washington in recent days about possible talks between Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin on bringing an end to the war that Moscow started nearly three years ago.
Mapped: Ukraine’s counterattack into the Russian Kursk region explained
05:25
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive in the Russian border region of Kursk, pushing several miles through its southeastern flank, it has been reported.
The attack, which was claimed by the Russian defence ministry but has not been acknowledged by Ukraine, was reported exactly six months after Kyiv launched its initial cross-border assault into Kursk last August.
Russia says it downs 15 Ukrainian drones overnight
04:56
,
Arpan Rai
Russia's air defence units intercepted and destroyed 15 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defence ministry said this morning.
Of these, seven of the drones were downed over the southern Krasnodar region, while the rest were intercepted over several other regions in Russia's south and west, the ministry said on the Telegram channel.
Russia's top UN diplomat says waiting for signals from Washington on talks
04:55
,
Arpan Rai
The Russian envoy to the United Nations said Russia was waiting for "appropriate signals" from Washington on contacts with Moscow.
Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said Russia was ready for talks with the US on Ukraine "on an equal basis", in comments to the Russia’s state-run news agency RIA.
"We are open to contacts but on an equal basis and, as a requirement, taking account of Russian interests," Mr Nebenzya said.
"We are waiting for the appropriate signals from the American side,” he said.
His comments were issued shortly before the US president Donald Trump said he believed the US was making progress in talks with Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Trump declines to discuss talks with Putin but says US making progress with Russia
04:17
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump said he believed the US was making progress in its talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, but refused to share any details about his chat with Russian president Vladimir Putin
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump indicated that the two men had been in contact.
This would mark the first officially acknowledged conversation between Mr Putin and a US president since early 2022.
On being asked whether he had had his conversation with Mr Putin since he became president on January 20 or before, the US president said: “I’ve had it. Let’s just say I’ve had it...And I expect to have many more conversations. We have to get that war ended.”
“If we are talking, I don’t want to tell you about the conversations,” he said. “I do believe we’re making progress. We want to stop the Ukraine-Russia war.”
The president said the US was in touch with Russia and Ukraine. "We're talking to both sides," he said.
What happened to the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine on the frontline?
03:55
,
Jabed Ahmed
Special Dispatch | As the Russians bombard the key Ukraine stronghold of Zaporizhzhia – this school offers hope underground
03:45
,
Jabed Ahmed
Former Tory MP explains why he is fighting in Ukraine
03:39
,
Arpan Rai
Former Conservative MP Jack Lopresti, who has joined the Ukrainian military’s foreign legion, has said it is a privilege to join the force and help in “a battle for Europe”.
Mr Lopresti, who was MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke from 2010 to 2024, lost his seat in the July election.
Talking to Sky News, he said the battle is not just for Ukraine.
“This is a battle for Europe. And if Putin succeeds, it's a green light for dictators everywhere. And we'll all be in it,” he said in his first interview after entering the war.
He said that the war in Ukraine was also “our battle”.
“I feel very privileged that I’m able to do what I can to help and, with respect, what people need to remember is that the Ukrainians are not only fighting for their own survival, their own freedom, their right to exist as an independent nation, this is also our battle, which is why we’ve done so much to help in training and military equipment,” Mr Lopresti told Sky News.
“We know what (Russian president Vladimir) Putin wants, which is the restoration of the Russian empire. This war started over 10 years ago with the annexation of Crimea. And if Ukraine falls, if we fail here, then we know he won’t stop,” the former lawmaker said.
Explained | Why does Russia want to capture the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk?
03:30
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russian forces are closing in on the strategically important eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk after capturing a string of villages to its south, and Ukraine has halted production at its only coking coal mine nearby due to the advance.
Pokrovsk is a road and rail hub in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, which had a pre-war population of some 60,000 people. While most people have fled, Ukraine estimated last month that up to 11,000 still remain in the city.
It lies on a key road used by the Ukrainian military to supply other embattled eastern outposts including the towns of Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine's only mine that produces coking coal - used in its once vast steel industry and vital for the country's pre-war economy - is just a 20-minute drive to the west of Pokrovsk, and open source data shows Russian forces are less than 2 km (1.24 miles) from one of the mine shafts.
Moscow says it has annexed Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region and sees taking control of Pokrovsk as an important stepping stone to incorporating the entire region into Russia. Kyiv and the West reject Russia's territorial claims as illegal and accuse Moscow of prosecuting a war of colonial conquest.
Control of the city, which the Russian media call "the gateway to Donetsk", would allow Moscow to severely disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front and boost its campaign to capture Chasiv Yar, which sits on higher ground offering potential control of a wider area.
Squeezing the Ukrainian military's access to the road network in the vicinity would make it harder for Kyiv's troops to hold pockets of territory either side of Pokrovsk, which could allow Russia to advance the front line.
Trump plan to end war must include security guarantees, says Zelensky
03:26
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump's plan for a quick settlement in Ukraine must not only stop the war but also provide security guarantees that ensure there can be no future Russian aggression, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"A frozen conflict will lead to more aggression again and again. Who then will win prizes and go down in history as the victor? No one. It will be an absolute defeat for everyone, both for us, as is important, and for Trump," Mr Zelensky told ITV.
"He needs not just to end the war. He needs to act so that (Russian president Vladimir) Putin has no chance to wage war on us again. This is the main thing and everyone should recognise that. That would be a victory," he said.
He added that the US and the EU must not abandon Ukraine in the process.
"If I had an understanding that America and Europe will not abandon us and they will support us and provide security guarantees, I would be ready for any format for talks," Mr Zelensky said.
"If there are security guarantees, we can then speak of an end to the 'hot phase' of the war. You must understand we need to know just how this war is going to end. That we are all on the same side as America and Europe,” he added.
Challenges for the Russian economy in 2025
03:15
,
Jabed Ahmed
The Russian economy has shown resilience during the three years of war in Ukraine and Western sanctions. However, as the war approaches its fourth year, the economy faces major challenges with key economic policymakers at odds on how to address them.
Below are the key challenges for the Russian economy in 2025:
Inflation
- Russian annual inflation reached 9.5% in 2024, driven by high military and national security spending, which is set to account for 41% of total state budget spending in 2025, state subsidies on loans, and spiralling wage growth amid labour shortages.
- Inflation tops the list of economic woes in public opinion polls, with prices for staple foods such as butter, eggs, and vegetables showing double-digit growth last year.
Economic slowdown
- The government projects that economic growth rates will slow to 2.5% in 2025 from around 4% in 2024 as a result of measures to cool down the overheated economy, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects growth at 1.4% this year.
- The pro-government economic think tank TsMAKP estimated that many industrial sectors outside defence have been stagnating since 2023, raising prospects of stagflation, a combination of high inflation and economic stagnation.
Budget deficit
- Russia's budget deficit reached 1.7% of GDP in 2024, while the country's National Wealth Fund, the main source of financing the deficit, has been depleted by two-thirds during three years of war.
- The government raised taxes to bring the deficit down to 0.5% of GDP in 2025, but its revenues could also fall due to the latest U.S. energy sanctions, which targeted Russia's oil and gas sector.
What is Russia’s strategic partnership with North Korea?
03:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" pact in Pyongyang on 19 June, 2024, including a mutual defence clause in case of aggression against either country.
Kim expressed "unconditional support" for "all of Russia's policies", including "a full support and firm alliance" for Russia's war in Ukraine. Putin has said Russia would help North Korea build satellites.
The US and South Korea say North Korea has shipped ballistic missiles, anti-tank rockets and millions of rounds of ammunition for Russia to use in the war. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied weapons transfers.
Ukraine, South Korea and the US say Kim has sent more than 11,000 troops to fight for Russia in its western Kursk region, part of which has been held by Ukraine since August. Ukraine says many North Korean soldiers have been killed and wounded. Moscow has never confirmed or denied their presence.
Ukrainian forces advance further inside Kursk using highway
02:59
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian forces have advanced further inside Kursk, where they launched another attack on Friday, according to a US-based think tank.
“Geolocated footage published on 9 February (yesterday) indicates that Ukrainian forces recently advanced along the 38K-028 Sudzha-Oboyan highway southwest of Russkaya Konopelka,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment yesterday.
It said Kyiv’s battlefield gains were confirmed by Russian sources who claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted mechanized attacks southeast of Sudzha near Russkaya Konopelka and Fanaseyevka in Kursk.
Russia launches drone attack on Kyiv, mayor says
02:48
,
Arpan Rai
Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv, sparking a fire at a non-residential building in one of the city's districts, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital said early today.
"All emergency services are on site," mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on his Telegram channel. "So far, there are no injuries reported."
Why Trump wants Ukraine’s rare earths
02:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
What is ATACMS? The US missiles being used inside Russia
01:24
,
Jabed Ahmed
There are several variants of Army Tactical Missile Systems, a long-range missile system that often carries varying amounts of cluster bomblets.
Ukrainian forces used the US-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles for the first time in October 2023, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying the weapons had "proven themselves."
Ukraine likely has what are known as M39A1 Block IA ATACMS that are guided in part by Global Positioning System and have a range of 40 to 190 miles. They can carry a payload of 300 bomblets. The M39 Block IA were used in Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Army documents, and were added to the US arsenal in 1997.
Used as human shields, starved and under fire: The horrors people with disabilities face in Putin’s war
Sunday 9 February 2025 23:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Mapped: Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Sunday 9 February 2025 21:01
,
Tom Watling
Sunday 9 February 2025 20:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Mapped: Ukraine’s counterattack into the Russian Kursk region explained
Sunday 9 February 2025 19:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Robotic vehicles to be rolled out to bolster Ukrainian front line
Sunday 9 February 2025 18:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Watch | Rapper leads Ukraine's drone war against Russia
Sunday 9 February 2025 17:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Putin’s forces are desperate for a prize eastern city and Ukraine will fight street to street to keep them out
Sunday 9 February 2025 16:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Baltic states switch to European power grid, ending Russia ties
Sunday 9 February 2025 15:29
,
Jabed Ahmed
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said on Sunday they had successfully synchronised their electricity systems to the European continental power grid, one day after severing decades-old energy ties to Russia and Belarus.
Planned for many years, the complex switch away from the grid of their former Soviet imperial overlord is des