Russia’s foreign minister has cast fresh doubt on peace talks, questioning “the legitimacy” of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to sign any future agreements after targetting a US factory in a large bombardment on Ukraine.
Sergei Lavrov affirmed to reporters that Putin had ”repeatedly said he is ready to meet, including with Mr. Zelensky,” caveating that they wanted to resolve “the issue of legitimacy” on “the Ukrainian side” when it comes to signing agreements.
Moscow has repeatedly questioned Zelensky legitimacy as his term in office was due to expire in May 2024.
It comes as Zelensky cast doubt over Moscow’s intentions for peace after launching 574 drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine, hitting a US electronics manufacturer in west Ukraine, which he said was “very telling.”
“The Russians carried out this strike as if nothing is changing at all. As if there are no efforts from the world to stop this war.”
Zelensky has said that Kyiv wants an understanding of security guarantees in the next week, before bilateral and trilateral leaders meetings can take place, as he warned that if Russia was not willing to sit down for a meeting, he wanted a “strong reaction” from the United States.
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Key Points
- Zelensky says he wants 'strong' US reaction if Putin not ready to meet
- One killed and at least 18 injured in Russia's latest overnight strike
- American enterprise hit with Russian missiles in west Ukraine
- Hungary reaffirms offer to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine
Lithuania declares no-fly zone by Belarus border in response to drone incursions
13:30
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Bryony Gooch
Lithuania has established a no-fly zone near its border with Belarus until October 1 in response to drones entering from there, NATO member Lithuania's defence ministry said on Thursday.
"This was done with regard to the security situation and the threats to society, including risks to civil aviation due to airspace violations by unpiloted aircraft," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The no-fly zone will give Lithuania's armed forces more time to react to airspace violations, the spokesperson said without specifying the exact location or size of the restricted area along the 679-kilometer (422 miles) border.
The decision comes after Polish officials reported on Wednesday that a Russian drone had crashed in a field in eastern Poland, an incident the country's defence minister described as a provocation.
In July, an unmanned aircraft built from plywood and foam flew into Lithuania from Belarus and crashed, causing alarm before authorities determined it was not dangerous.
Watch: Russian foreign minister warns West over excluding Moscow from security discussions
13:15
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Bryony Gooch
Inside the Ukrainian factory building drones and cruise missiles to strike Russia
13:00
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Bryony Gooch
Russia's Lavrov says some issues will have to be worked out before Putin and Zelenskiy can meet
12:50
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Bryony Gooch
Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said he is ready to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, but there are some issues that need to be resolved before such a meeting could happen, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
Putin has questioned the legitimacy of Zelensky due to the postponement of elections in Ukraine due to the war.
Lavrov said the legitimacy issue would have to be resolved before Moscow could sign any document with Kyiv.
Italy arrests Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating Nord Stream pipeline attacks
12:40
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Bryony Gooch
Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, Germany's prosecutor general said on Thursday, adding that he would be brought before a German judge after being transferred.
Seen by both Russia and the West as an act of sabotage, no one has ever taken responsibility for explosions that severely damaged pipelines carrying gas from Russia to Europe in September 2022, which marked a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict and ramped up an energy supply crisis on the continent.
The suspect, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was part of a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022, a statement from the prosecutor's office said.
He and his accomplices had set off from Rostock on Germany's north-eastern coast in a sailing yacht to carry out the attack, it said, adding that the vessel had been rented from a German company with the help of forged identity documents via middlemen.
Authorities acted on a European arrest warrant for the suspect, who faces charges of collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of buildings.
Carabinieri officers arrested him overnight in the province of Rimini on Italy's Adriatic coast, the German prosecutors' statement said.
Lavrov accuses Europe of trying to undermine progress made in Alaska
12:28
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Bryony Gooch
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has accused European leaders of trying to undermine progress which he said had been made at last week's U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska on a possible peace deal in Ukraine.
Speaking of the Coalition of the Willing, he said Kyiv's European allies were trying to shift the focus away from resolving what Russia calls the "root causes" of the war.
"I hope such European adventurism fails," he said.
He also reiterated Russian concerns about the way the European discussion on security guarantees for Ukraine was being conducted without Moscow's input.
Any ideas which departed from those set out by Russia in talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in 2022 were hopeless, he said.
‘Putin wants us to panic’: How Russia has amped up its aerial strikes on Ukraine
12:20
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Bryony Gooch
As Russia launches yet another large aerial strike on Ukraine, here we look at the strategy behind the country’s approach to these attacks - and why they aren’t increasing the volume of missiles and drones every single day.
Recap watch: Russia's drone strikes spark huge fire at energy facility in Ukraine
12:00
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Bryony Gooch
Where could Putin and Zelensky meet for Ukraine war summit?
11:38
,
Bryony Gooch
Hungary reaffirms offer to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine
11:23
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Bryony Gooch
Hungary has offered to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine twice, and the offer still stands, said the country’s foreign minister Peter Szijjarto in a podcast broadcast on Facebook on Thursday.
Szijjarto reacted to reports that the White House was eyeing the Hungarian capital Budapest as a venue for a possible trilateral meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The US Secret Service was preparing for the summit in the central European nation, with Budapest emerging as a first choice for the White House, Politico reported on Tuesday.
"If we are needed, we are ready to provide appropriately fair and safe conditions for such peace negotiations. We are pleased if we can contribute to the success of peace efforts," Szijjarto said in a daily podcast hosting government members.
However, the foreign minister denied media reports published on Tuesday, including by Reuters and Bloomberg, that US president Donald Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to talk about Ukraine's European Union accession after Monday's summit with Ukraine's president and European leaders.
"I want to make it clear that there was no such call. There was not. Period," Szijjarto said.
Zelensky: Kyiv wants understanding of security guarantees in 7-10 days
11:00
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Bryony Gooch
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv wants to have an understanding of security guarantees in the next seven to 10 days, before bilateral and trilateral leaders meetings, he told reporters on Wednesday.
He added that if Russia was not willing to sit down for a meeting, he wanted a “strong reaction from the United States.
Watch: Vance explains how he broke ice with Zelensky after Oval Office showdown
10:40
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Bryony Gooch
Russia suggests plans to strengthen nuclear shield due to "colossal threats"
10:18
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Bryony Gooch
Russia's nuclear shield should be strengthened in coming years due to the "colossal threats" facing the world's biggest nuclear power, the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation said on Thursday.
Russia and the United States are upgrading their nuclear arsenals - including the systems used to detect and intercept incoming nuclear-armed missiles - just as China ramps up its own nuclear capability far beyond those of Britain and France.
"Now, in the current geopolitical situation, is a time of colossal threats to the existence of our country. Therefore, the nuclear shield, which is also a sword, is a guarantee of our sovereignty," Russian state news agency RIA cited Alexei Likhachev as saying.
"We understand today that the nuclear shield must only be improved in the coming years."
In pictures: The Flextronics manufacturer factory targeted by Russian missiles
10:00
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Bryony Gooch
Drone that fell in Poland probably came from direction of Belarus, prosecutor says
09:39
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Bryony Gooch
A drone which crashed into a field in eastern Poland most likely came from the direction of Belarus, a regional prosecutor said on Thursday, following the incident described as a provocation by the defence minister.
The military drone fell into a cornfield overnight on Tuesday, scorching crops, shattering windows in nearby homes and adding to tensions at a crucial period in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
"There is a very high probability ... that the object probably came from Belarus," Lublin regional prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday that initial findings of the investigation and some experts suggested a Russian version of the Shahed drone developed by Iran was involved in the latest incident.
Trusiewicz said he was unable to confirm the model of drone involved.
The embassy of Belarus in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no comment from the Russian embassy.
Close Russian ally Belarus has backed Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Early on Thursday, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said jets were scrambled due to Russian strikes on western Ukraine. However, it said that no violation of Polish airspace was observed.
Recap: 21 British/Irish/US nationals added to Russia's "stop" list
09:26
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Bryony Gooch
Russia’s foreign ministry has barred 21 people from what it called “destructive British media and consulting agencies” from entering Russia.
The list in question involves a number of journalists, people from lobbying organisations and think tanks, as well as members of law enforcement.
The list includes the likes of Matthew Syed from The Times, Rafael Behr from The Guardian, Adrian Goldberg from Byline TV and John Sweeney from The Byline Times.
Figures from the Royal United Services Institute, Pilecki Institute, UK Friends of Ukraine and the Centre Think Tank Foundation were also referenced, as was the head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Zelensky casts doubt that Moscow will engage in peace talks after overnight bombardment
09:09
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Bryony Gooch
Following Russia’s largest overnight strike on Ukraine of the month so far, Zelensky has cast doubt that there will be any meaningful engagement of peace talks from Putin.
He said on Telegram: “the Russians carried out this strike as if nothing is changing at all. As if there are no efforts from the world to stop this war. A reaction to this is needed.
“There is still no signal from Moscow that they are truly going to engage in meaningful negotiations and end this war. Pressure is needed. Strong sanctions, strong tariffs. Thank you to everyone who helps!”
In pictures: Firefighters work at the site of a Russian missile strike outside Lviv
09:01
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Bryony Gooch
One killed and at least 18 injured in Russia's latest overnight strike
08:47
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Bryony Gooch
Russian overnight attack killed one person, injured at least 18, and struck a U.S. electronics manufacturer in western Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.
A missile attack injured 15 people and destroyed storage facilities at the manufacturer in the town of Mukachevo, emergency services and local authorities in the western Zakarpattia region said.
National television showed the region's governor Myroslav Biletskyi, standing near the building engulfed in smoke, who said the plant was producing consumer electronics, while Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strike in a post on X. "A fully civilian facility that has nothing to do with defense or the military," he said.
"This is not the first Russian attack on American businesses in Ukraine, after strikes on Boeing offices in Kyiv earlier this year and other attacks."
American enterprise hit with Russian missiles in west Ukraine
08:39
,
Bryony Gooch
Ukrainian officials have confirmed that Russian missiles struck an American enterprise in western Ukraine.
Zelensky said: “They used several cruise missiles against an American enterprise in Zakarpattia. It was an ordinary civilian enterprise, American investments. They produced such common household items as coffee machines. And this was also a target for the Russians.
“Very telling. The fire is still being extinguished at the enterprise. As of now, 15 people are known to have been injured in this strike. All of them have been provided with the necessary assistance.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha added: “One of the missiles struck a major American electronics manufacturer in our westernmost region, leading to serious damage and casualties.
“A fully civilian facility that has nothing to do with defence or the military. This is not the first Russian attack on American businesses in Ukraine, after strikes on Boeing offices in Kyiv earlier this year and other attacks.”
Zelensky says he wants 'strong' US reaction if Putin not ready to meet
08:30
,
Bryony Gooch
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he would like a "strong reaction" from the U.S. if Russian president Vladimir Putin was not willing to sit down for a bilateral meeting with him.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday, Zelensky added that it was unclear what concessions regarding territory Moscow was willing to make, and that Budapest as a proposed location for future talks between the two countries was "challenging".
Russia launches 614 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight in massive bombardment
08:17
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Bryony Gooch
Russia has launched 574 Shahed-type drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine overnight.
Drones came from the directions of Kursk, Bryansk, Millerovo, Orel, Shatalovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Crimea.
Missiles came from LIpetsk, Voronezh, Saratov, the Black Sea area and Crimea.
Missiles and drone hits were recorded at 11 locations with debris of shot down targets falling across three locations.
Preliminary data from the Ukrainian air forces says air defense shot down or suppressed 577 air targets.
One killed and two injured in Russian attack on Ukraine's Lviv
08:00
,
Arpan Rai
A combined Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's western city of Lviv killed one person and injured two more, Lviv regional governor said this morning.
Tens of residential houses were also damaged in the attack, governor Maksym Kozytskyi said on his Telegram channel.
ICYMI: UK military chief meets Nato counterparts for Ukraine talks
07:45
,
Arpan Rai
The head of Britain's armed forces has met with his Nato counterparts as Europe continues to push for security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin met senior US defence officials alongside other European military chiefs in Washington DC on Wednesday to discuss military options to secure peace in Ukraine.
He later attended a virtual meeting of Nato's military committee, described by its chairman Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone as "candid".
On Tuesday evening, Admiral Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, had dined with his US counterpart General Dan Caine.
What could US and European security guarantees look like for Ukraine?
07:30
,
Arpan Rai
World leaders gathered in Washington on Monday for a summit billed as a potential turning point in efforts to end the Ukraine war.
In the Oval Office, Donald Trump hosted Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European figures to thrash out what security guarantees for Ukraine might look like if a peace deal with Russia can be reached.
The meeting was described as “historic” by British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has emerged as one of the driving forces behind Europe’s response. Nato military leaders are meeting on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine and the way forward.
Russia's Lavrov says talks on Ukraine's security without Moscow are 'utopia'
07:15
,
Arpan Rai
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said attempts to resolve security issues relating to Ukraine without Moscow's participation are a "road to nowhere”.
Mr Lavrov, a key aide to Vladimir Putin, was speaking at a joint press conference in Jordan yesterday, where he pointedly made no reference to Donald Trump's public calls for a summit between Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.
He criticised talks about future security guarantees for Ukraine that were let by European leaders this week, calling them “rather clumsy” and “unethical” and adding: “We did not hear any constructive ideas from the Europeans there.”
"We cannot agree with the fact that now it is proposed to resolve questions of security, collective security, without the Russian Federation. This will not work," he said.
"I am sure that in the West and above all in the United States they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia, it's a road to nowhere.”
Lavrov added that Russia believed security guarantees should be ensured on an equal basis with the participation of countries such as China, the United States, Britain and France, a Russian news agency said.
Poland scrambles jets due to Russian strikes on Ukraine
07:06
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Arpan Rai
Poland has said its air force have scrambled fighter jets this morning to protect its airspace due to Russian strikes on Ukraine.
"In connection with the activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory... aircraft of the Polish Air Force and allied aviation are operating in Polish airspace," the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on X.
Russia hits American electronics manufacturer in western Ukraine, says Kyiv
06:58
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Arpan Rai
Russia has struck an American electronics manufacturer in western Ukraine in an overnight attack, causing serious damage and casualties, Ukraine's foreign minister said this morning.
"A fully civilian facility that has nothing to do with defence or the military," Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
"This is not the first Russian attack on American businesses in Ukraine, after strikes on Boeing offices in Kyiv earlier this year and other attacks,” he said.
Russia used hundreds of drones, hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles in the countrywide attack, he added.
Contrary to all efforts to end the war, Russia undertook a massive combined air strike on Ukraine overnight.
— Andrii Sybiha (@andrii_sybiha) August 21, 2025
Hundreds of drones, hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles on civilian and energy infrastructure.
One of the missiles struck a major American electronics… pic.twitter.com/CTRoXpsk4y
Lithuania says it will provide boots on ground to keep Ukraine peace
06:29
,
Arpan Rai
Lithuania's president says the country would contribute troops and equipment to any Ukraine peacekeeping mission.
"We are ready to contribute as many troops as the parliament allows for peacekeeping, and also military equipment", Gitanas Nauseda said in an interview with TV3.
Amid accelerated diplomatic efforts to end the war, Western countries are discussing the possibility of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
US wants to play minimal role in security guarantees to Ukraine – report
06:14
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Arpan Rai
The US plans to play a minimal role in any security guarantees offered to Ukraine, the Pentagon’s top policy official has said.
Elbridge Colby, the defence undersecretary for policy, made the remarks in response to questions from European military leaders in a huddle led by Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Dan Caine, reported Politico.
The Trump administration has suggested this week that it wants to shift more responsibility for the costs of protecting Ukraine against present and future Russian aggression to European allies.
According to a Nato diplomat briefed on the high-level meeting, the US “is not fully committed to anything”.
“There’s the dawning reality that this will be Europe making this happen on the ground,” the diplomat said.
“I don’t know where that leaves us,” another European official was quoted as saying. “Pretty much back to where we were in the spring with the coalition of the willing.”
In numbers: Is the UK ready to put boots on the ground in Ukraine?
06:01
,
Arpan Rai
Sir Keir Starmer has led further meetings with European allies to discuss deploying a “reassurance” force to Ukraine to ensure the country’s security against future Russian attacks.
The meeting came in the wake of what he described as a “historic” summit in the White House on Monday, led by Donald Trump and attended by eight of Europe’s top leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, to attempt to negotiate a peace settlement with Russia.
Sir Keir had already confirmed that he is “ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air” to support a peace deal for the war-torn country. He has taken the lead in creating a “coalition of the willing” to help shore up Ukraine’s defences. Trump, meanwhile, has ruled out sending American troops to Ukraine.
But is the UK ready to put boots on the ground; and how do Britain’s armed forces compare now to 40 years ago, in 1984, when the UK was engaged in a stand-off with Russia?
Ukraine proceeds with work on security guarantees, says Zelensky's aide
05:46
,
Arpan Rai
Diplomatic work is underway to establish the military component of post-war security guarantees for Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff said yesterday.
"Our teams, above all the military, have already begun active work on the military component of security guarantees," Andriy Yermak wrote on X after a meeting of national security advisers from Western countries and Nato.
Yermak said Ukraine was also working on a plan with its allies on how to proceed "in case the Russian side continues to prolong the war and disrupt agreements on bilateral and trilateral formats of leaders' meetings".
A Western official had earlier told Reuters that a small group of military leaders was continuing discussions in Washington to work out options for security guarantees for Ukraine after the conclusion of a bigger virtual meeting.