North Korean army will support the “just cause” of Russia’s war in Ukraine, dictator Kim Jong Un said in the first admission of its army’s support to the invasion.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that North Korean soldiers have been “brought in again” to fight at the frontline in the Kursk region after reports that foreign soldiers were withdrawn following their mounting losses.
North Korean army will “invariably support and encourage the just cause of the Russian army and people to defend their sovereignty, security and territorial integrity in keeping with the spirit of the treaty on the comprehensive strategic partnership” with Russia, Mr Kim said in latest comments.
Mr Zelensky said a “significant number” of opposing forces had been eliminated, adding that “we’re talking hundreds of Russian and North Korean servicemen”.
It comes as Ukraine launched a new assault inside Russia’s Kursk oblast, expanding its incursion into Russian territory by as much as three miles.
Next week, Donald Trump is likely to meet Mr Zelensky to discuss Ukraine's war to repel Russian invaders.
UK foreign secretary David Lammy said the conflict in Ukraine is unlikely to end soon, despite Donald Trump's assurances of negotiating a rapid resolution.
Key Points
- North Korea says its army supports Russia’s war in Ukraine for ‘just cause’
- Trump says he will 'probably' meet Zelensky
- Zelensky says hundreds of North Korean and Russia troops return to Kursk frontline
- Putin admits situation in Kursk 'very difficult'
- Ukraine advances 5km in new incursion into Russia's Kursk
Russia says it destroys 35 Ukrainian drones overnight
05:57
,
Shweta Sharma
Russian air defence units intercepted and destroyed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday.
About half of the drones were destroyed over the Kursk region that borders Ukraine, while the rest were intercepted over various other regions in Russia's west and south, the ministry said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
What is Russia’s strategic partnership with North Korea?
05:31
,
Shweta Sharma
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.
Special Dispatch | Ukraine’s leading rapper is now leading drone warfare against Russia
05:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine’s $1.3 billion drone war is now being led by a rap artist who has been fighting on the front line – and in his music - since the start of the war, Sam Kiley reports
'External impact' damages Russian Baltic Sea telecoms cable - report
04:33
,
Shweta Sharma
An underwater Russian Baltic Sea telecoms cable was damaged by an "external impact", Russia's TASS news agency cited the country's state-owned Rostelecom company as saying on Saturday.
"Rostelecom's submarine cable was damaged in the Baltic Sea as a result of an external impact some time ago," TASS cited Rostelecom as saying.
Restoration work is under way and the incident has had no impact on subscribers so far, Rostelecom added.
Rostelecom did not provide further details and it was unclear when the damage occurred. Finland's coast guard said earlier on Saturday on platform X that it was monitoring a Russian vessel repairing a broken Russian cable in the Gulf of Finland.
The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert after a string of outages affecting power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines between the Baltics and Sweden or Finland, leading to increased surveillance operations by Nato members.
All were believed to have been caused by ships dragging anchors along the seabed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia has denied any involvement.
Ukrainian music band Ziferblat to perform in 2025 Eurovision
04:20
,
Shweta Sharma
Ukrainian music band Ziferblat has secured their place in 2025 Eurovision after winning the selection contest with the song “Birds of Prey”.
The band will represent the war-torn nation with their song "Bird of Pray" at the 13-17 May competition in Basel, Switzerland.
Russia, however, remains banned from the world’s largest song contest organised by the European Broadcasting Union.
Baltic nations cut ties to Russian power grid as they prepare to link with EU
04:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
The three Baltic states disconnected their electricity systems from Russia's power grid on Saturday, the region's operators said, part of a plan designed to integrate the countries more closely with the European Union and boost security.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected from the IPS/UPS joint network and, subject to last-minute tests, they will synchronise with the EU's grid at 1200 GMT on Sunday after operating on their own in the meantime.
"We've reached the goal we for strived for, for so long. We are now in control," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas told a press conference.
Plans for the Baltics to decouple from the grid of their former Soviet imperial overlord, debated for decades, gained momentum following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The grid was the final remaining link to Russia for the three countries, which reemerged as independent nations in the early 1990s at the fall of the Soviet Union, and joined the European Union and Nato in 2004.
Russia sees no progress on disarmament from new US administration, envoy says
03:31
,
Shweta Sharma
Russia has yet to see any positive steps from the new US administration on disarmament, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva said in an interview published on Sunday.
"We are ready to maintain smooth relations of cooperation with any American administration," Gennady Gatilov said, according to RIA Novosti. "We would be ready to do this within the framework of the Conference on Disarmament," he was quoted as saying. "So far, we do not see any positive progress in this regard in Geneva."
The conference, an international disarmament forum that meets in the Swiss city, has negotiated a number of major multilateral arms limitation and disarmament agreements, including on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Russian president Vladimir Putin indicated after last month's inauguration of Donald Trump as US president that he sees Mr Trump's second term as a chance for a new era in US-Russian relations.
"We are, of course, closely monitoring the rhetoric and first steps of the representatives of the new US administration," Mr Gatilov said. "We expect that the Americans will move from words to action, especially since they have said a lot since January 20."
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, which caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy, and the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them, is due to expire on February 5, 2026.
It is the last remaining pillar of nuclear arms control between the world's two biggest nuclear powers.
North Korea says its army supports Russia’s war in Ukraine for ‘just cause’
03:02
,
Shweta Sharma
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has said that the army and the people of the country support “just cause” of the Russian army in war against Ukraine.
"The army and people of the DPRK will invariably support and encourage the just cause of the Russian army and people to defend their sovereignty, security and territorial integrity in keeping with the spirit of the treaty on the comprehensive strategic partnership between the DPRK and Russia,” he said according to KCNA.
His comments came in response to trilateral military cooperation among the US, Japan and South Korea.
Mr Kim vowed to build the country’s “unshakable policy of more highly developing the nuclear forces”.
Mr Kim acknowledged his army’s support to war a day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed North Korean troops have returned to the Kursk region frontline.
ICYMI | Zelensky says hundreds of North Korean and Russia troops return to Kursk frontline
03:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
North Korean soldiers have been “brought in again” to fight at the frontline in Kursk region after reports that foreign soldiers were withdrawn after suffering losses.
“There have been new assaults in the Kursk operation areas ... the Russian army and North Korean soldiers have been brought in again,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Friday.
He said a “significant number” of opponent troops “have been eliminated”, adding that “we’re talking hundreds of Russian and North Korean servicemen”.
It come as Ukraine and South Korean intelligence said North Korean troops appear to have withdrawn from fighting after mounting losses.
Putin’s forces are desperate for a prize eastern city and Ukraine will fight street to street to keep them out
01:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine says it hopes ICC work will continue after Trump sanctions
Saturday 8 February 2025 23:59
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine believes that the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in relation to Russian war crimes will continue despite US president Donald Trump imposing sanctions on the organisation, Kyiv's foreign ministry said on Friday.
Mr Trump authorised economic and travel sanctions targeting people involved in ICC investigations of US citizens or US allies, such as Israel.
The ICC is a permanent court that prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals.
"We are convinced that the ICC will continue to fulfil important functions in Ukraine’s case, in particular bringing Russian war criminals to responsibility," foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said at a press briefing in Ukraine's capital.
"We know that relations between the US and the ICC have a long history," Mr Tykhyi added.
Robotic vehicles to be rolled out to bolster Ukrainian front line
Saturday 8 February 2025 23:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Exclusive: Ex-Tory MP joins Ukraine’s foreign legion to aid fight against Putin
Saturday 8 February 2025 22:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
David Lammy says he sees no imminent end to Ukraine war
Saturday 8 February 2025 21:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
David Lammy said did not see any hope of an imminent end to the Ukraine’s war with Russiadespite Donald Trump’s pledge to end the war under his second administration.
Mr Lammy who was in Ukraine and met president Volodymyr Zelensky made remarks as peace talks are set to begin at a security conference in Munich next week.
“I am not sure we are weeks away from peace talks. And I say that because our assessment, which I’m quite sure the US shares, is that Putin shows absolutely no appetite for negotiation and to bring this war to an end,” he told the Guardian.
“We are still very much in the depths of winter. The truth is the young men and women that make up the Ukrainian force are fighting for their country’s future on the ground, and that will go on for a number of months …
“The Ukrainians are pretty clear there can be no ceasefire before negotiations. So I don’t anticipate a ceasefire in this war anytime soon. I’m very clear that Putin at the moment shows no desire to negotiate. And therefore, sadly, I think this war of attrition will go on for some months yet.”
Mapped: Ukraine’s counterattack into the Russian Kursk region explained
Saturday 8 February 2025 20:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
A Russian spy ship caught fire off Syria’s coast, officials say
Saturday 8 February 2025 19:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Explained | Why does Russia want to capture the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk?
Saturday 8 February 2025 18:01
,
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.
Emboldened by Trump, Iranian dissidents demand overthrow of rulers
Saturday 8 February 2025 17:32
,
Jabed Ahmed
Thousands of opponents to Iran's authorities rallied in Paris on Saturday, joined by Ukrainians to call for the fall of the government in Tehran, hopeful that U.S. President Donald Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign could lead to change in the country.
The protest, organised by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which is banned in Iran, comes as two of the group's members face imminent execution with a further six sentenced to death in November.
"We say your demise has arrived. With or without negotiations, with or without nuclear weapons, uprising and overthrow await you," NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi said in a speech.
People from across Europe, often bussed in for the event, waved Iranian flags and chanted anti-government slogans amid images deriding Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Hundreds of Ukrainians accusing Iran of backing Russian President Vladimir Putin in the war against Ukraine joined the protest.
Iryna Serdiuk, 37, a nurse turned interpreter originally from the embattled Donbass region, and now exiled in Germany, said she had come to Paris to join forces against a common enemy.
"I'm happy to see these Iranians because they are opposition. They support Ukraine and not the Iranian government which gives Russia weapons. We are together and one day it will be victory for Ukraine and Iran too," she said.
Challenges for the Russian economy in 2025
Saturday 8 February 2025 17:01
,
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?
Saturday 8 February 2025 16:01
,
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.
What happened to the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine on the frontline?
Saturday 8 February 2025 14:59
,
Jabed Ahmed
-Russia says it has captured strategic city of Toretsk but Ukraine denies it
Saturday 8 February 2025 14:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had taken control of the strategic coal-mining city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, but Ukraine's military denied the city had been captured and reported heavy fighting in and around it.
The Independent could not confirm battlefield accounts from either side.
Russia calls the city, which had a pre-war population of around 30,000 people, by its Soviet-era name of Dzerzhinsk, and says Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, where it is located, is now part of Russia, a claim Kyiv rejects as absurd.
Russian forces, after initially failing to advance on the capital Kyiv after its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, are concentrating on capturing Donbas, made up of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Toretsk has been one of the focal points of the advance along with other logistical hubs like Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka to the northwest and Pokrovsk further west.
The General Staff of Ukraine's military, in a late evening statement, said Russian forces had launched 10 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Toretsk sector.
Why Trump wants Ukraine’s rare earths
Saturday 8 February 2025 13:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Alleged Russian spy ‘told friend to put far-right Ukraine stickers on Jewish site’
Saturday 8 February 2025 12:31
,
Jabed Ahmed
ICYMI | Trump says he may meet Zelensky next week
Saturday 8 February 2025 11:59
,
Jabed Ahmed
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next week to discuss Ukraine's war to repel Russian invaders.
Trump did not make clear whether it would be a face-to-face meeting or a video conference. He spoke about the possibility while taking questions from reporters in an Oval Office welcome for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Trump said he will "probably be meeting with President Zelenskiy next week," and he also again expressed interest in meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin with whom he said he always had a "good relationship."
Asked for a location for such a meeting with Zelenskiy, Trump noted "I'm here" in Washington and said he would not be going to Ukraine.
"I'd like to see it end, just on a human basis," Trump said of Russia's three-year-old invasion of Ukraine. "I'd like to see that end. It's a ridiculous war.”
Special Dispatch | Ukraine’s leading rapper is now leading drone warfare against Russia
Saturday 8 February 2025 11:04
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine’s $1.3 billion drone war is now being led by a rap artist who has been fighting on the front line – and in his music - since the start of the war, Sam Kiley reports
Baltic nations cut ties to Russian power grid as they prepare to link with EU
Saturday 8 February 2025 10:00
,
Shweta Sharma
The three Baltic states disconnected their electricity systems from Russia's power grid on Saturday, the region's operators said, part of a plan designed to integrate the countries more closely with the European Union and boost security.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected from the IPS/UPS joint network and, subject to last-minute tests, they will synchronise with the EU's grid at 1200 GMT on Sunday after operating on their own in the meantime.
"We've reached the goal we for strived for, for so long. We are now in control," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas told a press conference.
Plans for the Baltics to decouple from the grid of their former Soviet imperial overlord, debated for decades, gained momentum following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The grid was the final remaining link to Russia for the three countries, which reemerged as independent nations in the early 1990s at the fall of the Soviet Union, and joined the European Union and Nato in 2004.
Ukraine says Russia launched 139 drones overnight
Saturday 8 February 2025 09:09
,
Shweta Sharma
Ukraine's air force said today it shot down 67 of 139 Russian drones launched overnight, while another 71 disappeared from radar without reaching their targets.
Mapped: Ukraine’s counterattack into the Russian Kursk region explained
Saturday 8 February 2025 09:06
,
Shweta Sharma
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.
David Lammy says he sees no imminent end to Ukraine war
Saturday 8 February 2025 08:00
,
Shweta Sharma
David Lammy said did not see any hope of an imminent end to the Ukraine’s war with Russia despite Donald Trump’s pledge to end the war under his second administration.
Mr Lammy who was in Ukraine and met president Volodymyr Zelensky made remarks as peace talks are set to begin at a security conference in Munich next week.
“I am not sure we are weeks away from peace talks. And I say that because our assessment, which I’m quite sure the US shares, is that Putin shows absolutely no appetite for negotiation and to bring this war to an end,” he told the Guardian.
“We are still very much in the depths of winter. The truth is the young men and women that make up the Ukrainian force are fighting for their country’s future on the ground, and that will go on for a number of months …
“The Ukrainians are pretty clear there can be no ceasefire before negotiations. So I don’t anticipate a ceasefire in this war anytime soon. I’m very clear that Putin at the moment shows no desire to negotiate. And therefore, sadly, I think this war of attrition will go on for some months yet.”
Exclusive: Ex-Tory MP joins Ukraine’s foreign legion to aid fight against Putin
Saturday 8 February 2025 07:00
,
Tom Watling
Why Trump wants Ukraine’s rare earths
Saturday 8 February 2025 09:45
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ben Stiller denies USAID funded Ukraine trip: ‘These are lies coming from Russian media’
Saturday 8 February 2025 06:00
,
Tom Watling
Explained: Ukraine launches counterattack in Kursk
Saturday 8 February 2025 05:00
,
Tom Watling
After six months of combat in the Kursk salient, the Ukrainians launched another attack in the southeastern direction of Sudzha. The Ukrainians seemingly breached the first Russian defences, and an armored column managed to advance up to 5-7 kilometers deep towards Ulanok. 1/ pic.twitter.com/ogvsxEZFWW
— Emil Kastehelmi (@emilkastehelmi) February 7, 2025
Robotic vehicles to be rolled out to bolster Ukrainian front line
Saturday 8 February 2025 04:44
,
Shweta Sharma
Kyiv is launching a new initiative to deploy robotic combat vehicles to the front lines, as the war with Russia intensifies the need for technological superiority.
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry announced the creation of specialised robotic units on Wednesday, releasing an image of a weaponised unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).
Drones, particularly aerial ones, have become indispensable in the conflict since Russia's 2022 invasion. With both sides deploying vast numbers of drones monthly, the focus has shifted to replacing ground troops with UGVs, a move driven by dwindling Ukrainian manpower reserves, according to officials.
Defence minister Rustem Umerov stated, "The Ministry of Defence is launching a project that will scale up the use of unmanned ground systems in the military."
It added that the project was based on trials conducted in co-operation with soldiers since the summer of 2024.
Read our full report.
Russian police open criminal investigation against British embassy employee for alleged assault
Saturday 8 February 2025 04:35
,
Shweta Sharma
Russian police have opened a criminal investigation into an alleged assault on a freelance journalist by a person believed to be an employee of the British embassy, the Russian interior ministry said on Friday.
It said the journalist, a 23-year-old woman, had complained to police that she had suffered "physical and moral injury" in the alleged incident at Moscow's Vnukovo airport while trying to interview British diplomats arriving there.
"While the journalist was performing her professional duties, an unknown man, presumably an employee of the British Embassy in the Russian Federation, who was meeting the delegation, pushed her, causing the girl to lose her balance," the ministry said.
It said the British embassy had ignored a police request to identify the alleged offender and provide information about his diplomatic status. Russian authorities would work to ensure that the person concerned was punished, irrespective of their status and nationality, the ministry added.
Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the incident was "nothing more than an interference operation designed to intimidate legitimate diplomats, degrade the UK’s international reputation, and distract from Russia’s flagrant and repeated disregard for international law.
"It matches a persistent pattern of shameful behaviour by the Kremlin against UK diplomats in Russia," it said in a statement. "Intimidation will not deter our staff from promoting international stability and UK interests around the world."
Ukraine says it hopes ICC work will continue after Trump sanctions
Saturday 8 February 2025 04:09
,
Shweta Sharma
Ukraine believes that the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in relation to Russian war crimes will continue despite US president Donald Trump imposing sanctions on the organisation, Kyiv's foreign ministry said on Friday.
Mr Trump authorised economic and travel sanctions targeting people involved in ICC investigations of US citizens or US allies, such as Israel.
The ICC is a permanent court that prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals.
"We are convinced that the ICC will continue to fulfil important functions in Ukraine’s case, in particular bringing Russian war criminals to responsibility," foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said at a press briefing in Ukraine's capital.
"We know that relations between the US and the ICC have a long history," Mr Tykhyi added.
Putin’s forces are desperate for a prize eastern city and Ukraine will fight street to street to keep them out
Saturday 8 February 2025 04:00
,
Tom Watling
Trump says he will 'probably' meet Zelensky and speak with Putin
Saturday 8 February 2025 03:50
,
Shweta Sharma
US president Trump said he will "probably" meet with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky next week and may also speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Mr Trump was asked whether he'd have JD Vance meet with Mr Zelensky next week while the vice president travels to France and Germany.
"I will probably be meeting with President Zelensky next week and I'll probably be talking with President Putin," Mr Trump replied.
"I'd like to see that war end."Asked where he'd meet with Mr Zelensky, Mr Trump said it "could be Washington — well I'm not going there".
He didn't offer details on plans to speak with Mr Putin.
Zelensky says hundreds of North Korean and Russia troops return to Kursk frontline
Saturday 8 February 2025 03:13
,
Shweta Sharma
North Korean soldiers have been “brought in again” to fight at the frontline in Kursk region after reports that foreign soldiers were withdrawn after suffering losses.
“There have been new assaults in the Kursk operation areas ... the Russian army and North Korean soldiers have been brought in again,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Friday.
He said a “significant number” of opponent troops “have been eliminated”, adding that “we’re talking hundreds of Russian and North Korean servicemen”.
It come as Ukraine and South Korean intelligence said North Korean troops appear to have withdrawn from fighting after mounting losses.
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
Saturday 8 February 2025 03:00
,
Tom Watling
Russia claims it captured strategic coal-mining city of Toretsk as Ukraine denies
Saturday 8 February 2025 02:55
,
Shweta Sharma
Russia's Defence Ministry claimed on Friday that it has taken control of the strategic coal-mining city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine. However, Ukraine's military denied the city had been captured and reported heavy fighting in and around it.
Russia calls the city, which had a pre-war population of around 30,000 people, by its Soviet-era name of Dzerzhinsk, and says Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, where it is located, is now part of Russia, a claim Kyiv rejects as absurd.
Russian forces, after initially failing to advance on the capital Kyiv after its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, are concentrating on capturing Donbas, made up of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Toretsk has been one of the focal points of the advance along with other logistical hubs like Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka to the northwest and Pokrovsk further west.
The General Staff of Ukraine's military, in a late evening statement, said Russian forces had launched 10 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Toretsk sector.
"The occupiers' main efforts in attacks were concentrated near the city of Toretsk," it said. "Ukrainian servicemen repelled all enemy attacks."
We were told we were off to the seaside – but then kidnapped by Russia
Saturday 8 February 2025 02:00
,
Tom Watling
