Vladimir Putin’s troops have attacked Kyiv as British prime minister Keir Starmer made a surprise visit to the war-torn city on Thursday.
Ukrainian air defences rushed to down a Russian drone as explosions were reported throughout the Ukrainian capital during Sir Keir’s visit.
There were no casualties as a result of the day-time attack, but a car was damaged by falling debris, according to a city official.
It comes as Sir Keir vowed to uphold a 100-year partnership signed with Ukraine on Thursday.
In a joint press conference after signing, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky hailed a “ truly historic day” for a relationship which is “closer than ever”. Sir Keir promised the UK would “play our full part” in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.
Struck by the “grim reminder” of war while visiting a burns hospital unit in Kyiv earlier on Thursday, Sir Keir promised more military, economic and healthcare aid.
Mr Zelensky and Sir Keir also discussed the possibility of sending British troops to Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said in the press conference.
The idea would see British and French soldiers deployed to the country and has been championed by French president Emmanuel Macron.
Key points
- Starmer and Zelensky discuss deploying British troops in Ukraine
- Russia attacks Kyiv during Starmer visit
- Starmer vows 100-year partnership with Kyiv
- What is the 100-year partnership?
- Putin’s troops launch massive drone attack
Russian gunpowder factory attacked, Ukrainian official says
13:49
,
Alex Croft
A major Russian gunpowder factory was attacked, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday, without claiming responsibility for the attack.
The factory, in Rudsia’s Tambov region, is “one of the main suppliers of explosive materials” for the Russian army, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram.
“With the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, production at the plant increased significantly,” he added.
Mr Kovalenko did not specify what the consequences of the attack on the factory were, and Russian has not yet commented on the attack.
North Korea’s suicide soldiers pose a new risk on the Ukraine battlefield
13:45
,
Alexander Butler
Starmer and Zelensky discuss deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine
13:27
,
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed the deployment of foreign troops with the UK, he said in a joint press conference with British prime minister Keir Starmer.
It is as-yet unclear what the conclusion of these discussions were, and whether the UK will send any troops to Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky has also discussed the topic with France, Poland, and Baltic countries, he added.
The remarks came in a joint press conference between the leaders, in which Sir Keir said the UK would continue working to guarantee Ukraine’s security.
"We will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine's security. We will play our full part,” he said.
Starmer and Zelensky sign 100-year partnership
13:20
,
Alex Croft
Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky have signed the landmark 100-year partnership agreement to strengthen the countries’ relationship.
“Today is a truly historic day, our relationship is closer than ever,” Mr Zelensky told media after the signing the partnership, which will depeen security ties between the countries, on Thursday.
UK to deliver new air defense system to Ukraine
13:17
,
Alex Croft
The UK will deliver a new mobile air defence system to Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer told a joint press conference with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
The defence system would be “developed to meet Ukraine’s needs,” Sir Keir said.
Analysis: Visits send signal to Trump
13:15
,
Alexander Butler
The Italian defence chief was also in Kyiv on Thursday, two days after Germany’s defence minister visited and three days after Zelenskyy talked by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron.
These visits are intended to reassure Ukraine but also signal to the US that Europe is getting serious about defending Europe, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley writes.
Trump’s recent demand that Nato nations should spend 5 per cent off the Gross Domestic Product on defence is being seen as difficult, but not unreasonable.
There are also signs that the Europeans don’t fully trust Trump in dealing with Russia over Ukraine and fears that he might favour the Kremlin over America’s long term allies.
Britain says its 100-year pledge is part of that assurance and will help ensure that Ukraine is “never again vulnerable to the kind of brutality inflicted on it by Russia”.
This bilateral agreement is intended to offset any decline in multilateral Nato support. The UK will be committed to work with Ukraine in defence, especially in the Black Sea, and drone technology.
Ukraine claims hit on Russian oil depot
12:44
,
Alex Ross
Ukraine‘s military said on Thursday it hit a Russian oil depot in the Voronezh region of Russia overnight.
At least three drones hit a target, causing a fire, Ukraine‘s general staff said on Telegram. It added that the depot stored fuel used by the Russian military.
It comes as Russian forces launched a drone attack on Kyiv during Sir Keir Starmer’s visit.
Starmer’s agenda in Kyiv
12:21
,
Alex Ross
It’s a busy day for the UK prime minister who arrived at Kyiv railway station this morning on a surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital.
During the visit, Starmer and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at a wall of remembrance for those killed in the war. The wall outside St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, a Kyiv landmark, is covered in photos of the slain, stretching for a city block.
It has become a place of pilgrimage for families paying tribute to their lost loved ones.Sir Keir also visited a Kyiv hospital specialising in burn treatment.While Sir Keir was later meeting with Mr Zelensky at the presidential palace, a car and a building were damaged elsewhere in Kyiv by debris from Russian drones shot down by Ukraine’s air defenses, according to city adminstration chief Tymur Tkachenko.
We expect to hear more from Sir Keir following his meeting today.
Russia attacks Kyiv during Starmer visit
11:54
,
Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin’s troops have attacked Kyiv as British prime minister Keir Starmer walked around the war-torn city on Thursday.
Ukrainian air defences rushed to down a Russian drone after explosions were reported throughout the Ukrainian capital during Sir Keir’s visit.
There were no casualties as a result of the day-time attack, but a car was damaged by falling debris, according to a city official.
Analysis: Visits send signal to Trump
11:45
,
Sam Kiley
The Italian defence chief was also in Kyiv on Thursday, two days after Germany’s defence minister visited and three days after Zelenskyy talked by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron.
These visits are intended to reassure Ukraine but also signal to the US that Europe is getting serious about defending Europe, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley writes.
Trump’s recent demand that Nato nations should spend 5 per cent off the Gross Domestic Product on defence is being seen as difficult, but not unreasonable.
There are also signs that the Europeans don’t fully trust Trump in dealing with Russia over Ukraine and fears that he might favour the Kremlin over America’s long term allies.
Britain says its 100-year pledge is part of that assurance and will help ensure that Ukraine is “never again vulnerable to the kind of brutality inflicted on it by Russia”.
This bilateral agreement is intended to offset any decline in multilateral Nato support. The UK will be committed to work with Ukraine in defence, especially in the Black Sea, and drone technology.
Analysis: Starmer pledges aid as ‘threat is real’
11:16
,
Sam Kiley
Keir Starmer joining the rush of European leaders to Kyiv to offer support for Ukraine and, in Britain’s case a 100 years of defence cooperation is because the threat is real, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley writes.
Donald Trump has signalled that he’s sympathetic to Vladimir Putin’s reasons for invading the sovereign nation and unsympathetic to its plans to join Nato.
Europe is, too late, waking up to the fact that soon US aid to Ukraine may be strangled off. Under Joe Biden, military aid of about $60 billion helped keep the Russian invaders at bay.
But it was restricted and only recently have the Ukrainians have been able to use what little they have been given to fight off the Russians with attacks inside their enemy’s national borders.
Starmer will sign a “100-Year Partnership” treaty in Kyiv covering areas including defence, science, energy and trade on his visit.
Pictured: Starmer looks at war damage in Kyiv
11:09
,
Alexander Butler
What is the 100-year partnership?
11:07
,
Alexander Butler
The 100-year “historic partnership” signed by the UK and Ukraine will see the flow of more military and economic aid to Kyiv.
It will also include increased military collaboration on maritime security and drone technology, as well as healthcare, Downing Street said.
Technology partnerships in areas such as agri-tech, space and drones will also be included, according to the prime minister’s office.
“From working together on the world stage to breaking down barriers to trade and growth and nurturing cultural links, the mutually beneficial partnership will see the UK and Ukraine advocate for each other to renew, rebuild and reform for generations to come,” No 10 said.
Starmer vows 100-year partnership with Kyiv
10:37
,
Alexander Butler
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to uphold a 100-year partnership with Ukraine as he visited the war-torn country on Thursday.
Sir Keir said the UK and Ukraine were “closer than ever” and the partnership would take the friendship of the two countries to the next level during his surprise visit to Kyiv.
As he was struck by the “grim reminder” of war while visiting a burns hospital unit in Kyiv, he pledged more military and economic aid, as well as drone technology and healthcare.
Pictured: Starmer lays wreath at Ukrainian remembrance wall
10:05
,
Alexander Butler
Pictured: Starmer visits Ukrainian hospital
10:01
,
Alexander Butler
UK considering sending troops to Ukraine
09:40
,
Alexander Butler
The UK is considering sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after any potential deal to end the conflict, it has been reported.
The idea would see British and French soldiers deployed to the country and has been championed by French president Emmanuel Macron.
It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he would discuss the plan with Keir Starmer during the British prime minister’s visit to Kyiv on Thursday.
Sir Keir is not fully signed up to the proposal, with the government considering “the threat that those troops may be under and whether that is escalatory,” according to The Daily Telegraph.
Starmer speaks to journalist at hospital in Kyiv
09:39
,
Alex Ross
Just hours after arriving in Kyiv on a surprise visit to Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to journalists while inside a burns unit at one of the capital’s hospitals.
“[This] is a grim reminder of the heavy price Ukraine is paying,” he said.
“So we must give the necessary support, and that’s what I’m discussing with President Zelensky today. We must never let up on that and we’ve been leading the way.”
Sir Keir has arrived to sign a 100-year partnership which will see further economic and military support for Ukraine.
He said: “So I’m here for both those purposes but the main one is to make sure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position during 2025.”
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war had been a failure, and “one of the consequences of this conflict has been to draw Nato more strongly together”.
“It’s bigger and stronger than it has been, and we must stand behind Ukraine for as long as it takes.
“But when we say Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position, that can’t be just words. And that’s why I’ve had such intense discussions with President Zelensky over the months that I’ve been Prime Minister and will again here in Ukraine.”
Analysis: Starmer’s last ditch attempt to shore up support for Ukraine pre-Trump
08:57
,
Millie Cooke
Sir Keir Starmer has ramped up support for Ukraine, in a last-ditch attempt to show solidarity with the war-torn nation in the final days before Donald Trump takes office.
The agreement set to be signed between London and Kyiv has been in the works since the previous Conservative administration – but it speaks volumes that Sir Keir has travelled to Ukraine to get it over the line the week before Trump’s inauguration.
His first trip to Ukraine since entering Downing Street comes amid concerns over the president-elect’s commitment to Nato and indications that he would encourage Ukraine to make concessions as part of a deal with Russia – threats that made a marked contribution to No 10’s ramped up effort to put Ukraine in “the strongest possible position” this winter.
Putin’s troops launch massive drone attack
08:33
,
Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin’s troops have launched a massive overnight drone attack at Ukraine as UK prime minister Keir Starmer visited the country.
Russian forces launched 55 drones at Ukraine overnight, with Kyiv’s airforce able to down around 34 of them over 11 regions across the country.
It comes as Sir Keir slammed Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “monumental failure” during a visit to Kyiv on Thursday.
Zelensky and Starmer to discuss foreign boots in Ukraine in meeting today
07:31
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said he and British prime minister Keir Starmer will discuss a plan proposed by French president Emmanuel Macron that would see troops from France and other Western countries stationed in Ukraine to oversee a ceasefire agreement.
Mr Zelensky has said any such proposal should go alongside a timeline for Ukraine to join Nato.
The alliance’s 32 member countries say that Ukraine will join one day, but not until after the war. Donald Trump has appeared to sympathise with Russian president Putin’s position that Ukraine should not be part of Nato.
Photos: Keir Starmer heads to Ukraine today
07:01
,
Arpan Rai
Prime minister Keir Starmer is on his way to Ukraine today as he boarded a train to reach the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Donning a black t-shirt, Sir Keir was seen being briefed by his military adviser ahead of the bilateral outreach to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
On a gray and frosty morning, the British prime minister was greeted at Kyiv railway station by the UK ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris and Ukraine’s envoy to London, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
North Korea’s suicide soldiers pose a new risk on the Ukraine battlefield
07:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russian gunpowder factory attacked, says Ukraine
06:52
,
Arpan Rai
A major Russian gunpowder factory in the Tambov region was attacked, a Ukrainian official said today, without directly claiming responsibility or specifying the consequences of the attack.
“The enterprise is one of the main suppliers of explosive materials for the army of the Russian Federation,” Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s centre for countering disinformation, wrote on Telegram.
“With the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, production at the plant increased significantly,” he added.
What do we know about Britain’s 100-year pledge to Ukraine?
06:30
,
Arpan Rai
British prime minister Keir Starmer is meeting president Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a “100-Year Partnership” treaty in Kyiv, covering areas including defence, science, energy and trade.
But what is behind the British pledge to the war-hit country?
Britain says the treaty is designed to offer a century of security assurances, and will help ensure Ukraine is “never again vulnerable to the kind of brutality inflicted on it by Russia”. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and began a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The deal commits the two sides to cooperate on defence – especially maritime security against Russian activity in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov – and on technology projects including drones, which have become vital weapons for both sides in the war.
The treaty also includes a system to help track stolen Ukrainian grain exported by Russia from occupied parts of the country.
Keir Starmer arrives in Ukraine for surprise visit to sign ‘100-year partnership’
06:18
,
Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been a “monumental strategic failure”, Sir Keir Starmer said as he travelled to the country to sign a new long-term partnership deal with Volodymyr Zelensky.
The 100 Year Partnership includes defence and scientific collaboration but will also forge new community links between the UK and Ukraine.
The agreement will bolster military collaboration on maritime security and will bring together experts in areas including drone technology.
The prime minister, visiting Ukraine for the first time since entering No 10, said the deal showed Mr Putin’s attempts to pull Ukraine away from the West had backfired.
Russian missile attack forces Ukraine to shut down power grid
06:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Starmer arrives in Ukraine for security talks with Zelensky
05:45
,
Arpan Rai
Prime minister Keir Starmer arrived in Ukraine today with a pledge to help guarantee the country’s security for a century, days before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president.
The government says Mr Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will sign a “100-Year Partnership” treaty in Kyiv, covering areas including defence, science, energy and trade.
“Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure. Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level,” Mr Starmer said ahead of the visit.
“This is not just about the here and now, it is also about an investment in our two countries for the next century, bringing together technology development, scientific advances and cultural exchanges, and harnessing the phenomenal innovation shown by Ukraine in recent years for generations to come,” he said.
Mr Starmer’s unannounced visit is his first trip to Ukraine since he took office in July. He visited the country in 2023 when he was opposition leader, and has twice held talks with Mr Zelensky in 10 Downing Street since becoming prime minister.
US issues fresh round of sanctions against nearly 100 Russian entities
05:10
,
Arpan Rai
The US imposed hundreds of sanctions targeting Russia, seeking to increase pressure on Moscow in the Biden administration’s final days and protect some sanctions previously imposed.
The Treasury in a statement said Washington was imposing fresh sanctions on almost 100 critical Russian entities – including Russian banks and companies operating in Russia’s energy sector – that were previously sanctioned by the US. It said the move increases secondary sanctions risk for them.
The new sanctions will be difficult to reverse by the incoming Trump administration as they are issued under an executive order that a senior Treasury official said requires Congress to be notified before any of the actions can be reversed.
The US State and Treasury departments imposed sanctions on over 250 targets, including some based in China, taking aim at Russia’s evasion of US sanctions and its military industrial base.
As part of the action, the Treasury imposed new curbs on almost 100 entities that were already under sanctions, potentially complicating any future efforts to remove the measures.
Photos: Russia-controlled Donetsk under shelling
04:47
,
Arpan Rai
Polish PM accuses Russia of planning terror acts against airlines
04:10
,
Arpan Rai
Russia has conducted acts of sabotage worldwide, including “acts of air terror” against airlines, the Polish prime minister has claimed.
Security officials have said that parcels that exploded at logistics depots in Europe were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States. The explosions occurred in depots in Britain, Germany and Poland in July.
Speaking at a press conference in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Tusk said: “The latest information can confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of terrorism in the air not only against Poland.”
US issues fresh round of sanctions against Russia
04:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
The United States has taken fresh action against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, aiming efforts to circumvent US sanctions as Washington continues to increase pressure on Moscow in the final days of the Biden administration.
The US Treasury Department in a statement said Washington was imposing fresh sanctions on almost 100 targets - including Russian banks and companies operating in Russia's energy sector - that were previously sanctioned by the United States in a move it said increases secondary sanctions risk for critical Russian entities.
The fresh sanctions are issued under an executive order a senior Treasury official said puts in place a Congressional review notification requirement before any of the measures issued under it are lifted.
The action comes in the final days of President Joe Biden's administration. President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Washington also took action against a sanctions evasion scheme established between actors in Russia and China as well as Keremet Bank, a Kyrgyzstan-based financial institution that coordinated with Russian officials and a bank designated by the United States to circumvent sanctions, according to the statement.
"Our goal in taking these actions today is to make clear to financial institutions, but companies as well, that doing business with Russia that supports its military industrialized complex exposes you to sanctions risk yourself," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters.
The State Department is also issuing sanctions against more than 150 entities and individuals, the Treasury said.
Trump’s secretary of state Marco Rubio calls for concessions on both sides to end war
03:24
,
Arpan Rai
Senator Marco Rubio, president-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of state, said an end to the war in Ukraine was essential with both sides having to make concessions.
Mr Rubio said it should be US policy that the war must end, and said reaching an agreement to stop the fighting would involve concessions from both Moscow and Kyiv, suggesting Ukraine would have to give up its goal of regaining all the territory Moscow has taken in the last decade.
“I think it’s important that the Ukrainians have leverage, but they also will have to make concessions to reach this agreement,” he said.
Falling Ukrainian drone debris sets Russian depot on fire
03:17
,
Arpan Rai
Debris from falling Ukrainian drones triggered a fire at an oil storage facility in Russia’s southern Voronezh region late yesterday night, regional governor Alexander Gusev said.
Emergency services had been dispatched to the area, Mr Gusev wrote on Telegram. No casualties were reported.
Russia’s defence ministry said air defence units had destroyed, over a 10-minute period, four drones over Voronezh region and one over Belgorod region.
Trump advisers concede Ukraine peace deal is months away
03:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Advisers to President-elect Donald Trump now concede that the Ukraine war will take months or even longer to resolve, a sharp reality check on his biggest foreign policy promise - to strike a peace deal on his first day in the White House.
Two Trump associates, who have discussed the war in Ukraine with the president-elect, told Reuters they were looking at a timeline of months to resolve the conflict, describing the Day One promises as a combination of campaign bluster and a lack of appreciation of the intractability of the conflict and the time it takes to staff up a new administration.
Those assessments dovetail with remarks by Trump’s incoming Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, who said in an interview with Fox News last week that he would like to have a “solution” to the war within 100 days, far beyond the president-elect’s original timeline.
Yet even Kellogg’s extended deadline was “way, way too optimistic,” said John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine who is now at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington.
“For this to work, Trump has to persuade (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that there’s a downside for being intransigent,” Herbst said.
Russia says infrastructure attacks in response to Ukraine using Western weapons
02:54
,
Arpan Rai
Russian military strikes against energy infrastructure in western Ukraine were carried out in response to Ukrainian strikes using Western weaponry, the Russian defence ministry said early today.
Russia’s military had acted in response to Ukraine’s use of US ATACMS missiles and British-made Storm Shadow missiles, it said in a statement claiming a successful strike on a large gas storage facility in the western Ukrainian town of Stryi.
It also referred to an attempted Ukrainian attack in Russia’s Krasnodar region intended to halt gas supplies through the Turkstream pipeline network.
Full report: Russia open for talks with Trump after Putin’s diplomat praises his attack on Nato
02:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Pictured: Kyiv residents take shelter in train station amid Russian strike
01:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
What is ATACMS? The US missiles being used inside Russia
Wednesday 15 January 2025 23:59
,
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.
Full report | Polish PM Donald Tusk accuses Russia of planning acts of terrorism against airlines around the world
Wednesday 15 January 2025 23:00
,
Jabed Ahmed