Donald Trump’s secretary of state Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff are travelling to Paris for talks in which European officials are expected to plead Ukraine’s case to an increasingly pro-Russia administration in Washington.
While Washington had billed the visit as talks solely with French officials, a previously unannounced delegation from Kyiv said it was also travelling to Paris on Thursday and would meet with officials from the US, Britain, France and Germany.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the parties will discuss ways to achieve a complete ceasefire, peacekeeping forces, and other measures to ensure Ukraine’s future security.
The discussions come at a time of heightened European concern over the shift in Washington’s rhetoric towards accommodating Russia’s view of its invasion – with Mr Witkoff among those expressing open admiration for Mr Putin.
Hours before the delegations arrived, Ukrainian officials said a child was among three people killed and 31 injured as Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a devastating drone attack on the city of Dnipro.
The dead also include an elderly woman, while 16 people were taken to hospital for treatment including a nine-month-old baby, according to Ukrainian officials.
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Key Points
- Mass drone attack kills three and injures at least 31 in Dnipro
- Trump sends top envoys for Ukraine talks with EU officials in Paris
- Kyiv says Ukraine and US make 'substantial progress' on minerals deal
- Report identifies almost 102,000 Russian soldiers as killed in Ukraine war
- Kremlin says no timeline for peace but political will is there
Two killed and five wounded by Russian shelling in Nikopol, Ukraine says
10:17
,
Andy Gregory
Two people have been killed and five others injured by Russian artillery fire against the Ukrainian city of Nikopol, the regional governor has said.
Serhii Lysak said two men – aged 56 and 61 – were killed in the heavy artillery fire, while four were in hospital in a serious condition.
The attacks sparked a fire, and damaged a shop, cafe, homes and cars, the Dnipropetrovsk governor said.
It comes hours after Mr Lysak said three people were killed and 31 injured in a Russian drone attack on Dnipro, some 70 miles to the north of Nikopol. Ukraine’s emergency services said 173 rescuers were called to assist in the aftermath of the attack.
Watch: Ministry of Defence's invisible radio wave weapon takes down drone swarms
09:54
,
Andy Gregory
British troops have successfully taken down multiple drones in a groundbreaking trial of a new directed energy weapon, marking a significant advancement in counter-drone technology.
The exercise, conducted at a testing facility in west Wales, represents the largest counter-drone swarm operation undertaken by the British Army, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The ministry has shared the below footage of the exercise:
US secretary of state touches down in Paris for talks on Ukraine
09:43
,
Andy Gregory
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has arrived in Paris for what Washington had billed as talks with French officials on ending the war in Ukraine.
Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff – who has met with Vladimir Putin multiple times in recent months – is also due to attend the talks, but was not seen touching down alongside Mr Rubio in the French capital.
A delegation from Kyiv has also announced it will be visiting Paris on Thursday for talks with US, French, British and German officials. It did not specify whether Mr Rubio and Mr Witkoff were expected to attend those meetings.
BREAKER: US secretary of state Marco Rubio has arrived in Paris ahead of talks with European counterparts about the war in Ukraine.@AnnaJonesSky has the details
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 17, 2025
Live updates ➡️ https://t.co/5pr22SmlSf
Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/lnYE1iJ6x9
Kyiv officials travel to Paris as Europeans plead Ukraine's case to top Trump allies
09:21
,
Andy Gregory
Top Ukrainian officials have flown to Paris, where Europeans are assembling to plead Kyiv's case to US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.
The arrival of a Ukrainian delegation in Paris was not previously announced ahead of what Washington had described as planned talks between Mr Rubio, Mr Witkoff and French officials.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said his delegation – which also included Ukraine's foreign minister and defence minister – would meet a US delegation as well as French, British and German officials, and would work on “important issues for the security of Ukraine and the whole of Europe”.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said: “The parties will discuss ways to achieve a complete ceasefire, the involvement of a multinational military contingent to guarantee sustainable peace, further development of Ukraine's security architecture and ensuring the security of our country.”
Ukraine claims to inflict 1,230 casualties in past day of fighting
09:09
,
Andy Gregory
Ukraine has inflicted 1,230 casualties upon Vladimir Putin’s forces in the past 24 hours, while also damaging 16 tanks, 54 armoured vehicles and 65 artillery systems, Kyiv’s military has said.
In its daily morning update, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces reported 125 combat clashes along the frontline over the previous day, with the heaviest fighting situated in the direction of the Donetsk city of Pokrovsk – which has been the key target of Russia’s offensive efforts for months.
According to Ukraine’s military, Russia carried out 94 air strikes, deployed more than 2,750 kamikaze drones and fired more than 6,600 artillery shells over the same period.
UK develops gamechanging weapon that can down drone swarms
08:53
,
Andy Gregory
British troops have successfully taken down multiple drones in a groundbreaking trial of a new directed energy weapon, marking a significant advancement in counter-drone technology.
The exercise, conducted at a testing facility in west Wales, represents the largest counter-drone swarm operation undertaken by the British Army, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
This innovative weapon, developed within the UK, utilises invisible radio waves to disrupt and disable drone swarms, offering a potentially game-changing defence against increasingly sophisticated aerial threats. Further details about the technology remain scarce due to security concerns.
The weapon system demonstrator is a type of Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon (RF DEW) and has “proven capable of neutralising multiple targets simultaneously with near-instant effect”, the MoD said.
Claudia Savage reports:
Ten still in hospital after Dnipro attack wounds 31 and kills three people, governor says
08:42
,
Andy Gregory
The number of people injured in the Russian drone attack on Dnipro has risen to 31, including 10 who are still in hospital, while three people – including a child – have been killed, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk has said.
Serhiy Lysak said people were clearing the rubble together on Thursday after their homes in a high-rise building were destroyed in the strike.
“Someone remembers how this building was built many decades ago, entire generations grew up here. A few steps away is a playground, where, along with toys and swings, there are cars destroyed by fire. And there is also rubble and blood,” Mr Lysak wrote on Telegram.
Warning that there are “many such locations around the city”, he added: “The enemy has once again committed terrible terror against local residents.”
Putin praises Elon Musk as visionary: ‘Such people rarely appear in the human population’
08:29
,
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin has drawn a parallel between Elon Musk and a key figure in the Soviet space race, Sergei Korolev, praising the SpaceX founder as a visionary.
Speaking on Russia's space policy at a student meeting, Putin reportedly described Musk, a key adviser of US president Donald Trump, as “absolutely crazy about Mars”, according to state news agency Tass.
Mr Putin reportedly invoked the legacy of Korolev, the engineer behind Yuri Gagarin's historic 1961 spaceflight, to highlight the rarity of people like Musk.
Tass quoted Mr Putin as saying: “Such people rarely appear in the human population, charged with a certain idea. Even though it may seem incredible to me today, after a time such ideas are often realised.”
Felix Light has the full report:
Child among three killed and 30 wounded in Russian drone attack on Dnipro
08:20
,
Andy Gregory
A child is among three people who have been killed along with 30 others who were injured in a Russian drone attack on Dnipro, Ukrainian officials have said.
Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, said that 30 people had been wounded, including five children. Sixteen people were being treated in hospital.
Mayor Borys Filatov said one strike came within 100 metres of the municipal offices. He also said at least 15 homes had been damaged, as well as a student residence, an educational institution and a food processing plant.
Pictures posted online showed a large blaze and firefighters working at the scene well into the night, as well as gutted vehicles and buildings with smashed windows and damaged facades.
Ukrainian ministers arrive in Paris to meet US and European allies
08:00
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine's foreign minister and defence minister have arrived in Paris to meet US and European allies, the head of Ukrainian president's office, who is also a part of the delegation, said this morning.
"We are working on important issues for the security of Ukraine and the whole of Europe," Andriy Yermak said about the meetings planned with representatives from the US, France, Germany and Britain.
Ukraine strikes Russian town miles away from frontline for second day
07:59
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine has targeted Russia’s town of Shuya in an overnight attack for the second night in a row, officials in Moscow said.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the authorities in Russia's Ivanovo region, which is east of Moscow, said that Ukrainian drones had attacked the town of Shuya, but that no casualties or damage had been inflicted.
Shuya, which is around 1,150km (715 miles) from the Ukrainian border, hosts the base of a Russian missile brigade that Ukraine has blamed for a strike on the city of Sumy on Sunday that killed at least 35 people.
Russian Telegram channels were circulating videos that appeared to show the base being struck, and at least one fire burning on its premises.
In total, Russian air defence systems destroyed or intercepted 71 Ukrainian drones over six Russian regions overnight, Russia’s defence ministry said.
Poland rejects Russia's threat to Nato and Baltic nations as Russian misinformation
07:42
,
Arpan Rai
Polish president Andrzej Duda has responded to Russia’s latest threats towards Warsaw and the Baltic nations, calling it “bloodythirsty imperialism”.
"Russia, which is behaving aggressively towards Nato and implementing its brutal and bloodthirsty imperialism, has been attacking Ukraine for three years," Mr Duda said yesterday.
His comments were in response to Russia’s intelligence chief, who threatened Poland and the Baltic states saying they will be the “first to suffer” in a direct fight between Nato and Russia.
Russia's foreign intelligence service director Sergey Naryshkin said that any Nato aggression against Russia or Belarus would have damaging consequences for Poland and the Baltic countries – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Mr Duda described the threats by Mr Naryshkin as "classic Russian misleading disinformation."
Mr Duda said: "Everything Nato does is a response to Russian aggression... Nato has never attacked anyone and does not attack, it is an alliance that exclusively supports security.”
How Ukraine’s 2.5-bn-year-old rock deposit became central to helping stop Russia
07:20
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s minerals have become central to global geopolitics, with the US president, Donald Trump, seeking a deal with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to access them.
But what are these minerals exactly and why are they so sought after?
Ukraine is often recognised for its vast agricultural lands and industrial heritage, but beneath its surface lies one of the world’s most remarkable geological formations, the “Ukrainian Shield”.
This massive, exposed crystalline rock formed over 2.5 billion years ago, stretches across much of Ukraine. It represents one of Earth’s oldest and most stable continental blocks.
Lammy to join Trump's envoys for talks on Ukraine peace plan
07:13
,
Arpan Rai
Foreign secretary David Lammy is expected to join Donald Trump’s peace envoys for talks in Paris today on ending the war in Ukraine.
Mr Lammy will travel to Paris for meetings with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US secretary of state Marco Rubio, reported The Telegraph citing sources.
The two US officials are expected to hear European concerns about Russia amid US attempts to arrange an elusive ceasefire in Ukraine three years after Russia invaded its neighbour.
Odesa buildings reduced to rubble in Russian overnight drone attack on Ukrainian port city
07:06
,
Arpan Rai
Russia's overnight drone attack hit infrastructure in Odesa, Ukraine, video released yesterday shows.
The smoke billowed from wreckage as rescuers doused a building hit in the attack.
The strike on the Black Sea port city also damaged residential buildings and warehouses, Ukrainian officials from the region said.
Three people were injured and several fires broke out in the city as a result of the attack, Ukraine's emergency service.
Russia did not immediately comment on the attack.
Trump's top envoys head to Paris to discuss Ukraine with Macron
07:01
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump's top national security aides and peace envoy plan to hold talks in Paris with French president Emmanuel Macron today as the US and Europe search for common ground on ending the Ukraine war.
The two advisers, secretary of state Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, are expected to hear European concerns about Russia amid US attempts to arrange an elusive ceasefire in Ukraine.
Besides Mr Macron, the French foreign ministry said Mr Rubio will also meet his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot to discuss Ukraine, prospects for a new Iran nuclear deal and the Middle East.
Mr Witkoff plans to fly on to Rome for a second round of discussions on Saturday with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi about Iran's nuclear program. They met for 45 minutes last Saturday in Oman.
Both sides described last weekend's talks as positive while acknowledging that any potential deal remains distant.
Russia says it downs 71 Ukrainian drones overnight
06:56
,
Arpan Rai
Russian air defence systems destroyed or intercepted 71 Ukrainian drones over six Russian regions overnight, Russia's defence ministry said this morning.
Of these, around 49 drones were downed in Kursk region, while others were downed in Oryol, Ryazan, Bryansk, Vladimir and Tula regions.
Putin compares Elon Musk to Soviet space hero
06:13
,
Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin has drawn a parallel between Elon Musk and a key figure in the Soviet space race, Sergei Korolev, praising the SpaceX founder as a visionary.
Speaking on Russia's space policy at a student meeting, Mr Putin reportedly described Musk, a key adviser of president Donald Trump, as "absolutely crazy about Mars," according to state news agency TASS.
Mr Putin reportedly invoked the legacy of Korolev, the engineer behind Yuri Gagarin's historic 1961 spaceflight, to highlight the rarity of people like Musk.
TASS quoted Mr Putin as saying: "Such people rarely appear in the human population, charged with a certain idea.”
Kyiv says Ukraine and US make 'substantial progress' on minerals deal
05:52
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine and the US have made "substantial progress" in their talks on a minerals deal and will sign a memorandum in the near future, a senior Ukrainian official said.
"Our technical teams have worked very thoroughly together on the agreement, and there is significant progress. Our legal staff has adjusted several items within the draft agreement," first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a social media post on X.
Donald Trump is seeking a bilateral minerals deal as part of his push to end Ukraine's war against the Russian invasion. Mr Trump also sees it as a way to recover billions of dollars the US has spent on military assistance to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine would not recognise past US military aid as loans.
Ms Svyrydenko said the work on the deal would continue and that both sides agreed to sign a memorandum in the near term as the first stage to record the progress.
The talks are advancing and it was likely a provisional document, or memorandum, could be signed very soon, deputy Ukrainian economy minister Taras Kachka told national television.
"A final document won't be signed this week. There is a lot of work to be done because the ideas included in the agreement by the US side need to be developed further," Mr Kachka said.
How residents of Ukraine’s Sumy are rebuilding after the deadliest Russian attack this year
05:47
,
Arpan Rai
The bustle of daily life in Ukraine’s Sumy makes it hard to believe that its people have faced a constant threat of death since Russia invaded their country three years ago.
Just days ago, Putin’s forces targeted the city centre in back-to-back missile strikes, killing 35 people and injuring over 100. It marked the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilians this year.
Neighbours chatted in their apartment blocks, watching children play games in the courtyards. Pausing to look up, they would see the buzzing of attack drones and the familiar sounds of Ukrainian air defences before going back to their strange routine which is quickly becoming usual.
Zelensky holds 'honest' conversation with Finnish president
05:42
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed “next steps” in response to possible “Russian provocations” with president of Finland Alexander Stubb.
“We discussed many issues, including preparations for our next joint steps and our response to possible Russian provocations in the near future,” Mr Zelensky said.
In a post on X, Mr Zelensky said the two leaders spoke about the battlefield situation and need for air defence systems.
“I informed about the battlefield situation and our need for air defense systems. We will achieve a just and sustainable peace when Ukraine receives strong support packages, and Russia faces strong sanctions in response to further dragging this war on,” he said.
I had a good and honest conversation with the President of Finland @AlexStubb.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 16, 2025
We discussed many issues, including preparations for our next joint steps and our response to possible Russian provocations in the near future.
I informed about the battlefield situation and our need… pic.twitter.com/oFRIv6IKVe
Kremlin says no timeline for peace but political will is there
05:35
,
Arpan Rai
The Kremlin has said there is not yet a clear outline of a potential US-Russia deal on Ukraine, but it has the political will to move towards on an agreement.
"There are no clear outlines of any agreement yet, but there is political will to move towards an agreement. And I repeat once again, we highly highly rate the constructive and meaningful contacts that we have had (with the US)," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in a call with reporters on Tuesday.
He said the talks with the US had been positive and useful Moscow would not give a possible timeline for a peace settlement.
"Nevertheless, of course we would like to hope for the best, that the work will have positive results. We would not say exactly what the timeframe is here," said Mr Peskov.
Germany plans to send missiles to Ukraine
05:17
,
Arpan Rai
Germany is relying on British endorsements to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, a member of Berlin’s incoming government has warned.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a senior Christian Democrats (CDU) MP, said in-fighting between his party and its coalition partner, the centre-Left Social Democrats (SPD), was preventing a final decision by Friedrich Merz, the chancellor-in-waiting.
But he suggested that “UK leadership” could give Mr Merz the support he needs to deliver the powerful missile system, The Telegraph reported.
“The Taurus delivery remains a point of contention for the time being ... I do not yet see any consensus here, especially as the parties have not agreed on the key security policy issues in the coalition agreement,” Mr Kiesewetter said.
“I don’t yet see the Taurus being delivered. Any influence by UK leadership to finally convince Germany to deliver Taurus might help and is highly welcomed,” he added.
Report identifies almost 102,000 Russian soldiers as killed in Ukraine war
05:00
,
Arpan Rai
An independent Russian media outlet claims to have identified 101,833 Russian military personnel killed in the course of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The investigation conducted by Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, found that 4,897 Russian officers have been killed in the invasion.
More than 24,800 volunteers were among those identified, accounting for 24.3 per cent of the total Russian losses.
Mediazona has been running an ongoing investigation tracking the identities of Russians killed in the war, as well as broader estimates of casualties – including those wounded or missing.
Since its last update, it said 1,882 additional Russian military personnel have been killed.
Trump sends top envoys for Ukraine talks with European officials in Paris
04:42
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has dispatched his peace envoy Steve Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio to Paris for talks on Ukraine’s future with European partners.
This is the first time the US president has made an effort to reach out to European leaders after excluding them from the initial rounds of peace talks on Ukraine.
"Secretary of state Marco Rubio and ambassador Steve Witkoff will travel to Paris, France, 16-18 April for talks with European counterparts to advance President Trump's goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and stop the bloodshed," the state department said.
The visit is also aimed at improving Mr Trump’s ties with the US's EU allies.
"While in Paris, he will also discuss ways to advance shared interests in the region,” the statement added.
Mass drone attack kills two and injures at least 16 in Dnipro
04:14
,
Arpan Rai
A Russian mass drone attack has killed two people and injured at least 16 yesterday in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the regional governor said.
A young woman and an elderly woman had been killed, said Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region.
Mr Lysak said 16 people had been injured, including three children, aged 11, six years old, and nine months. Five people were being treated in hospital.
Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov put the number of injured at 28.
The attack triggered several fires.
Mr Filatov said one strike came within 100 metres (110 yards) of the municipal offices. He also said at least 15 dwellings had been damaged, as well as a student residence, an educational institution and a food processing plant.
Kamikaze drones spark fires in Dnipropetrovsk
04:12
,
Arpan Rai
Russian forces used heavy artillery and kamikaze drones to strike Dnipropetrovsk all through Wednesday.
Serhii Lysak, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, said on Telegram: “Throughout the day, the aggressor launched nine kamikaze drone strikes at Nikopol district.
“The region was also shelled with heavy artillery. Nikopol, Marhanets, and Pokrovsk communities were hit.”
In one nine-story residential building, a fire broke out in an apartment. Other homes suffered broken windows, according to Lysak.
He also reported that municipal infrastructure and vehicles were damaged.
One killed and nine injured in Russian strikes on Kherson
04:11
,
Arpan Rai
Russian glide bombs and artillery struck a city in southern Ukraine yesterday, killing one person and wounding nine others as Vladimir Putin's forces continued daily attacks across the country.
The city of Kherson was struck with glide bombs in the early hours yesterday, and when rescue teams arrived at the scene, Russian forces launched an artillery barrage, said the region's head Oleksandr Prokudin.
"This is a deliberate tactic by Russia to hinder the rescue of the injured and harm doctors, rescuers, and police," he said.
The attack damaged a sports facility, a supermarket, residential buildings and civilian vehicles, Mr Prokudin added.
