US president Donald Trump has said “something may come out of” the CIA director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow on Tuesday.
Trump said the US is “working very hard” to end the war in Ukraine, calling the CIA chief a “fantastic guy”.
Answering a question on Ratcliffe’s visit to Russia, Trump said that the CIA director made a visit to Russia on a “very semi-routine” basis and “something may come out of it”.
The Kremlin revealed yesterday that CIA director Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials during a mysterious visit this week but did not meet president Vladimir Putin.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov framed communication between the two countries’ intelligence agencies as positive.
This comes as Kremlin sources said Russia is considering stepping up its ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv.
Putin is contemplating hitting targets in the city centre and on critical infrastructure elsewhere in Ukraine, after concluding that efforts to negotiate a peace deal have reached a dead end, they said.
Read MoreCIA director ‘makes mystery visit to Moscow’ with no explanation from Kremlin or Trump
Two killed in Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Afipsky refinery
Putin adviser warns UK factories face attacks from ‘unknown sources’ for helping Ukraine
First British national killed fighting for Putin in Ukraine ‘dies in drone attack’
Key Points
- Trump says 'something may come out of' CIA director's Russia visit
- Putin weighs stepping up strikes on Kyiv with talks at dead end
- Dozens of ships stuck in Danube for access to Ukrainian ports, threatening grain price spike
- US senator hopes 'sledgehammer' Russian sanctions will pass next month
Watch: US military transport plane lands in Moscow with no explanation from Kremlin or Trump
05:48 , Arpan RaiTrump says 'something may come out of' CIA director's Russia visit
05:29 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump has said “something may come out of” the CIA director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow on Tuesday.
The US is “working very hard” to end the war in Ukraine, he said.
“We would like to see the Ukraine war end.”
Answering a question on Ratcliffe’s visit to Russia, Trump said that the CIA director made a visit to Russia on a “very semi-routine” basis.
"Something may come out of it," Trump said, calling Ratcliffe a “fantastic guy”.
Putin weighs stepping up strikes on Kyiv with talks at dead end
05:18 , Arpan RaiRussia is considering stepping up its ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, including targets in the city centre, and on critical infrastructure elsewhere in Ukraine after concluding that efforts to negotiate a peace deal have reached a dead end, said three people close to the Kremlin.
Speaking to Bloomberg, they said negotiation frameworks had effectively collapsed, while president Vladimir Putin remained unlikely to end the war in response to sanctions or Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and logistics networks.
Dozens of ships stuck in Danube for access to Ukrainian ports, threatening grain price spike
04:55 , Arpan RaiUp to 70 vessels are waiting near the Danube's Sulina Canal for access to Ukrainian ports to load grain for export, traders and analysts said on Wednesday, with a shortage of pilots and priority given to other cargoes creating long delays.
After Russian attacks effectively blocked Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which had handled 90 per cent of the country's grain exports, some shipments were rerouted through Danube river ports, which have much lower capacity.
Grain cargoes are competing for access with higher-priority shipments such as fuel, slowing exports. Frequent air raid alerts, which force the suspension of all port operations, have added to the disruption.
Ukraine is one of the world's biggest grain exporters and disruptions to its shipments can drive up global prices.
US senator hopes 'sledgehammer' Russian sanctions will pass next month
04:31 , Arpan RaiA US senator sponsoring a bill for wide-ranging sanctions on Russia said on Wednesday he was hopeful it would pass the House of Representatives next month, and be a "sledgehammer" to president Vladimir Putin's efforts to fund his war in Ukraine.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut who met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and senior officials during a visit to Kyiv, said the bill had strong Republican support in the House, after comfortably passing an initial Senate vote last month.
“Putin understands only force,” Blumenthal told a news conference. “And the Russia sanctions bill is a sledgehammer that can have the kind of force Putin understands.”
Though Democrats are broadly supportive of the sanctions, some have expressed concern that it would give Republican president Donald Trump leeway to impose additional tariffs, including on US allies.
Falling debris damages vessel in Ukraine's port of Reni
04:14 , Arpan RaiA civilian vessel was damaged overnight at the Danube River port of Reni near Ukraine's Izmail, local Ukrainian authorities said this morning.
The vessel was damaged due to falling debris likely from an intercepted drone.
It is not immediately clear if the incident caused any casualties.
Reni sits close to Ukraine's borders with Romania and Moldova.
Explosions rock Kyiv as Russia carries out major attack
03:56 , Arpan RaiExplosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, a Reuters witness said, as Russia was hitting Ukraine with drones and missiles in the early hours today.
Kyiv authorities, who earlier issued a drone attack alert, said on Telegram that debris had fallen in the courtyard of a residential building and damage was being clarified.
Ukraine's Armed Forces separately issued a ballistic missile alert for Kyiv.
In Kryvyi Rih, a steel-and-mining hub in central Ukraine and president Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown, two were injured as missiles hit an industrial facility and three more were wounded in Zaporizhzhia, officials said.
Husband pleads for wife’s release from Russia as health issues worsen
03:00 , James ReynoldsThe recent release of Marine veteran Robert Gilman from Russian custody ended more than four years of imprisonment, but his visibly frail condition has raised alarming questions for the families of Americans still detained there.
Watching the news coverage from the United States, Harold Jezler saw Gilman's gaunt appearance and immediately worried about what it meant for his 36-year-old wife, Olga, who has been held in Russia since 2022 while suffering from her own deteriorating health issues.
Although Gilman’s freedom follows a series of prisoner releases over recent years, numerous Americans remain incarcerated in Russia. Relatives and advocates report that several suffer from unaddressed or inadequately treated medical conditions, escalating the urgency of diplomatic efforts to secure their freedom.
Read the full story:
Husband pleads for wife’s release from Russian prison as her health issues worsen
Russia's Putin and Syria's Sharaa discussed deepening ties, Kremlin says
02:00 , James ReynoldsRussian president Vladimir Putin and Syrian president Ahmed al- Sharaa on Wednesday spoke by phone and discussed deepening political dialogue and cooperation in trade and other areas, the Kremlin said.
It said in a statement that the two leaders had noted the importance of an August 9 memorandum of understanding to settle the future of Russia's bases at Tartus and Hmeimim after 18 months of negotiations.
Recap: Burnham warned Russia plotting retaliation against Britain over support for Ukraine - report
01:00 , James ReynoldsAndy Burnham was reportedly warned that Russia is plotting retaliation against Britain for its continued support for Ukraine.
Security experts were said to have told the prime minister to be ready for a ‘direct response’, according to the Daily Mail.
Mr Burnham travelled to Kyiv on Monday for his first overseas trip since taking office last month and said London and Paris would provide long-range missile technology to Ukraine.
A unnamed senior security source told the Mail: “An attack on the UK’s defence and security infrastructure is inevitable, based on our high profile support for Ukraine.
“Ourselves and the French are front and centre, and Burnham's visit to Kyiv and his forthright stance will have been noticed at the Kremlin,” they assessed.
“There had been some optimism in Moscow that he would be softer than Starmer on Ukraine. That was not the case.”
US extends Russia-related license on diamond imports
Thursday 27 August 2026 00:00 , ReutersThe US on Wednesday extended a Russia-related general license authorizing transactions related to imports of certain diamonds for another year, despite US sanctions on Moscow.
The license, which was due to expire September 1, was extended to September 1, 2027.
Why did Trump’s CIA director make a mysterious short trip to Moscow?
Wednesday 26 August 2026 23:00 , James ReynoldsThe White House is facing scrutiny after the CIA director made a mysterious visit to Moscow on Tuesday, the first visit by a chief of the intelligence agency in nearly five years.
The US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III flew into Moscow from Latvia before landing at the capital’s Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday, according to Flightradar24.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he did not have any information about the visit, while President Donald Trump stayed uncharacteristically silent on the matter.
Why did Trump’s CIA director make a mysterious short trip to Moscow?
Zelensky appoints top commanders to defend vital positions in the east
Wednesday 26 August 2026 22:00 , James ReynoldsPresident Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed two of Ukraine's most prominent commanders to oversee the defence of the country's eastern strongholds, as Kyiv struggles to beat back a Russian onslaught on a region at the centre of stalled peace talks.
Moscow's troops are grinding towards the so-called fortress belt of industrialised cities in the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine give up before it ends its war.
Visiting the front line with his new top general, Zelensky said Third Army Corps leader Andrii Biletskyi and Denys Prokopenko, commander of the First Corps Azov, will head new groupings aimed at strengthening defences around Donetsk.
Both men represent a new generation of experienced field commanders and currently lead what are seen as some of Kyiv's most capable and best-trained forces. Both their corps are already involved in defending that part of the front, and the commanders have been praised for their combat efficiency and planning.
A security meeting on the frontline situation and defensive operations in key sectors. The meeting was attended by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi, Commander of the Airborne Forces Oleh Apostol, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert… pic.twitter.com/UGmzoujr66
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 26, 2026
Catch up: Kremlin finally speaks out on CIA director’s mysterious visit to Moscow
Wednesday 26 August 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsThe Kremlin revealed on Wednesday that CIA director John Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials during a mysterious visit this week but did not meet president Vladimir Putin.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov framed communication between the two countries’ intelligence agencies as a positive without going into detail on what was discussed.
“All I can tell you is that there have been contacts via the security services,” he said, adding: “These contacts often continue even during the most difficult periods in bilateral relations. Our president, incidentally, has spoken about this.
“However, it is still too early to say to what extent this will, overall, help to steer our bilateral relations out of the profound crisis in which they currently find themselves,” he said.
Ratcliffe’s visit is the first known trip to Moscow by a US spy chief since his predecessor, William Burns, held talks with Vladimir Putin in November 2021, before the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A women's shelter for refugees in Poland fights for survival as anti-Ukrainian sentiment rises
Wednesday 26 August 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsWhen Nastya Podorozhnya's relatives fled the war in Ukraine for neighboring Poland, volunteers welcomed them with open arms.
Podorozhnya, 29, was already living in Poland when the war began. But days before Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, she rushed back to Ukraine to help her sister and nieces get out.
As she returned to Poland alongside an influx of refugees in the war’s first days, she witnessed the outpouring of support from Polish volunteers. But she also spotted a risk: Ukrainian women accepting help from strangers could become vulnerable to human traffickers.
Read the full story:
A women's shelter for refugees in Poland fights for survival as anti-Ukrainian sentiment rises
From food shortages to blackouts and cyberattacks, we’ve been stock-piling all year for what could come next
Wednesday 26 August 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsAs the government prepares to tell households to stock up on tinned food and bottled water to prepare for attacks from hostile states or extreme weather, Radhika Sanghani talks to experts who say every household should be ready to survive for two weeks
-copy.jpeg?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)
From food shortages to cyberattacks, we’ve been ‘soft-prepping’ all year
Fire destroys drone-hit Wildberries warehouse in Russia's Tambov region, governor says
Wednesday 26 August 2026 18:00 , ReutersA drone attack caused a massive fire that destroyed a warehouse run by Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries, officials said early on Wednesday, as Ukraine pushes ahead with its campaign to hurt Moscow's economy by targeting online retailers.
Two people were wounded in the overnight strike in Russia's Tambov region, its governor Evgeniy Pervyshov wrote on the MAX messaging app.
The logistics centre was "completely destroyed by fire," he said. Earlier he said about 100,000 square metres (1.1 million square feet) of the facility was burning, the equivalent of 14 soccer pitches.
Ukraine has been hitting Wildberries facilities since mid-July and broadened its strategy in recent days to include the retailer's main rival, Ozon.
More than 20 Wildberries and Ozon warehouses have been attacked with at least 1.9 million square metres of warehouse space severely damaged by fire, according to Reuters analysis of satellite imagery.
Dozens of ships stuck in Danube for access to Ukrainian ports, threatening grain price spike
Wednesday 26 August 2026 17:00 , James ReynoldsUp to 70 vessels are waiting near the Danube's Sulina Canal for access to Ukrainian ports to load grain for export, traders and analysts said on Wednesday, with a shortage of pilots and priority given to other cargoes creating long delays.
After Russian attacks effectively blocked Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which had handled 90% of the country's grain exports, some shipments were rerouted through Danube river ports, which have much lower capacity.
Grain cargoes are competing for access with higher-priority shipments such as fuel, slowing exports. Frequent air raid alerts, which force the suspension of all port operations, have added to the disruption.
Ukraine is one of the world's biggest grain exporters and disruptions to its shipments can drive up global prices.
Ukraine’s corruption problem explained as Zelensky fires another ally
Wednesday 26 August 2026 16:30 , James ReynoldsUkraine’s corruption crisis continues to deepen, with President Volodymyr Zelensky forced to fire one of his most senior officials after they were suspected of money-laundering.
Iryna Mudra was sacked last Wednesday, a day after recently-fired defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov put further pressure on the Ukrainian leader by calling for national elections.
While Kyiv has seized the initiative in its war with Russia with an ongoing long-range drone strike campaign, Zelensky continues to be beset by domestic political challenges.
Read the full story:
Ukraine’s growing corruption crisis explained as Zelensky fires another top ally
From food shortages to blackouts and cyberattacks, we’ve been stock-piling all year for what could come next
Wednesday 26 August 2026 16:00 , James ReynoldsAs the government prepares to tell households to stock up on tinned food and bottled water to prepare for attacks from hostile states or extreme weather, Radhika Sanghani talks to experts who say every household should be ready to survive for two weeks
From food shortages to cyberattacks, we’ve been ‘soft-prepping’ all year
Government ‘to tell Britons to stock up on tinned food’ to prepare for extreme weather or cyber attacks
Wednesday 26 August 2026 15:30 , James ReynoldsThe government will tell households to stock up on tinned food and bottled water to prepare for extreme weather or cyber attacks on the country, according to reports.
The Financial Times reports Andy Burnham’s government is focusing on national resilience in the wake of threats from Russia and this summer’s heatwaves.
According to the FT, the government is accelerating work on its “war book” – a manual for the defence of the nation against external threats – as well as planning a social media campaign with advice to help people to deal with the impacts of extreme weather, such as the heat waves which have hit the country this summer.
A source told the newspaper: “There will be practical advice on things you can do to improve domestic resilience, like having some bottled water and tinned food. It will be common sense, not scaremongering.”
Read the full story:
Government to tell Britons to stock up on tinned food to prepare for extreme weather
Nine killed in 'Ukrainian strike on bus in Luhansk', says Russia
Wednesday 26 August 2026 15:19 , James ReynoldsNine people were killed when a Ukrainian strike hit a bus in the Russian-controlled part of Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, the region's Russian-installed Governor Leonid Pasechnik said.
Pasechnik said the bus was travelling from Lysychansk to Kadiivka at the time of the strike, but provided no further details about the circumstances of the attack.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Suspects in Slovak arson plan are Latvian and Ukrainian, prosecution says
Wednesday 26 August 2026 15:17 , James ReynoldsTwo of the suspects detained over a planned arson attack on an aerial systems factory in eastern Slovakia are Latvian citizens and the third is a Ukrainian, a prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.
The regional prosecution in the eastern city of Presov told Reuters that one of the Latvian citizens was arrested in Germany, while the other Latvian and the Ukrainian were detained in Slovakia. Slovak police said on Tuesday it had thwarted the plan.
Kremlin says ousted Ukrainian defence minister's remarks show Kyiv is consumed by infighting
Wednesday 26 August 2026 15:00 , ReutersThe Kremlin said on Wednesday that remarks by ousted Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov about official corruption and alleged shortcomings in military strategy showed that Kyiv was consumed by intensifying political infighting.
Fedorov told Reuters this week that Ukraine appeared to be slowly losing the war against Russia, warning that Kyiv had a window of several months to make key decisions needed to turn the tide in its favour. He also complained about what he described as engrained corruption and patronage networks.
Asked to comment on Fedorov's remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that they were a sign of growing political infighting and accused European countries which support Ukraine of failing to notice that the ruling elite in Kyiv was destroying itself from within.
"Political, or rather, let us put it this way, quasi-political, infighting is taking place within the depths of the Kyiv regime, and it is intensifying. The Kyiv regime is collapsing from within," Peskov said.
Ukraine’s presidential office said in response to Fedorov’s comments that he had been positive about the conduct of the war when he was at the defence ministry and the only thing that had changed was his personal status.
ICYMI: Andy Burnham plays The Smiths song with Ukrainian soldiers
Wednesday 26 August 2026 14:30 , James ReynoldsAndy Burnham played guitar with Ukrainian soldiers on his first official trip to Kyiv as prime minister.
The footage posted on social media on Monday, 24 August, showed the PM and a soldier jamming to a rendition of “Rusholme Ruffians” by Manchester band The Smiths.
Mr Burnham played the guitar in the mobile recording studio of the military and artistic unit, Cultural Forces, which performs on the front line, in hospitals, and at rehabilitation centres.
“I’m out of practice”, Burnham joked as he picked up the guitar and strummed a few chords, but declined to sing. The soldiers later sang an Oasis song to him.
Watch: Zelensky visits soldiers in Donetsk
Wednesday 26 August 2026 14:27 , James ReynoldsToday, I am with our warriors who are defending extremely difficult sectors of the front. Our positions in the Donetsk region will be reinforced by two restructured force groupings, to be commanded by Hero of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko and Hero of Ukraine Andrii Biletskyi. pic.twitter.com/tSj5omggds
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 26, 2026
Burnham warned Russia plotting retaliation against Britain over support for Ukraine - report
Wednesday 26 August 2026 14:00 , James ReynoldsAndy Burnham was reportedly warned that Russia is plotting retaliation against Britain for its continued support for Ukraine.
Security experts were said to have told the prime minister to be ready for a ‘direct response’, according to the Daily Mail.
Mr Burnham travelled to Kyiv on Monday for his first overseas trip since taking office last month and said London and Paris would provide long-range missile technology to Ukraine.
A unnamed senior security source told the Mail: “An attack on the UK’s defence and security infrastructure is inevitable, based on our high profile support for Ukraine.
“Ourselves and the French are front and centre, and Burnham's visit to Kyiv and his forthright stance will have been noticed at the Kremlin,” they assessed.
“There had been some optimism in Moscow that he would be softer than Starmer on Ukraine. That was not the case.”
Kanye West’s Russia shows up in the air as venue refuses to host
Wednesday 26 August 2026 13:30 , James ReynoldsKanye West’s upcoming shows in St Petersburg have been left in limbo after the Russian venue announced that no contract had ever been signed.
The controversial rapper, who has legally changed his name to Ye, had been scheduled to perform two concerts October 10 and 11 at the city’s 80,000-capacity Gazprom Arena.
However, as The Moscow Times reports, the venue announced earlier today that the shows “cannot take place” because rental contracts had not been signed by the show’s organizer, Say Agency.
That statement came despite the venue previously promoting the concerts.
In full:
Kanye West’s Russia shows up in the air as venue refuses to host
Zelensky visits frontline with new commander-in-chief
Wednesday 26 August 2026 13:08 , James ReynoldsVolodymyr Zelensky says he has visited the frontline of the war with his new commander-in-chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi.
Release of Marine veteran from Russian custody turns focus to other detainees with health concerns
Wednesday 26 August 2026 13:04 , James ReynoldsRobert Gilman’s release from Russian custody this month heralded a long-awaited homecoming for the Marine veteran after more than four years behind bars.
But as Harold Jezler followed the media coverage from the United States, he couldn’t help but notice Gilman’s gaunt and sickly appearance and think of the implications for his wife, Olga, who has been detained in Russia since 2022 and faces her own health problems.
“You just look at the pictures and the guy is not in good shape. It’s concerning for me and for all the families, I would imagine," Jezler said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“Is this what it takes for the government to really make a move and prioritize this — that the person is basically in dire straits? It was a very bittersweet thing to see that.”
Read the full story:
Release of Marine veteran from Russian custody turns focus to other detainees with health concerns
Watch: Moment drone hits Russian Ozon facility in Dagestan
Wednesday 26 August 2026 12:30 , James ReynoldsUkraine has targeted four logistics hubs owned by Russia's second-largest online retailer Ozon, widening a campaign of drone strikes on Russian e-commerce companies intended to inflict more damage on the war-battered economy.
Ozon's shares tumbled on Monday after it reported the strikes in southern Russia, which brought to six the number of its facilities targeted in the last three days.
Ozon said in a statement that a logistics hub in Makhachkala in Dagestan was on fire and had halted operations after a drone attack, adding: "According to preliminary information, several people were injured."
Russian attack damages heating plant in Ukraine's Kherson, Naftogaz says
Wednesday 26 August 2026 12:00 , James ReynoldsA Russian guided aerial bomb attack has seriously damaged a combined heat and power plant in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson, the plant's owner, Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz, said on Wednesday.
The extent of the damage will be assessed as soon as the security situation allows, Naftogaz said.
Recap: Russia launches doomsday submarine for trials
Wednesday 26 August 2026 11:30 , James ReynoldsRussia launched its 10,000 ton doomsday submarine for the first time last week, according to reports.
Moscow sent the Khabarovsk nuclear submarine, designed to carry nuclear torpedoes, into trials in the White Sea, according to the Telegraph.
Russian media reports have said the submarines can carry up to six Poseidon torpedos which can be detonated underwater to create tsunamis.
Energy secretary says 'I can't control wars' in defending Ofgem 4% price cap rise
Wednesday 26 August 2026 11:00 , James ReynoldsCIA director met with Russian intelligence during Moscow visit - Kremlin
Wednesday 26 August 2026 10:47 , James ReynoldsCIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials during his visit to Moscow on Tuesday but did not meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin had been briefed on the outcome of Ratcliffe's talks, but declined to provide further details.
Peskov said it was also too early to say whether such contacts between the two countries' intelligence agencies could help pull U.S.-Russia relations out of what he described as a "deep crisis".
Russia summons Romania's charge d'affaires
Wednesday 26 August 2026 10:30 , James ReynoldsRussia's Foreign Ministry has summoned Romania's charge d'affaires in Moscow, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday.
It did not give a reason for the summons.
