Donald Trump appears to have set a two-week deadline for Russian president Vladimir Putin to prove he is serious about wanting to end the war in Ukraine.
On being asked in the Oval Office yesterday if he thought Mr Putin wanted to end the war, Mr Trump said: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks.”
“Within two weeks. We're gonna find out whether or not (Putin is) tapping us along or not,” he told the reporters. "And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently."
The US president has, however, previously set similar two-week deadlines, including on April 27 and May 19.
Putin aide Dmitry Medvedev responded to that by threatening the US with World War Three - but Moscow later proposed 2 June as a date to begin fresh talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.
Earlier this week, Mr Trump warned Mr Putin was "playing with fire" by resisting ceasefire talks while escalating drone and missile attacks.
It comes as Russia will send a number of Oreshnik missile systems to Belarus by the end of 2025, a Belarusian official said according to the Tass news agency.
The locations of the systems have been “finalised”, said Alexander Volfovich, the secretary of Belarus’ Security Council.
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Key Points
- Trump sets 'two weeks' deadline to see if Putin is serious about ending war
- Russia to send new missile systems to Belarus, Ukraine's neighbour
- Moscow proposes 2 June for further Istanbul peace talks
- Zelensky says he is ready for meeting between 'Trump, Putin and me'
- Germany to fund long-range weapons in Ukraine, says Merz
In pictures: Damage to apartment block after Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow
11:42
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Alex Croft
Erdogan: Russian proposal for Istanbul talks boosts peace hopes
11:25
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Alex Croft
Turkey is positive about peace prospects in Ukraine following Russia’s proposal for another round of talks on 2 June, president Tayyip Erdogan has said.
Speaking to reporters on a flight from Azerbaijan, Erdogan said Ankara was in contact with both countries, and added that the recent momentum in peace efforts was an opportunity to reach lasting peace.
"The road to a resolution goes through more dialogue, more diplomacy. We are using all our diplomatic power and potential for peace," he was cited as saying by his office on Thursday.
Ukrainian commander resigns citing 'stupid objectives' of leadership
11:07
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Alex Croft
The battalion commander of a frontline Ukrainian brigade submitted his resignation earlier this month, slamming what he calls the “stupid objectives” of the current military leadership.
"I have never received more stupid objectives than in the current direction," Oleksandr Shyrshyn, commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, wrote on Facebook on 16 May.
"Someday I will tell you the details, but the stupid loss of people, trembling in front of a stupid generals, leads to nothing but failures. I hope your children will also serve in the infantry and carry out your orders," he added.
The brigade was formed in 2022 from soldiers trained in Nato countries, as Kyiv prepared for the summer 2023 counteroffensive, the Kyiv Independent reported. It was engaged in combat in Russia’s Kursk region last year.
Russia to send new missile systems to Belarus, Ukraine's neighbour
10:48
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Alex Croft
Russia will send a number of Oreshnik missile systems to Belarus by the end of 2025, an official from Russia’s neighbour said according to the Tass news agency.
Alexander Volfovich, the secretary of Belarus’ Security Council, revealed the news on the sidelines of an international security summit.
"By year's end, I believe the decision regarding the placement of Oreshnik, which was agreed upon by our heads of state, will become a reality," he said.
"These issues have been resolved, and the locations within Belarus have been finalised.”
Belarus borders both Russia and Ukraine, and president Aleksandr Lukashenko has been one of Vladimir Putin’s staunchest allies throughout his presidency.
"Preparations are proceeding as planned. Let others think - perhaps abroad - that it won't be in Belarus. But we know exactly where it is, and how it functions. Our primary concern is to remain confident and calm, ensuring the security of our peoples - Russia and Belarus,” Volfovich added.
Russia claims the Oreshnik - an intermediate-range ballistic missile - has the range to reach any European target.
No plans for Trump-Putin call, says Kremlin, as US president becomes frustrated
10:33
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Alex Croft
Russian president Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to speak to former US president Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
Trump has shown increasing frustration with Putin in recent days, warning on Tuesday the Russian leader was "playing with fire" by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks with Kyiv as his forces made gains on the battlefield.
In response to Trump's remarks, the Kremlin said on Wednesday that Putin prioritises Russia's national interests above all else.
Kremlin says Kyiv has not answered over 2 June talks
10:23
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Alex Croft
Kyiv has not answered to Russia’s offer for further direct talks in Istanbul on 2 June, the Kremlin has claimed.
Russia’s priority is to continue the direct talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the aim of the talks would be to start discussing draft memorandums for a peace accord.
It is not constructive for Kyiv and its allies to claim Russia is delaying the peace process, he added - an accusation which has been leveled at Moscow as it continues attacks on Ukraine and makes maximalist demands for peace.
Latest pictures from the frontline
10:04
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Alex Croft
Here are some of the latest pictures of the frontline in eastern Ukraine, where the war grinds on amid international diplomacy efforts.
Watch: Trump calls Russia-Ukraine conflict 'Biden's War'
09:51
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Alex Croft
Moscow wants legal mechanisms to prevent war restarting after ceasefire - Tass
09:37
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Alex Croft
Moscow wants to introduce legally binding mechanisms to guarantee the Ukraine conflict will not resume as part of the peace proposals, the foreign ministry has been quoted as saying by state news agency Tass.
The ministry said that Kyiv was aware of Moscow's position that a final settlement was possible only if the "root causes" of the conflict were completely eliminated, the agency reported.
One killed in attack on northeastern Sumy region
09:20
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Alex Croft
One person has been killed and another seriously injured in a Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, the local military administration has said.
Images showing fires tearing through a small village where a farm, civilian infrastructure and residential buildings were all damaged.
The injured victim has been hospitalised in a serious condition, the Sumy Military Administration said on Telegram.
Germany considering sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine - Merz
09:06
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Alex Croft
Germany could supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles, chancellor Friedrich Merz has said as Berlin looks to boost its military support for Kyiv.
"Of course, it is within the realms of possibility,” the new chancellor responded when asked if Germany would supply the weapons - but he explained that it would require several months of training for Ukrainian troops.
Volodymyr Zelesnsky yesterday met Mr Merz, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bundestag president Julia Kloeckner in Berlin, where Germany promised new military aid worth €5 billion (£4.2 billion).
Military support for Kyiv is being improved in the short term, the German chancellor explained, given Taurus missiles would not be ready for immediate use.
One killed and others trapped under rubble after Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia
08:53
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Alex Croft
At least one person has been killed and another injured after a Russian air attack on the Zaporizhzhia region, local authorities have said.
"The enemy attacked the village of Verkhna Tersa with guided aerial bombs at dawn. At least five bombs were dropped on housesResidential buildings have been destroyed and damaged,” Ivan Fedorov, head of the region’s military administration, said on Telegram.
People remain trapped under the rubble, Mr Fedorov added, before later confirming that one person had been killed and another injured.
‘Ample evidence’ Russia preparing fresh offensive despite talk of ceasefire, claims Zelensky
08:43
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Alex Croft
Russia is preparing to launch a new military offensive in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed, even as the Kremlin suggests it is still open to peace talks.
After days of unprecedented Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, involving more than 900 missiles and drones, Mr Zelensky claimed Kyiv had obtained intelligence suggesting Moscow was on the brink of a new push.
“We can see from the information obtained by intelligence and from open-source data that Vladimir Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Monday.
Our reporter Tom Watling writes:
Moscow proposes 2 June for further Istanbul peace talks
08:30
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Alex Croft
Moscow has proposed 2 June as date for further direct talks with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, faced with Donald Trump’s two-week deadline to prove its commitment to peace.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said the talks would be a continuation of the previous negotiations which took place on May 16.
"In Istanbul, it was agreed that Moscow and Kyiv would prepare documents setting out the positions of each side to reach a sustainable resolution," Lavrov said during a press conference, according to The Kyiv Independent.
"The Russian side, as agreed, promptly drafted a corresponding memorandum, which lays out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis."
Russia has repeatedly made maximalist demands from Ukraine, many of which are the same that it called for at the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russia shoots down 48 Ukrainian drones, defence ministry says
08:22
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Alex Croft
Russian air defences shot down 48 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 30 over the Belgorod region, Moscow’s defence ministry said on Thursday.
Ukrainian troops have continued attacking Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions on its northeastern border, as it looks prevent Russian troops from crossing the border in a potential attack.
Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia has amassed more than 50,000 troops to prepare for an offensive in northeastern Ukraine.
Moscow suggests return to Istanbul for next round of talks
08:00
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Arpan Rai
The Kremlin has said the next direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials could again be held in Istanbul, where negotiations were staged on earlier this month.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Turkish city was “absolutely” being considered as the venue following the previous round of talks, which resulted in an exchange of 1,000 prisoners but no outcome on a ceasefire.
Earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow had suggested Russian ally Belarus as the next location for peace talks, which he said would be impossible for Ukraine to agree to.
Putin 'demands end to Nato expansion' before he will stop Ukraine invasion
07:46
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Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand that Western leaders commit in writing to stop enlarging Nato eastwards and lift a chunk of sanctions on Russia, three Russian sources with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters.
"Putin is ready to make peace but not at any price," one senior Russian source was quoted as saying.
The sources said Mr Putin wants a "written" pledge by major Western powers not to enlarge the US-led Nato alliance eastwards – which is a shorthand for formally ruling out membership to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova and other former Soviet republics.
The first source said that if Mr Putin realises he is unable to reach a peace deal on his own terms, he will seek to show the Ukrainians and the Europeans by military victories that "peace tomorrow will be even more painful".
Russia also wants Ukraine to be "neutral", some Western sanctions lifted, a resolution of the issue of frozen Russian sovereign assets in the West, and protection for Russian speakers in Ukraine, the three sources told Reuters.
Russia to deploy Oreshnik missile systems in Belarus by end of year
07:36
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Arpan Rai
Russia is planning to deploy multiple Oreshnik missile systems to Belarus by the end of 2025, a top official in Belarus said.
State secretary of Belarus' security council Alexander Volfovich said: "The locations for its deployment have already been determined.” He did not specify how many missile systems will be deployed.
Earlier this year, Russian president Vladimir Putin said that Oreshnik missiles could be deployed to Belarus in the second half of 2025, adding that they will remain under Russian control but Moscow will allow Minsk to select the targets.
Putin has hailed Oreshnik’s capability, saying its multiple warheads that plunge to a target at Mach 10 are immune from interception and are so powerful that the use of several of them in one conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack.
Zelensky says Russia gathering 50,000 troops near Sumy region
07:22
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Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near Ukraine's northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there.
His warning comes after he flagged Kyiv had “ample evidence” Moscow was planning a summer offensive on Ukraine rather than pursuing peace, as he continues to accuse Russian president Vladimir Putin of manipulating the west.
Sumy lies across the border from Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine previously seized and held a pocket of land for months, before being almost fully pushed out last month, although it says it still holds some areas there.
"Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front," Mr Zelensky told reporters yesterday.
He said Moscow’s aim was to “push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region."
Ukraine calls on Russia to share memorandum on peace without delay
07:01
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Arpan Rai
Ukraine has already handed over its version of the memorandum on peace to the Russian delegation and urges Moscow to share its version without delay, the defence minister said today.
"We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their "memorandum", so that the meeting won’t be empty and can truly move us closer to ending the war," Rustem Umerov said following Russia's offer to meet in Istanbul on 2 June.
"The Russian side has at least four more days before their departure to provide us with their document for review," he added.
Former Russian president threatens Trump with World War 3 after Putin criticism
06:35
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Arpan Rai
A former Russian president has threatened ‘World War III’ after Donald Trump criticised Vladimir Putin for his actions in Ukraine.
The US branded the comments by the often-inflammatory Dmitry Medvedev “reckless”, as the war of the words between the two global powers continues to ramp up.
However, diplomatic efforts appear to be ongoing despite the public clashes and in a rare move US embassy officials were seen attending a security meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.
Rubio tells Lavrov 'good faith dialogue' with Ukraine will end war
06:34
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Arpan Rai
US secretary of state Marco Rubio doubled down on president Donald Trump's calls for "good faith dialogue" between Ukraine and Russia as the only path to ending the war when he spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov yesterday, the department said.
“Secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Secretary Rubio welcomed Russia and Ukraine’s exchange of “1,000-for-1,000” prisoners over the weekend,” a statement by the State department said.
It added: “The Secretary reiterated president Trump’s calls for constructive, good faith dialogue with Ukraine as the only path to ending this war.”
Germany's Merz says air strikes on Kyiv 'not the language of peace'
06:21
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Arpan Rai
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said continued Russian drone strikes on Ukraine, including on the capital Kyiv, “are not the language of peace” as he vowed continued support for the invaded country.
Mr Merz said yesterday that Germany would continue to pressure Russia with sanctions while bolstering assistance for Kyiv.
His comments came during the announcement of a £4bn military support package for Ukraine, and followed another night of Ukraine and Russia trading drone strikes, with Moscow claiming to have downed nearly 300 drones across 13 regions of Russia, while Kyiv said it had fended off dozens of attacks.
Moscow suggests return to Istanbul for next round of talks
05:51
,
Arpan Rai
The Kremlin has said the next direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials could again be held in Istanbul, where negotiations were staged on earlier this month.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Turkish city was “absolutely” being considered as the venue following the previous round of talks, which resulted in an exchange of 1,000 prisoners but no outcome on a ceasefire.
Earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow had suggested Russian ally Belarus as the next location for peace talks, which he said would be impossible for Ukraine to agree to.
Moscow air defence units repel three drones
05:43
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Arpan Rai
Russian air defence units downed three Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow, the city's mayor said early this morning.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said one of the drones hit a dwelling on a major thoroughfare in the south of the city, but caused no casualties or serious damage.
It comes after Russia's military said it downed nearly 300 drones in several Russian regions on Tuesday night. Mr Sobyanin noted more than two dozen drones were repelled on their way to Moscow during that bombardment.
Former Russian president threatens Trump with World War III after Putin criticism
05:15
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Arpan Rai
A former Russian president has threatened ‘World War III’ after Donald Trump criticised Vladimir Putin for his actions in Ukraine.
The US branded the comments by the often-inflammatory Dmitry Medvedev “reckless”, as the war of the words between the two global powers continues to ramp up. However, diplomatic efforts appear to be ongoing despite the public clashes and in a rare move US embassy officials were seen attending a security meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.
The latest tit-for-tat began at the weekend when Trump called the Russian leader “crazy” following an airstrike on Kyiv. He doubled down on the criticism on Tuesday, in a post on Truth Social: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”
Germany to fund long-range weapons in Ukraine, says Merz
05:13
,
Arpan Rai
Germany has pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on range and target options, as the government in Kyiv fights to repel Russia's invasion.
Some of the advanced weapons systems that Ukraine’s Western partners have supplied during the more than three-year war were subject to range and target restrictions.
The limits have been a fraught political issue, stemming from fears that if the weapons struck Russia, the Kremlin might retaliate against the country that provided them and suck Nato into Europe's bloodiest conflict since the Second World War.
Zelensky says he is ready for meeting between 'Trump, Putin and me'
04:58
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready for a three-way meeting with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, according to a report by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.
"We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. The American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this. We are ready for the 'Trump, Putin, and me' format, and we are ready for the Trump-Putin, Trump-Zelensky format, and then the three of us," Mr Zelensky said.
The report comes after Mr Zelensky challenged the Russian president to meet him in Istanbul for direct talks earlier this month, a dare shunned by Mr Putin, who instead sent a junior delegation to negotiate with Ukrainian officials.
The Kremlin later said a personal meeting between the two leaders was possible but it should be “the outcome of negotiations between Moscow and Kiev on various issues”.
Zelensky says Russia gathering 50,000 troops near Sumy region
04:47
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near Ukraine's northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there.
His warning comes after he flagged Kyiv had “ample evidence” Moscow was planning a summer offensive on Ukraine rather than pursuing peace, as he continues to accuse Russian president Vladimir Putin of manipulating the west.
Sumy lies across the border from Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine previously seized and held a pocket of land for months, before being almost fully pushed out last month, although it says it still holds some areas there.
"Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front," Mr Zelensky told reporters yesterday.
He said Moscow’s aim was to “push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region."
Trump sets 'two weeks' deadline to see if Putin is serious about ending war
04:16
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump has suggested he is giving Vladimir Putin a two-week deadline to decide if the Russian leader is serious about ending the war in Ukraine.
On being asked in the Oval Office yesterday if he thought Mr Putin wanted to end the war, Mr Trump said: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks”.
"Within two weeks. We're gonna find out whether or not (Putin is) tapping us along or not,” he told the reporters. "And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently."
Mr Trump also said that he was not yet prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia because he did not want the penalties to scuttle a potential peace deal.
