Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of “doing anything” to avoid a summit between the two countries, in a blow to Donald Trump’s plan for a peace deal in Ukraine.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Nato chief Mark Rutte, Zelensky said the issue was that Russia “do not want to end the war”.
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov cast doubt on the possibility of a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, saying an agenda was "not ready at all".
Lavrov said that while Russia had agreed to be flexible on a number of points raised by Trump, Moscow’s demands for a peace deal were unchanged.
When asked later whether there was a possibility he would do nothing if Putin did not come to the table, Trump said he would wait and see “whose fault it is” before making a move.
“I think in two weeks, we'll know which way I'm going,” he continued, adding he would need to decide whether to “impose massive sanctions” or step away.
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Key Points
- Trump threatens to impose 'massive sanctions' on Russia
- Putin's land demands are a 'trap' for Ukraine, warns EU official
- Russia does not want to end the war, says Zelensky
- Ukrainian man arrested in Italy over Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
Ukrainian man arrested in Italy over Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
07:42
,
Namita Singh
A Ukrainian man accused of helping to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines has been arrested in northern Italy.
The 49-year-old, named by investigators as Serhii K, once served in Ukraine’s security services and special forces, reported Sky News.
He was detained at a bungalow hotel in San Clemente, Rimini province, after German prosecutors issued a European arrest warrant. Officers from Italy’s Carabinieri raided his room without resistance.
Mr K had checked in with his family under his real name, triggering a police alert. At least one of their travel tickets was issued in Poland. He had driven across the Italian border last week in a car with Ukrainian plates.
No weapons or further evidence were recovered during the search.
He has denied the charges, insisting he was in Ukraine at the time of the September 2022 blasts, which ruptured three Russian pipelines near Bornholm island in the Baltic Sea. German authorities accuse him of collusion to cause explosions, sabotage and destruction of infrastructure.
Deputy Bologna Prosecutor Licia Scagliarini authorised his handover to Germany, but Mr K told the court he would not consent, which could delay extradition. He remains in custody in Bologna until the next hearing on 3 September.
The Nord Stream explosions escalated the Ukraine war and deepened Europe’s energy crisis.
Western intelligence has suggested a pro-Ukraine group may have been involved, but responsibility has never been claimed. Italian prosecutors are also probing possible links with other sabotage incidents, including the sinking of a Russian-linked oil tanker off Savona earlier this year.
Putin's land demands are a 'trap' for Ukraine, warns EU official
07:12
,
Namita Singh
The European Union's foreign policy chief said that the possibility of Ukraine ceding land to Russia as part of a peace deal to end their three-year war is "a trap" set by Mr Putin.
The Russian leader is demanding Ukrainian concessions in return for halting his army's invasion but granting him those demands would amount to rewarding the country that started the fighting, Kaja Kallas, vice-president of the European Commission, said.
The recent talk about handing Putin concessions is "exactly the trap that Russia wants us to walk into," Kallas said in an interview with the BBC.
"I mean, the discussion all about what Ukraine should give up, what the concessions that Ukraine is willing to (make), whereas we are forgetting that Russia has not made one single concession and they are the ones who are the aggressor here, they are the ones who are brutally attacking another country and killing people," she said.
"Russia is just dragging feet. It's clear that Russia does not want peace," Kallas said.
"President Trump has been repeatedly saying that the killing has to stop and Putin is just laughing, not stopping the killing, but increasing the killing."
Russia does not want to end the war, says Zelensky
06:50
,
Namita Singh
Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia wants to avoid a meeting with him because “they do not want to end the war”.
The Ukrainian president spoke during a press conference alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, who was visiting Kyiv.
"It is necessary that this space for avoidance be reduced," Zelensky said.
"US and European unity will reduce this space."
Rutte said that Trump wants to "break the deadlock" with Putin and engage the United States in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
"President Trump has made this a priority," he told the news conference.
No meeting between Putin and Zelensky planned, says Russian minister
06:30
,
Namita Singh
Russia's top diplomat said there are no plans for a meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss their three-year war, days after US president Donald Trump said he had begun arrangements for them to sit down together.
"There is no meeting planned" between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told NBC.
Uncertainty has grown in recent days about Moscow's commitment to US-led peace efforts, as Russian officials have raised fundamental objections to the nascent proposals.
Lavrov said Putin would be ready to meet with Zelensky to discuss peace terms – but only after key issues were first worked out by senior officials. That could involve a protracted negotiating process between two sides that are currently far apart.
Ukraine wants Western security guarantees to deter any post-war Russian attack, and US and European officials are scrambling to come up with detailed proposals on how that might work.
But Lavrov said earlier this week that making security arrangements for Ukraine without Moscow's involvement was pointless.
Trump vexed over progress in Russia-Ukraine peace talks
06:07
,
Namita Singh
Donald Trump has expressed frustration that the peace talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky have not yet been scheduled.
"We're going to see whether or not they have a meeting," Trump told reporters.
"It'll be interesting to see. If they don't, why didn't they have a meeting, because I told them to have a meeting. But I'll know what I am going to do in two weeks."
Trump said he had begun making arrangements for a Putin-Zelensky meeting on Monday soon after concluding White House talks with Zelensky and European leaders and speaking on the phone with Putin.
Russia's top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, made clear on Friday that Putin won't sit down with Zelensky until Ukraine agrees to certain concessions.
Putin praises Trump’s leadership
05:45
,
Namita Singh
Vladimir Putin praised Donald Trump for his leadership as he expressed hope of improved bilateral ties between the two nations.
Calling the meeting with him during their Alaska summit “just the start of a full recovery of our relations,” with the US, he added that the outcome would depend on several other western nations.
He also allayed his scepticism about the progress made, saying that the US is “bound by its obligations” to its partners including Nato.
“But I am sure that leadership qualities of the current president, President Trump, are a good guarantee that the relationships will be restored,” Putin said.
Trump ‘not happy’ after Russia hits American electronics manufacturer in Ukraine
05:22
,
Namita Singh
President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure on Friday over a Russian strike hitting an American electronics manufacturer in Ukraine.
"I [said] that I'm not happy about it, and I'm not happy about anything having to do with that war," Trump said.
"No, I'm not happy about anything about that war. Nothing. Not happy at all. We'll see what happens. I say, over the next two weeks, we're going to find out which way it's going to go. And, I better be very happy," Trump added.
The US president again threatened Russia with “massive sanctions” over the war unless an agreement is reached within a fortnight. Only then, Trump said, would he decide on “whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both — or do we do nothing and say, ‘it’s your fight.’”
This is not the first time that Trump has expressed a desire to enforce stronger sanctions, only to change his mind.
Last month, he threatened Russia with 100 per cent tariffs if a truce was not reached and on 28 July, he gave Putin another 10 days to reach a deal with Ukraine.
However, that deadline passed without much action.
Trump to sign picture of his meet with Putin in Alaska
05:03
,
Namita Singh
President Donald Trump on Friday brandished his picture with Vladimir Putin from Alaska that he said the Russian leader sent him.
"I was just sent a picture from somebody that wants to be there very badly," Trump said. "He's been very respectful of me and of our country, but not so respectful of others."
"I'm going to sign this for him. But I was sent one, and I thought you'd like to see it," Trump said as he shared that the Russian president expressed a desire to attend the Fifa World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in the US next year.
“He may be coming and he may not, depending on what happens. We have a lot of things happening over the next couple of weeks."
"But I thought it was a nice picture of him. Okay of me, but nice of him. So, that was very nice that it was sent to me," the US president said.
British aid worker killed in Ukraine drone strike, according to NGO
04:31
,
Namita Singh
The family of a British aid worker reportedly killed in a Russian drone strike while volunteering in Ukraine has been left in "red tape limbo", an NGO has said.
Annie Lewis Marffy, 69, travelled from her home in Silverton, near Exeter, Devon, in late May to deliver a green Toyota Rav4 packed with supplies.
She arrived in Ukraine on 4 June but did not meet co-ordinators from Aid Ukraine UK, the non-profit NGO which had organised the mission, as planned.
After a week of searching for Ms Lewis Marffy, the organisation was contacted by the Kramatorsk district police department with information that she had been killed.
It adds that her body "remains in an area of active hostilities, making it impossible to conduct evacuation measures to transfer the body to the forensic medical examination department".
Her family have asked for a death certificate to be issued, based on the Kramatorsk district police department report, either through local authorities or the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). But this process could take months or years due to to lack her remains.
Katarzyna Bylok, founder of Aid Ukraine, said: "It leaves her family in a horrible red tape limbo.”
Putin praises Trump, says he's 'the light at the end of the tunnel' for struggling relations
04:12
,
Namita Singh
Russian president Vladimir Putin praised US president Donald Trump on Friday, describing the US leader as "the light at the end of the tunnel" for struggling Moscow-Washington relations.
"Our relationship with the United States is at one of the lowest levels it's been since the end of World War II," Putin said at an event in Sarov, a closed city about 370km east of Moscow that has served as a base for Russia's nuclear weapons program since the late 1940s.
"But with the arrival of President Trump, I think that a light at the end of the tunnel has finally appeared."Putin also commended Trump's leadership qualities and said he hoped that the first steps had been taken to ensure the "full-scale restoration" of Russia-US ties.
He said that Russian companies were already discussing plans with "American partners" on opportunities for co-operation across the Arctic and in Alaska in areas such as liquified natural gas.
The comments came the same day as Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with NBC, said that there were no plans for a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky - a proposal that Trump has repeatedly floated to end Russia's three-year invasion of its neighbour.
RECAP: Ukraine target Druzhba oil pipeline
03:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukrainian strikes have targeted the Druzhba oil pipeline, hitting the Unecha oil pumping station in the Bryansk region, according to the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdy.
The Druzhba pipeline starts in Russia and takes oil through Belarus and Ukraine to Slovakia and Hungary - both of whom have since expressed concern about the impact on their own countries, adding the pipeline could be out of use for five days.
"The physical and geographical reality is that without this pipeline, the safe supply of our countries is simply not possible," foreign ministers Peter Szijjarto and Juraj Blanar said in a letter.
It comes as Ukrainian efforts focus in on targeting infrastructure supporting Moscow's war effort. It has hit oil refineries, among other targets, and Russian wholesale gasoline prices have reached record highs in recent days.
Putin 'may be coming' to World Cup 2026
02:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Friday saw Trump begin to speak of the possibility of sanctions for Moscow if they weren’t prepared to sit down for peace talks.
But at the same time, the US president said Putin may land on US soil for the upcoming World Cup competition which will take place across the country next summer.
Reaching into a drawer to pull out a photograph of his meeting with Putin on the red carpet in Alaska, he told reporters Putin wanted to attend the World Cup 2026 soccer tournament in the United States.
"I'm going to sign this for him. But I was sent one, and I thought you would like to see it, it's a man named Vladimir Putin, who I believe will be coming, depending on what happens. He may be coming, and he may not, depending on what happens," Trump said.
RECAP: Ukraine and Nato hold press conference in Kyiv
01:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Nato chief Mark Rutte held a joint press conference as Mr Rutte visited Kyiv on Friday.
Zelensky said the pair had discussed included “diplomacy, security guarantees, and weapons for our warriors”.
Speaking during the press conference, Mr Rutte reaffirmed Nato support for Ukraine was “unwavering”.
❝Three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine continues to stand strong.❞
— NATO (@NATO) August 22, 2025
— @SecGenNATO during a press conference with President of Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv
Watch the full press conference ↓#StandWithUkraine
Trump: 'It's like oil and vinegar'
Saturday 23 August 2025 00:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Speaking to reporters on Friday, US President Donald Trump said Zelensky and Putin were “a little bit” like “oil and vinegar”.
"Well, we'll see. We're going to see if Putin and Zelenskiy will be working together. It's like oil and vinegar a little bit,” he said when asked about next steps.
Friday 22 August 2025 23:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukraine's foreign ministry have warned Minsk against “provocations” during joint Belarus-Russian "Zapad" military drills in September
They also called on European partners to remain vigilant over the drills, which have raised security concerns in neighbouring Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
"The build-up of Russian troops on the borders of Ukraine in 2021-2022 took place under the cover of the joint military exercises of Russia and Belarus 'Zapad-2021'. We warn Minsk against reckless provocations," the ministry said on X.
It urged Belarussian authorities "to remain prudent, not to approach the borders and not to provoke" Ukrainian armed forces.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed the idea that Minsk would utilise the exercises to attack its neighbours as "complete nonsense".
Putin: 'Light at the end of the tunnel' for Russia-US relations
Friday 22 August 2025 22:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that there was "light at the end of the tunnel" in Russia-U.S. relations following his meeting with Donald Trump last week.
The Russian leader said the two countries were discussing joint projects in the Arctic and Alaska.
"With the arrival of President Trump, I think that a light at the end of the tunnel has finally loomed. And now we had a very good, meaningful and frank meeting in Alaska," Putin said, referring to last week's summit.
"The next steps now depend on the leadership of the United States, but I am confident that the leadership qualities of the current president, President Trump, are a good guarantee that relations will be restored."
Recap: Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia could be suspended for 5 days
Friday 22 August 2025 21:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia could be halted for at least five days after a Ukrainian strike on a facility in Russia.
Ukrainian forced said late on Thursday night they had hit the Unecha oil pumping station, a critical part of Russia's Europe-bound Druzhba oil pipeline.
The Hungarian and Slovak foreign ministers wrote to the European Commission on Friday saying that the latest Ukrainian attack could leave them without Russian oil imports for at least five days, urging it to guarantee the security of supplies.
"The physical and geographical reality is that without this pipeline, the safe supply of our countries is simply not possible," Hungary's Peter Szijjarto and Slovakia's Juraj Blanar said in their letter.
France's Macron says he coordinated position on Ukraine crisis with India's Modi
Friday 22 August 2025 21:00
,
Alex Croft
French president Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that he had spoken with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, with the two leaders coordinating their positions on the war in Ukraine.
Macron added that on trade issues, the two leaders agreed to strengthen economic exchanges and strategic partnerships.
India has come under pressure from the United States over its purchases of Russian oil and goods from the country are facing additional tariffs of up to 50 per cent, among the highest imposed by Washington, over the issue.
Which countries could send troops to Ukraine in a post-war settlement?
Friday 22 August 2025 20:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
If an agreement is reached to end the war in Ukraine, keeping the peace will become top of the agenda.
Several countries have indicated willingness to contribute peacekeeping troops to the effort, including most recently Estonia, who on Friday afternoon said they could send one battalion to contribute to postwar peace efforts.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have both spoken in favour of troop deployments in a post-war settlement as part of Ukraine's coalition of the willing, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also signalling openness to German participation.
However, all peacekeeping is dependent on Kyiv and Moscow reaching a deal - something as of yet they have been unable to do.
Watch: Zelensky accuses Russia of deliberate attack on US-owned factory
Friday 22 August 2025 20:00
,
Alex Croft
Rutte: 'Nato's support for Ukraine is unwavering'
Friday 22 August 2025 19:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Nato chief Mark Rutte has said the organisation’s support for Ukraine is “unwavering” following a meeting with Zelensky earlier on Friday.
Posting on X, Mr Rutte said it had been “good” to be in Kyiv and meet the Ukrainian leader.
Good to be in Kyiv today and meet with my friend President @ZelenskyyUa. NATO’s support for Ukraine is unwavering and continues to grow. We stand with you in the push for a just and lasting peace. pic.twitter.com/5T5ROJQz5F
— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) August 22, 2025
Trump: 'I'll know in two weeks what I'm going to do'
Friday 22 August 2025 18:53
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Donald Trump has said he will know “in two weeks” what his decision is regarding any action over the war in Ukraine.
When asked by a reporter on Friday afternoon whether there was a possibility of him doing nothing if Putin fails to come to the table, he said: “I'll see whose fault it is. If there are reasons why I’ll understand that. I know exactly what I’m doing.
“We’re going to see whether or not they’ll have a meeting, it will be interesting to see. If they don’t, why didn’t they have a meeting? I told them to have a meeting.
“I'll know in two weeks what I'm going to do.”
He said he would decide then whether to impose "massive sanctions" or do nothing and say "it's your fight."
REPORTER: Is it a possibility that you do nothing if Putin doesn't come to the table?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 22, 2025
TRUMP: I'll see whose fault it is. I'll know in two weeks what I'm gonna do. pic.twitter.com/17DR3PmorQ
Vance says it’s up to Europe to provide ‘lion’s share’ of Ukraine security guarantees
Friday 22 August 2025 18:30
,
Alex Croft
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said that Europe should “carry the burden” and take the “lion’s share” of the responsibility for safeguarding Ukraine should a peace deal with Russia be secured.
Defense Undersecretary for Policy Elbridge Colby has meanwhile said that American involvement in any future peacekeeping mission in the region would be “minimal,” according to Politico.
The comments come as President Donald Trump continues in his attempt to play mediator in separate talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, meeting with the Russian president in Alaska last week and Zelensky in D.C. on Monday in the company of Europe’s leading heads of state in pursuit of a breakthrough.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
No plans for peace talks, Moscow says
Friday 22 August 2025 18:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russia's top diplomat said Friday there are no plans for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss their three-year war.
It comes just a few days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had begun arrangements for them to sit down together.
In a taped interview for NBC’, Russian foreign minister Serget Lavrov said: "There is no meeting planned".
Russian troops take control of three settlements in Donetsk region
Friday 22 August 2025 17:30
,
Alex Croft
Russian troops have taken control of the settlements of Rusyn Yar, Volodymyrivka and Katerynivka in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said on Friday.
The Independent could not independently confirm the battlefield report.
ICYMI - Russia's drone strikes spark huge fire at energy facility in Ukraine
Friday 22 August 2025 17:00
,
Alex Croft
Court confirms arrest of Ukrainian man over Nord Stream attacks
Friday 22 August 2025 16:47
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
A Ukrainian man has been arrested on suspicion of coordinating attacks on three Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, an Italian court has confirmed today.
The man, who has been identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was arrested on Thursday near the Italian coastal town of Rimini under a European warrant.
He was part of a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, according to a statement issued by the German prosecutor's office on Thursday.
He faces charges of collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of important structures.
You can read more here.
Trump to 'wait and see' whether Kyiv and Moscow can come to an agreement
Friday 22 August 2025 16:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
US President Donald Trump has said he will “wait and see” whether Zelensky and Putin can reach an agreement on ending the war without him.
He told reporters he was not sure if he needed to be at a meeting he has been trying to set up between Putin and Zelensky, adding he would rather not attend.
It comes just one week after Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska that ended in a stalemate.
Estonia 'ready to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine', PM says
Friday 22 August 2025 16:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Estonia is ready to participate in a peacekeeping operation in Ukraine with a force of up to one battalion, the Baltic country's Prime Minister Kristen Michal said at a press conference with his Finnish counterpart in Tallinn on Friday.
Zelensky: Kyiv wants understanding of security guarantees in 7-10 days
Friday 22 August 2025 15:30
,
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv wants to have an understanding of security guarantees in the next seven to 10 days, before bilateral and trilateral leaders meetings, he told reporters on Wednesday.
He added that if Russia was not willing to sit down for a meeting, he wanted a “strong reaction from the United States.
Zelensky: Nato talks included security and weapons
Friday 22 August 2025 15:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has said his talks with Nato chief Mark Rutte included “diplomacy, security guarantees, and weapons for our warriors”.
In a post on X, Zelensky shared a video of himself meeting with Mr Rutte and said the pair had discussed ways to bring “the real end of the war closer”.
Today, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is in Ukraine. During our meeting, we discussed, first and foremost, what next joint steps of ours can provide Ukraine and all of Europe with greater security and bring the real end of the war closer.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 22, 2025
Most importantly, this includes our… pic.twitter.com/Ve5NrdyQqB
Family of killed British aid worker left in 'red tape limbo'
Friday 22 August 2025 14:28
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
The family of a British aid worker reportedly killed by a Russian drone strike have been left in “red tape limbo” following her death, according to an NGO.
Annie Lewis Marffy, 69, travelled from her home in Devon to Ukraine in late May to deliver a green Toyota Rav4 packed with supplies. But after arriving she failed to meet with co-ordinators from Aid Ukraine UK as planned.
A police report said she sustained “injuries incompatible with life” after a Russian drone strike between June 11 and 12 in the Donbas region.
It adds that her body “remains in an area of active hostilities, making it impossible to conduct evacuation measures to transfer the body to the forensic medical examination department”.
But the lack of death certificate has left her family in “red tape limbo”, according to the NGO, and unable to close her affairs.
Zelensky urges Ukraine's allies to sanction Russia
Friday 22 August 2025 14:09
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Zelensky has called on Ukraine’s allies to put sanctions on Moscow if they do not heed calls for peace.
The Ukrainian leader called on his country's allies to pressure Russia into "at least a minimally productive position".
Speaking about any potential security guarantees at this afternoon’s press conference, he said: "This is the beginning of a big undertaking, and it is not easy, because guarantees consist of what our partners can give Ukraine, as well as what the Ukrainian army should be like, and where we can find opportunities for the army to maintain its strength.”
Nato working on robust security guarantees which will prevent further Russian attack, says Rutte
Friday 22 August 2025 13:44
,
Alex Croft
We’ve heard from Nato chief Mark Rutte, who is discussing security guarantees for Ukraine during a press conference with president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Nato allies and Ukraine are working together to make sure security guarantees for Ukraine are at such a robust level that Russia will never try to attack again, Mr Rutte said on Friday, adding that Europe and the United States would be involved in providing them.
"Robust security guarantees will be essential, and this is what we are now working on to define", Mr Rutte added.
Zelensky says Moscow doing everything it can to avoid Putin meeting
Friday 22 August 2025 13:25
,
Alex Croft
Volodmyr Zelensky has now responded to comments by Moscow that Vladimir Putin is “not ready at all” for a meeting between the two.
The Ukrainian president said on Friday that Russia was doing everything it could to make sure that a meeting between him and Vladimir Putin does not take place, and called on Ukraine’s allies to apply fresh sanctions on Moscow if it showed no desire to end its invasion.
Mr Zelensky, who was speaking at a joint press conference alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte in Kyiv, said they had discussed security guarantees for Ukraine by other states, which he said ought to be similar to Nato’s Article 5 that considers an attack on one member as an attack against all.
Lavrov says Putin 'not ready' to meet Zelensky
Friday 22 August 2025 13:14
,
Daniel Keane
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has cast doubt on whether a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky will take place, in a blow to Donald Trump’s plan for a peace deal in Ukraine.
In an interview with NBC News, Lavrov said that the agenda for a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders was “not ready at all”.
“When President Trump brought … those issues to the meeting in Washington, it was very clear to everybody that there are several principles which Washington believes must be accepted, including no Nato membership, including the discussion of territorial issues, and Zelenskyy said no to everything,” he said.
Trump had previously suggested that Putin and Zelensky would meet without him in a bid to break the deadlock in negotiations.
Russia launches 55 drones at Ukraine
Friday 22 August 2025 13:14
,
Alex Croft
Russian forces launched 55 drones at Ukraine overnight, 46 of which were neutralised by Ukrainian air defences, the air force has said.
A total of nine strikes were recorded as of 9am on Friday morning.
Moscow’’s forces launched drones from the cities of Shatalovo, Kursk, M
