Donald Trump is holding crunch talks with Vladimir Putin today to speed up ceasefire efforts after Western leaders demanded an immediate truce.
The 3pm phone call to end the “bloodbath” comes after Trump last week vowed to meet Putin “as soon as we can” during a diplomatic fiasco prompted by the Russian president shunning peace talks in Turkey.
The US president's renewed effort to end the war in Ukraine will also include calls to Nato leaders and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, but the Trump administration has insisted Russia and the US are the only ones who can bring an end to the conflict.
“I will be speaking, by telephone, to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday at 10am. The subjects of the call will be stopping the ‘bloodbath’ that is killing, on average, more than 5000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
A flurry of diplomatic activity began when Zelensky met with US vice president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and European leaders in Rome yesterday, as he intensified his efforts ahead of Trump's call with Putin.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s military intelligence agency has warned Russia could test-launch its intercontinental ballistic missile in a drill to intimidate Ukraine. Russia also carried out its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the war on Sunday and fired at least 273 drones, killing one woman.
Key Points
- Trump to call Putin and Zelensky today in search for peace progress
- Russian intercontinental ballistic missile test intended to intimidate Ukraine and Nato, Kyiv says
- What's on the cards in a busy day for US diplomacy?
- Zelensky says he had ‘good’ meeting with JD Vance
- Australia to send 49 Abrams tanks to Ukraine 'despite US opposition'
Kremlin says US mediation may be better for direct Ukraine talks
10:40
,
Alex Croft
The Kremlin has confirmed the phone call set to be held between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin later today, RIA state news agency reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has now suggested the prospect of US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine could be brought up.
If US mediation in the talks would help Russia achieve its goals in Ukraine through peaceful means, Mr Peskov said, then Moscow would support the move.
He added that the discussions will take into account the results of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul - the first such direct talks in more than three years.
The call will take place at 5pm Moscow time (3pm BST).
It's a busy day for Trump's diplomacy - what should we expect?
10:31
,
Alex Croft
Donald Trump is set to speak directly with Vladimir Putin later today, three days after the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks in years failed to bear fruit.
The last two days have been busy in the realm of US diplomacy. Secretary of state Marco Rubio and vice president JD Vance paid a visit to the Vatican for Pope Leo’s first formal mass, while Mr Trump spoke with a handful of European leaders ahead of today’s phone calls.
The US president is also set to speak with Volodymyr Zelensky - with whom he spoke over the phone on Friday, shortly after the Russia-Ukraine talks concluded. He will call other Nato leaders.
On the table for his phone call with Putin will be the ongoing “bloodbath” in Ukraine and trade, he said.
This suggests Mr Trump could look to use financial incentives to push Moscow towards bringing about a ceasefire in Ukraine - something which Kyiv says Putin is not serious about.
The phone call will also cover last week’s talks, likely looking to address the wide gap in position between Russia and Ukraine.
Mr Trump has phoned the Russian president a handful of times since his second presidency began in January, without prompting any significant breakthroughs towards peace. He will hope today can finally bring the progress he has so keenly sought.
Russian forces fire 112 drones at Ukraine
10:01
,
Alex Croft
Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 112 attack and decoy drones overnight into Monday, Ukraine’s air force has said.
Air defences downed 76 of the Russian drones over Ukraine’s eastern, northern, southern and central regions. A total of 35 disappeared from radar, likely due to Kyiv’s use of electronic warfare.
The Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Cherkasy and Kirovohrad regions were all attacked by Russian drones, the air force added according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Anti-aircraft missile units and aircraft were used by Ukrainian forces to repel the attacks.
Pictured: Celebrations after pro-Eu, pro-Kyiv candidate wins Romania election
09:47
,
Alex Croft
Finland to use proceeds from Russian assets to supply ammunition to Kyiv
09:30
,
Alex Croft
Finland will supply more than £75m (90 million euros) worth of ammunition to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, the defence ministry announced on Monday.
"Finland has been selected as one of the states implementing European Union measures to supply Ukraine with defence materiel using proceeds from frozen Russian assets," it said in a statement.
The ammunition will be procured from Finnish suppliers, with the funding channelled through the European Peace Facility (EPF)
Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen said according to Defence Industry Europe: “Finland’s support for Ukraine is unwavering and strong even in other respects. This new package alongside our national EUR 660 million support programme will forge closer links between the Finnish industry and Finland’s support for Ukraine.
“This is a great example of the Finnish defence industry’s abilities, and it shows that our investments into ammunition production capacity are paying off,” he added.
Ukraine attacks Russian radars in the Black Sea
09:19
,
Alex Croft
Ukraine’s security service says it has destroyed Black Sea gas infrastructure belonging to Russia using unmanned drones.
The target of the strikes was “Russian radar equipment installed on Ukrainian gas extraction platforms,” the SSU said.
A Neva radar station, gas storage points and a residential block on the platform were damaged in the attack, the SSU said.
“As part of the same special operation, SSU specialised officers used two types of drones, demonstrating the effectiveness of joint deployment. Once again, we reminded the enemy that there is no place for Russian junk in the Black Sea,” it added.
Australia to send 49 Abrams tanks to Ukraine
09:02
,
Alex Croft
Dozens of Abrams tanks are set to make their way to Ukraine from Australia despite private objections from US officials, the Australia’s ABC news reported.
Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, confirmed the delivery of 49 retired tanks when meeting Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome on Sunday at Pope Leo XIV’s first formal Sunday mass.
The shipments of the retired tanks have been delayed partly due to resistance from Washington, ABC reported back in April.
This resistance has not subsided, with a US official questioning how useful they are on battlefields in Ukraine. With weak roofs which make them vulnerable to drones, an anonymous Australian defence official even questioned whether Kyiv is interested in the vehicles.
JD Vance greets Pope Leo XIV at inauguration mass on Sunday - ICYMI
08:49
,
Alex Croft
Pope Leo holds meeting with Vance and Rubio
08:35
,
Alex Croft
Pope Leo XIV and US vice president JD Vance met on Monday morning ahead of a flurry of US-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine.
Mr Vance's motorcade was seen entering Vatican City just after 7:30am, one day after the Catholic convert joined Sunday’s formal Mass opening the pontificate of the first American pope.
Joining Mr Vance at the Vatican was secretary of state Marco Rubio, also a Catholic, the vice president’s spokesperson said.
Having been largely sidelined during the first three years of Russia's war, the Vatican has offered to host any peace talks while continuing humanitarian efforts to facilitate prisoner swaps and reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russia.
One killed and three injured in Russian attack on Kherson
08:20
,
Alex Croft
One person was killed and three injured in a Russian attack on the southern city of Kherson late on Sunday.
"A 75-year-old woman sustained fatal injuries after an enemy shell hit her house," the city’s military administration reported.
A man and a woman who suffered concussion and blast injuries were taken to hospital after the attack.
Russia attacks Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region
08:09
,
Alex Croft
A Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region damage buildings overnight on Monday.
"Early reports indicate that there were strikes by six drones in the Shostka hromada. The infrastructure of a business was damaged,” the region’s military administration wrote.
Emergency operations are ongoing with the full extent of damage yet to be confirmed.
In photos: A look at Russia's intercontinental ballistic missile Ukraine says Putin could test-launch
07:36
,
Arpan Rai
Poland seizes tires for Boeing aircraft headed for Russia
07:24
,
Arpan Rai
Polish customs seized five metric tons of tires for civilian Boeing aircraft which were due to transit through Belarus and Russia, the country's National Revenue Administration said this morning, adding such goods are covered by European Union sanctions.
"Officers... discovered during the inspection of a truck in Koroszczyn that the driver was transporting tires used in Boeing civil planes instead of the declared car and bus tires," the National Revenue Administration said.
"The sender of the goods was a company from Spain, and the recipient was from Azerbaijan. Criminal fiscal proceedings were initiated in connection with customs fraud. The sanctioned goods were detained,” the officials said in a statement.
Western sanctions against Russia have been toughened repeatedly since its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in 2022 without ending the war.
At least 70 combat clashes reported along front line so far on Sunday
07:16
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s military has reported another day of heavy fighting along the frontline, with at least 70 clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces reported so far.
Once again, the heaviest fighting was in the direction of Pokrovsk, according to Ukraine’s military, with Vladimir Putin’s forces making 25 attempts to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their positions in settlements near the Donetsk city, which has been central in Moscow’s sights for months now.
In its daily update, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said Ukrainian troops had already repelled 22 attacks on the Povkrovsk axis, with three more confrontations ongoing.
Zelensky builds indirect pressure on Trump-Zelensky call as he meets Vance
06:43
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky met with US vice president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and European leaders in Rome yesterday, as he intensified his efforts ahead of Donald Trump's on call with Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian president said on X that during his talks with the American officials, they discussed the negotiations in Turkey and that "the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers".
He also said he stressed that Ukraine is engaged in "real diplomacy" to have a ceasefire.
"We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defence cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange," Mr Zelensky said.
"Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war," he said.
The push came as the Kremlin launched its largest drone barrage against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, firing a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys, Ukraine's air force said yesterday.
The attacks targeted the war-hit nation’s Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.
Watch: Russia's 'largest drone attack' on Ukraine leaves trail of destruction in Kyiv region
06:15
,
Arpan Rai
Trump hopes for ceasefire progress in Russia-Ukraine war in calls with Putin and Zelensky today
06:11
,
Arpan Rai
President Donald Trump is hoping separate phone calls today with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will make progress toward a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump has expressed his hopes for a "productive day" Monday — and a ceasefire — in a social media post over the weekend. His effort will also include calls to Nato leaders.
Mr Trump said his discussion with Mr Putin would focus on stopping the "bloodbath" of the war.
It also will cover trade, a sign that the US president might be seeking to use financial incentives to broker some kind of agreement after Russia's invasion led to severe sanctions by the US and its allies that have steadily eroded Moscow's ability to grow.
Mr Trump's hope, according to the post, is that "a war that should have never happened will end”.
The Republican president is banking on the idea that his force of personality and personal history with Mr Putin will be enough to break any impasse over a pause in the fighting.
"His sensibilities are that he's got to get on the phone with President Putin, and that is going to clear up some of the logjam and get us to the place that we need to get to," said Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff. "I think it's going to be a very successful call,” he said.
Four European leaders aim to speak with Trump before his call with Putin, Merz says
05:41
,
Arpan Rai
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that he, Sir Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Poland’s Donald Tusk are aiming to speak with Donald Trump ahead of the US president’s planned call with Vladimir Putin likely to take place today.
Mr Merz said he had discussed the issue with US secretary of state Marco Rubio while the two men were attending the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican. Mr Merz said he also spoke at length at the Vatican with Ukraine’s [president Volodymyr Zelensky}.
“I spoke with Marco Rubio, including about the call tomorrow. We agreed that we will speak again with the four state leaders and the US president in preparation of this conversation,” the German chancellor told reporters.
Zelensky ready for ‘talks in any format’ after Vatican offers to host
05:36
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky said he met Pope Leo following the new pontiff’s inaugural Mass at the Vatican, adding that Kyiv was ready for talks in any format to get real results in ending the war with Russia.
The Ukrainian president said on Telegram that he was grateful to the Vatican for its readiness to host direct talks between Ukraine and Russia and “for its clear voice to defend just and lasting peace”.
Kremlin says Putin could meet Zelensky if certain agreements are reached
05:10
,
Arpan Rai
After the first direct peace talks in Turkey, the Kremlin said on Russian president Vladimir Putin could meet Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, but only if certain agreements were reached.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not specify what agreements would be required from Russia's point of view. Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky have not met since December 2019.
President Zelensky had challenged the Kremlin leader to meet him in Turkey this week but Mr Putin instead sent a team of aides and officials to meet Ukrainian negotiators on Friday for the first bilateral, face-to-face talks since March 2022.
Ukraine said it had raised the issue of a Putin-Zelensky meeting at the talks.
Mr Peskov said Russia considered such a meeting was possible, but only as a result of work between the two sides to "achieve certain results in the form of agreements".
He added: "At the same time, when signing documents that the delegations are to agree upon, the main and fundamental thing for us remains who exactly will sign these documents from the Ukrainian side."
Mr Peskov did not elaborate on that remark.
At least one person killed in Russia's largest drone strike of war
04:59
,
Arpan Rai
After a night of air alerts, Ukraine's Air Force said as of 8am Russia had launched 273 drones at Ukrainian cities, more than the previous record Moscow had set in February on the war’s third anniversary.
In the ruins of her family home in the Obukhiv region west of Kyiv, Natalia Piven, 44, told Reuters of how she squeezed into a cellar with her son after an air raid warning, just in time to survive a first wave of drones.
They then ran out to a bomb shelter at a kindergarten, before another wave of drones bore down on the village. Their house was completely destroyed.
A 28-year-old woman who lived next door was killed. Ukrainian authorities said three other people were injured including a four-year-old child.
“I cannot get over it. I simply cannot. I could clearly hear the drone flying right towards my house,” Ms Piven said.
Full report: Zelensky and Vance shake hands in first meeting since Oval Office clash
04:37
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky and US vice president JD Vance were seen shaking hands at the inauguration of new Pope Leo XIV on Sunday.
It was the first meeting of the pair following the infamous White House clash earlier this year, which saw President Zelensky leaving after a shouting match with Donald Trump and Mr Vance.
The pair smiled as they shook hands in the brief exchange. Mr Zelensky later met with Mr Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the mass, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told Reuters.
Our correspondent Rebecca Thomas has the full report:
Zelensky says he had ‘good’ meeting with JD Vance
04:17
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “good” meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and vice president JD Vance, in their first encounter since the infamous Oval Office clash earlier this year.
The Ukrainian president released pictures of Kyiv and Washington officials sitting outside at a round table and smiling. Ukrainian media said the meeting lasted 40 minutes.
“I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible,” Mr Zelensky said.
Russian intercontinental ballistic missile test intended to intimidate Ukraine and Nato, Kyiv says
04:14
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine's military intelligence agency said yesterday that Russia planned to conduct a “training and combat” launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile to intimidate Ukraine and the West.
The overnight launch was ordered to be implemented from Russia’s Sverdlovsk region, the GUR agency said, adding the missile’s flight range was more than 10,000km (6,200 miles).
“In order to demonstratively pressure and intimidate Ukraine, and also EU and Nato member states, the aggressor state of Russia intends to make a ‘training and combat’ launch of the RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yars complex,” GUR said in the statement.
There was no immediate comment from Russia on the Ukrainian military intelligence statement. Russia does not answer questions about its plans to test launch nuclear missiles, the details of which it classifies as a military secret, although it issues statements after such launches.
Starmer discussed Ukraine war with Trump, Macron, Meloni, and Merz
03:58
,
Arpan Rai
Sir Keir Starmer has held a phone call with Donald Trump and other European leaders ahead of the US president’s call with Vladimir Putin tomorrow about Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Downing Street said Sir Keir and Mr Trump – along with France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Germany’s Friedrich Merz – discussed “the situation in Ukraine, and the catastrophic cost of the war to both sides”.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “Looking ahead to President Trump’s call with President Putin tomorrow, the leaders discussed the need for an unconditional ceasefire and for President Putin to take peace talks seriously.
“They also discussed the use of sanctions if Russia failed to engage seriously in a ceasefire and peace talks. The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.”
Mr Trump had initially announced that he would speak to Mr Putin on Monday and follow that discussion up with calls to Volodymyr Zelensky and Nato allies, but Western leaders said on Sunday they were pushing to speak to the US president prior to his call to Moscow.