Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are considering a deal that involves Washington buying battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from the US.
The Ukrainian president said his latest talks with Mr Trump focused on a deal that would help each country bolster its aerial technology.
Ukrainian drones have been able to strike targets as deep as 800 miles (1,300 km) into Russian territory.
“The people of America need this technology, and you need to have it in your arsenal," Mr Zelensky told the New York Post.
The Ukrainian leader said drones were the key tool that has allowed his country to fight off Russia's invasion for more than three years.
"We will be ready to share this experience with America and other European partners," he said. Ukraine was also in talks with Denmark, Norway and Germany, Mr Zelensky said.
It comes as Russia pounded four Ukrainian cities overnight into Wednesday, injuring at least 15 people in an attack that mostly targeted energy infrastructure, officials said.
The Ukrainian air force said Moscow launched 400 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as one ballistic missile, during the night,
Read More
Key Points
- Medvedev says preemptive strikes against the West could be needed
- 15 injured as Russian attack targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight
- Russia and Ukraine exchange more bodies of war dead
- Ukraine's foreign minister says Kyiv ready for talks with Moscow
- Ukrainian parliament approves new prime minister
Zelensky says deputy PM Stefanishyna to become new envoy to US
15:29
,
Jabed Ahmed
Olha Stefanishyna, a deputy prime minister responsible for Euro-Atlantic integration, would become the country's new ambassador to the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Zelensky wrote on Telegram that he had appointed her as the special presidential representative to the US so that she could develop relations with Washington while the procedures necessary for her appointment took place.
Stefanishyna has served as Ukraine's minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration since 2020, during which time Ukraine began its accession process to the EU.
Ukraine's current ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, incurred the wrath of Trump's incoming administration during the 2024 election battle with his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Markarova was accused by Republicans of helping Biden's Democratic Party by organising Zelensky's visit to a Pennsylvania ammunition factory in autumn 2024, which was attended by Democratic politicians but not by Republicans.
The incident was brought up by Vice President J.D. Vance during his spat with Zelensky in the disastrous Oval Office meeting, at which Markarova was present.
Zelensky says he and Trump are considering a drone 'mega-deal'
15:22
,
Jabed Ahmed
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are considering a deal that involves Washington buying battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from the US.
The Ukrainian president said his latest talks with Mr Trump focused on a deal that would help each country bolster its aerial technology.
Ukrainian drones have been able to strike targets as deep as 800 miles (1,300 km) into Russian territory.
“The people of America need this technology, and you need to have it in your arsenal," Mr Zelensky told the New York Post.
The Ukrainian leader said drones were the key tool that has allowed his country to fight off Russia's invasion for more than three years.
"We will be ready to share this experience with America and other European partners," he said. Ukraine was also in talks with Denmark, Norway and Germany, Mr Zelensky said.
Ukraine received 850,000 large-calibre ammunition pieces from Czech
15:01
,
Steffie Banatvala
Ukraine has received 850,000 large-calibre ammunition pieces, including 320,000 155 mm shells, under a Czech aid initiative so far in 2025, the Czech Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
This compares with 1.5 million shells, including half a million 155mm shells, in all of 2024, it said.
Ukraine's new prime minister announces full audit of public spending
14:27
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine's newly appointed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has said that her government would be launching a full audit of public finances to achieve "real savings" and that large-scale privatisations should be accelerated.
Svyrydenko, who was voted in by parliament earlier in the day, said on X that her priorities in the role would be to ensure reliable supplies to the army and to expand domestic weapons production.
Russian forces take control of three Ukrainian villages across multiple regions, defence ministry says
13:58
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russian troops have taken control of three villages in three different parts of Ukraine, the Defence Ministry has said.
It named the three settlements as Kamianske in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Dehtiarne in the eastern Kharkiv region, and Popiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region.
Moscow says it has incorporated the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions into Russia, a move that Kyiv and most Western countries reject as illegal.
The Independent could not confirm the battlefield report.
Kremlin analysing Trump's warnings on secondary tariffs
13:27
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russia is continuing to analyse the impacts of possible secondary tariffs against buyers of Russian exports, as announced by Donald Trump.
The Kremlin has so far reacted icily to Trump's warnings to President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, saying that decisions taken by the US president and Nato would be interpreted by Kyiv as a signal to continue the war.
Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine on Monday and threatened "biting" secondary tariffs of 100 per cent on the buyers of Russian exports unless there is a peace deal in 50 days.
Putin has not yet commented publicly on Trump's threats.
On Thursday, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that the Kremlin chief would comment if he judges it fit to do so.
Kremlin says mobile internet switch offs across Russia are needed to counter Ukrainian threat
12:58
,
Jabed Ahmed
The Kremlin has said that the decision to sometimes switch off the mobile internet across Russia was justified to protect people from threats posed by Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was responding to a question about internet outages after the internet outage tracking service Sboi.rf reported unstable internet in dozens of Russian regions this week.
Authorities are known to turn off mobile internet when necessary to try to disrupt Ukrainian drone attacks.
Kremlin responds to Medvedev: remarks are 'justified'
12:43
,
Steffie Banatvala
The Kremlin has responded to remarks made by former president Dmitry Medvedev about potential preemptive strikes on the West.
Kremlin said that Medvedev had expressed his opinion and that his concerns about the "confrontational" environment of Europe were justified.
What are Patriot missiles and why does Ukraine need them?
12:29
,
Jabed Ahmed
Zelensky announces new envoy to US
12:17
,
Steffie Banatvala
President Zelensky on Thursday said Olha Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister for Euro-Atlantic integration, will be Ukraine’s new ambassador to the United States.
Zelensky wrote on Telegram that he had appointed her as the special presidential representative to the US so that she could develop relations with Washington while the procedures necessary for her appointment took place.
Stefanishyna has served as Ukraine's minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration since 2020, during which time Ukraine began its accession process to the EU.
Zelensky touts future agreements with US as he presents new government
11:29
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky announced unspecified future agreements with the United States which he said would strengthen his country, as he appeared in parliament to put forward his new government.
Zelensky also said he would task the new government with auditing existing defence procurement contracts as part of a push to produce 50% of the country's weapons and battlefield equipment in Ukraine.
Ukrainian parliament approves new prime minister
10:46
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine's parliament has voted to appoint Yulia Svyrydenko as the country's new prime minister.
Opposition lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said 262 lawmakers voted for Svyrydenko, a comfortable majority in the 450-seat parliament.
Her appointment was supported by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Svyrydenko, 39, has served as economy minister and one of Ukraine's deputy prime ministers since November 2021.
Russia and Ukraine exchange more bodies of war dead, Kremlin aide says
10:18
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more bodies of their war dead, a Kremlin aide has said.
The swap was part of an agreement struck at the second round of peace talks in Istanbul in June.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation at those peace talks, said in a statement on Telegram that Moscow had handed over the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers and had received 19 bodies of its fallen soldiers in return.
The RIA state news agency reported, citing a source, that Russia plans to return the bodies of 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers and that the exchange on Thursday was the beginning of that process.
The warring sides have carried out a series of swaps of captured troops and the remains of dead soldiers since renewing peace talks in Istanbul in May following a gap of more than three years.
Bulletin : Economic experts share potential impact of Trump’s sanctions on Russia
09:47
,
Jabed Ahmed
- Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100 per cent “secondary tariffs” on countries that continue to trade with Russia if a Ukraine peace deal is not agreed within 50 days.
- Industry experts warn that these proposed sanctions would be “extremely painful” for the United States and would cause a significant global spike in oilprices, leading to increased inflation.
- The tariffs would target major buyers of Russian oil, such as India, China, and Turkey, aiming to remove Russian oil, a crucial source of income for Moscow, from global markets.
- Despite the threat, experts express doubt that Trump will implement the tariffs in their proposed form, citing the severe economic damage they would inflict on the US and the global economy.
- An analyst suggests that closing existing loopholes in US sanctions, such as banning the import of oil products from refineries using Russian crude, would be a more effective way to diminish Russia’s war chest.
Read the full story below:
Russia's Medvedev suggests preventative strikes against the West may be needed - reports
09:17
,
Jabed Ahmed
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that the West was practically waging a full-scale war against Russia, so Moscow should respond in full, and if necessary, launch preventative strikes, according to reports.
"We need to act accordingly. Respond in full. And if necessary, launch preventative strikes," Medvedev was quoted as saying by state news agency TASS.
Medvedev dismissed statements by Western officials that Russia could attack Europe as complete rubbish.
"Let me remind you that our president has unequivocally stated that Russia has no intention of fighting Nato or 'attacking Europe'," Medvedev said.
Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, is known for frequently issuing aggressive statements and empty threats towards the West.
Transfer of Patriot units to Kyiv being prepared, Nato's top commander says
08:46
,
Jabed Ahmed
Preparations are underway to quickly transfer additional Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, Nato's top military commander has said, as the country suffers some of the heaviest Russian attacks of the war so far.
"Preparations are underway, we are working very closely with the Germans on the Patriot transfer", Alexus Grynkewich told a conference in the German city of Wiesbaden.
"The guidance that I have been given has been to move out as quickly as possible."
Over 150 clashes on the frontline in past day, Ukraine says
08:14
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukrainian forces have been engaged in 160 combat clashes on the frontline in the past day, the army has said.
Russian forces launched one missile strike and 78 airstrikes at Ukrainian territory, using two missiles and dropping 125 guided aerial bombs over the past 24 hours, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said.
Analysis | How Ukraine’s drone-infested front is slowing Russia’s advance
07:46
,
Jabed Ahmed
The transformed nature of modern warfare is starkly evident to a weary Ukrainian platoon commander, medically evacuated from the front lines.
The skies above Ukraine now swarm with kamikaze, surveillance, bomber, and anti-drone UAVs.
These numerous, cheap, and deadly machines are considered by Kyiv to be a primary reason Ukraine can withstand advancing Russian forces this year and beyond, a view shared by a dozen Ukrainian commanders, officials, and arms manufacturers.
Read the full analysis below:
Trump's sanctions on Russia would drive up oil prices worldwide, says expert
07:16
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump’s threatened 100 per cent secondary tariffs on Russia, if imposed, would drive up oil prices worldwide, an expert on the Russian economy has warned.
“The main task for Western countries is how to reduce Russia’s revenue from oil sales without losing 5 million barrels [of oil] a day coming into the global markets,” said Alexander Kloyandr, a senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and expert on Russian policy and economy.
“If you remove those 5 million barrels, then oil prices will spike,” he said, adding that if “oil prices are up globally, they will push inflation up”.
Read more here:
Yulia Svyrydenko: Ukraine’s new prime minister who masterminded key Trump deal
06:47
,
Arpan Rai
President Volodymyr Zelensky has named Yulia Svyrydenko as Ukraine’s new prime minister in the latest reshuffle of his cabinet.
Ms Svyrydenko, 39, has been serving as first deputy prime minister and economic development and trade minister since November 2021. She had been appointed to lead the revival of Ukraine’s struggling economy only months before Russia invaded in February 2022 and made her task more difficult.
Ms Svyrydenko came to global attention earlier this year when she brokered a minerals deal with the US, fulfilling a crucial demand that the Donald Trump administration had set to help Kyiv negotiate with Russia. The deal helped repair damaged ties between Mr Zelensky and the Trump administration.
Zelensky says he believes Trump can end Ukraine war
06:09
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said US president Donald Trump can end the war in Ukraine, something that his predecessor Joe Biden was not able to do.
“President Trump is giving Putin a chance to end this war. I really want to believe that he has given him this window of opportunity. And I really want to believe that if Putin doesn't draw conclusions, president Trump will truly apply powerful sanctions that cannot be circumvented,” Mr Zelensky said in an interview to Newsmax.
He went on: “I do not want to criticise anyone. I am grateful to America for all the help in this war. America has supported us and I have always said we are grateful to the White House, grateful for the bipartisan support. It was there and I am grateful that it continues. But president Biden was not able to end this war. I am confident that president Trump can do it.”
Zelenskyy: I believe Trump can end this war. Trump gives what we really need: full sanctions and a real deterrent weapons package. Biden gave partial help. That’s the difference.
— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) July 16, 2025
1/ pic.twitter.com/wjHrIPG59M
Watch: Russia launches mass drone attack on Ukraine overnight
05:55
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine's foreign minister says Kyiv ready for talks with Moscow
05:44
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine is ready for more peace talks with Russia, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said yesterday, but gave no specific date.
Mr Sybiha reiterated Kyiv's call for a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian leaders, saying it would be the most effective step to help agree a ceasefire.
"We are ready for such negotiations in any format, in any geography," he said during a visit to Lublin, in Poland.
Russia lost more than 1,000 troops in past day, claims Ukraine
05:30
,
Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian military has claimed that Russia has lost 1,170 troops in just one day, bringing the wartime casualty total of Russia’s war to more than 1,030,000 people.
Dozens of artillery systems and a handful of tanks, combat vehicles and tankers were also lost over the past day, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
The Independent could not independently verify the numbers.
ICYMI: Trump says weapons are already being sent to Ukraine
05:29
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump said that weapons are already being shipped to Ukraine.
On being asked yesterday about what he thought of Patriot missiles being purchased by the US allies, Mr Trump said: “They are already being shipped”.
He added that the Patriot anti-missile defence systems are coming in from Germany.
“And in all cases, the United States gets paid back in full. So what's happening, as you know, is the European Union, if you look, mostly European Union stuff, but let's put it in the form of Nato, it's very similar, but Nato's going to pay us back for everything,” the US president said.
Mr Trump also added that he has not spoken to Russian president Vladimir Putin since sanctions against Russia were announced on Monday.
Patriot-owning nations could meet next week - report
04:57
,
Arpan Rai
A meeting of Patriot owner nations and Ukraine donors, who want to help bring new Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine could take place Wednesday next week, a source told Reuters.
It comes after Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington will supply Patriot air defence systems, missiles and other weaponry to Ukraine and that the arms would be paid for by other Nato countries.
Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada all want to be part of the initiative to fund the Patriot systems, Nato chief Mark Rutte said on Monday.
France has ruled itself out, according to a report in Politico.
France will not join project to buy US weapons for Ukraine - report
04:55
,
Arpan Rai
France will not assist in a project announced by Donald Trump under which US weapons would be supplied to Ukraine with funding from European countries, Politico is reporting.
Paris will not be joining the initiative to purchase American weapons due to president Emmanuel Macron’s long-term position that Europeans should build their own defence industrial base through local procurement, two French officials familiar with the matter said.
The French government is looking to increase its own defence spending as it cuts other areas of the budget.
Germany, meanwhile, has taken a different stance. Chancellor Friedrich Merz believes that purchasing US weapons is one of the only ways to quickly arm Ukraine.
Russian bomb kills two and injures up to 27 in Ukraine's Dobropillia
04:45
,
Arpan Rai
A strike by Russian forces on a shopping centre and market in Dobropillia, a town near the frontline of the 40-month-old war, killed two people, injured up to 27 and caused widespread damage, officials said.
Vadym Filashkin, governor of eastern Donetsk region, said a 500kg (1,100lbs) bomb was deployed at 5.20pm, when shoppers were out.
He said there were two dead and 22 people injured, with eight nearby apartment blocks and eight cars destroyed. Video posted online showed areas around the shopping centre on fire with smoke billowing skywards.
"Firefighters are extinguishing the blaze as there is a possibility that people are still inside the shopping centre," Mr Filashkin told Ukrainian television.
"The occupier dropped the bomb at a time when Dobropillia was crowded with people. Many were out shopping. The occupier specifically targeted the shopping centre. All nearby shopping centres have been either destroyed or damaged,” he said.
Ukraine's national emergency services put the number of injured at 27.
Who could be Ukraine's next ambassador to the US?
04:39
,
Arpan Rai
There are two candidates for the post of Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Ukrainska Pravda is reporting.
Defence minister Rustem Umerov and justice minister Olha Stefanishyna are both being considered for the post, sources in Volodymyr Zelensky’s team said.
Earlier reports had suggested Mr Umerov was the frontrunner for the role.
"It looks like Umerov’s candidacy has not been firmly decided on yet. Stefanishyna may become ambassador to the US," a high-ranking source told the outlet.
It is unclear what role Mr Umerov would take if Ms Stefanishyna takes the US role.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has carried out a political reshuffle this week, nominating as his new prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko, the driving force behind a minerals deal with the United States. Outgoing prime minister Denys Shmyhal has been put forward as the new defence minister.
Zelensky wants half of Ukraine's weapons to be produced domestically
04:30
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he was counting on his new incoming government to take measures to boost the proportion of weapons made at home to 50 per cent within six months.
Mr Zelensky said he, outgoing prime minister Denys Shmyhal and outgoing defence minister Rustem Umerov had decided at a meeting yesterday that the defence ministry would have "greater influence in the domain of arms production".
"Ukrainian-made weapons now make up about 40 per cent of those used at the front and in our operations," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
"This is already significantly more than at any time in our country's independence. The production volumes are truly large, but we need more,” he said.
"Our goal is to reach 50 per cent Ukrainian-made weaponry within the first six months of the new government, by expanding our domestic production. I am confident this is achievable, though not easy,” Mr Zelensky said.
I held a meeting on the defense sector: our domestic weapons production, agreements with partners, and supplies for the Ukrainian army.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 16, 2025
We are thoroughly analyzing how all contracts, agreements, and investment projects are being implemented. We identified the steps that must be… pic.twitter.com/qztkBop7Yr
One killed and seven injured as Ukraine attacks Russia with drones overnight
04:14
,
Arpan Rai
A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured six in Russia's southern city of Belgorod, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Mr Gladkov said all six injured were being treated in hospital for shrapnel wounds. Six homes suffered damage in the drone attack.
The regional governor later reported another drone had injured a resident of a village northeast of Belgorod.
Russia's defence ministry said Russian air defence units had destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones over a three and a half period ending at 11.30pm (2030 GMT).
At least 29 drones were destroyed over Belgorod region on the Ukrainian border, with a further 16 over Bryansk region, another border region to the west, according to the Russian defence ministry.
Russia downs three drones headed for Moscow, mayor says
04:08
,
Arpan Rai
Russian air defence units downed at least three Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow in the early hours today, the capital's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.
Mr Sobyanin made no mention of casualties or damage. He said specialists were examining drone fragments at the sites where they hit the ground.
Air defences were in action in other parts of Russia.
Russia's defence ministry said Russian air defence units had destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones over a three and a half hour period ending at 11.30pm (2030 GMT).
At least 29 drones were destroyed over Belgorod region on the Ukrainian border, with a further 16 over Bryansk region, another border region to the west, according to the Russian defence ministry.
15 injured as Russian attack targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight
04:04
,
Arpan Rai
Russia pounded four Ukrainian cities overnight into Wednesday, injuring at least 15 people in an attack that mostly targeted energy infrastructure, officials said.
Russia launched 400 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as one ballistic missile, during the night, the Ukrainian air force said. The strikes targeted northeastern Kharkiv, which is Ukraine's second-largest city, president Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, Vinnytsia in the west and Odesa in the south.
The latest bombardment in Russia's escalating aerial campaign against civilian areas came ahead of a 2 September deadline set by US president Donald Trump for the Kremlin to reach a peace deal in the three-year war, under the threat of possible severe Washington sanctions if it doesn't.
No date has yet been publicly set for a possible third round of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. Two previous rounds delivered no progress apart from prisoner swaps.