Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have spoken on the phone, just hours after the Ukrainian president said it would be “hard work” if the Republican returns to the White House.
Mr Trump said they had a “very good phone call” and promised to “bring peace to the world” and “end the war” if he is re-elected in November.
Mr Zelensky said they agreed to discuss steps to make “peace fair and truly lasting” and expressed thanks for US military assistance.
Their phone call comes amid concerns over a potential Trump administration’s policy on the Russia-Ukraine war if he wins the election. The Republican nominee has repeatedly promised to end the war in one day while criticising US military aid to Kyiv.
Earlier Antony Blinken said Ukraine was on its way to being able to “stand on its own feet” militarily as more than 20 other countries have pledged to maintain their own military and financial aid to the country even if the US were to withdraw its support under a different president.
Mr Blinken was for the first time directly addressing the possibility of Mr Trump winning the November election and backing away from US commitments to Ukraine.
Key Points
- Trump says he had a ‘very good phone call' with Zelensky
- Zelensky says he will have to work with the US
- Trump and Zelensky phone call likely today, sources say
- Ukraine launches major drone attack on Crimea
Recap: Zelensky calls on Starmer to ‘show leadership'
11:32
Archie Mitchell
Volodymyr Zelensky used his historic address to the UK cabinet to urge Sir Keir Starmer to “show leadership” and let Ukraine use British weapons for strikes deep inside Russia.
The Ukrainian president on Friday became the first foreign leader to address the cabinet in person since Bill Clinton in 1997, calling for support for his country’s “long-range capability”.
In his address to the cabinet, Mr Zelensky said that “if the restriction on Western weapons is lifted” it would help Kyiv to strengthen its defences and secure its frontline positions.
Read the full story here:
Ukraine’s biggest music festival returns for first time since Russian invasion
10:26
Adam Withnall
This weekend 25,000 music lovers are gathering for Ukraine’s biggest music festival, an annual event that hasn’t been held since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Journalist Paul Niland shared a video on X of a large crowd watching the Ukrainian rock band BoomBox on stage. The billing this year will understandably mostly be made up of domestic talent, though the event has previously had headline acts from global stars like Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers and Liam Gallagher.
This is how my evening is going. Packed Boombox gig for the Atlas United 2024 festival. pic.twitter.com/IA31BAuTvQ
— Paul Niland (@PaulNiland) July 19, 2024
Speaking to the BBC, event organiser Vlad Yaremchuk explained how the festival is being conducted in a car park outside one of Kyiv’s biggest shopping malls – so if a Russian air attack does take place, “there will be more than enough space to get everyone evacuated quickly -- and we’re talking minutes”. The mall has a capacity of 100,000, he says.
So far the festival, running from Friday to Sunday, is going smoothly. It already had to be pushed back one week after the major aerial assault on Kyiv that hit a children’s hospital.
“We didn’t even expect to have a chance to do a festival while the war is still happening.” Yaremchuk says.
“The reality showed us that cultural events are still possible in wartime.”
Two killed in Ukraine by Russian missile and drone strikes
09:39
Reuters
Russian drones and missiles struck overnight in Ukraine, killing two civilians and hitting energy facilities and railway infrastructure across the country, officials said on Saturday.
Oleh Syniehubov, regional governor for the Kharkiv region, said Iskander missiles targeted an infrastructure facility in the small town of Barvinkove in the northeast, killing two people and injuring three more.
He gave no details about the facility, but said on the Telegram messaging app that more than 50 residential houses and administrative and commercial buildings were also damaged in the strike.
The Ukrainian air force said Russian forces launched four ballistic Iskander missiles in the overnight attack. The Ukrainian air defence failed to shoot them down.
The air defence shot down 13 of 17 Russian drones over five regions in the east, north, and centre of the country, the air force said.
Ukrenergo, the national grid operator, said the drones attacked electricity distribution facilities in the central Poltava region, in the Sumy region in northeast and in the northern Chernihiv region.
Ukrenergo imposed emergency power cuts for industrial and residential consumers in Poltava and Chernihiv regions, it said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russian forces have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since March, knocking out about half of the available energy generation and forcing extended blackouts for millions.
The Ukrainian Railways said the overnight attacks damaged railway infrastructure in some parts of Kharkiv region and briefly delayed some passenger trains.
Controversial champion of Ukrainian language shot dead in Lviv
08:56
Adam Withnall
Iryna Farion, a former Ukrainian MP who has become well known for her campaign defending the country’s language, has died in hospital after being shot in the city of Lviv.
The attack on the 60-year-old linguist is being treated as an assassination, Ukraine’s interior minister said, while president Volodymy Zelensky said he was personally across the incident and that such acts of violence must be condemned.
Farion was shot in the street at around 7.30pm on Friday by an unidentified gunman, who fled the scene. She died in hospital later the same day.
Police are hunting the gunman, with Ukraine’s SBU security service also involved in the search.
Farion joined the nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party in 2005 and was elected as an MP for a single term from 2012.
She campaigned vociferously against public figures and officials who gave addresses in Russian – a common occurrence despite Ukrainian being the only official state language.
In 2018, when Ukraine was already fighting against Russia-backed separatists in the Donbas to the country’s east, she called for members of the public to “punch every Russian-speaking person in the jaw”.
Farion was fired from her role as a professor at the Ukrainian language department at Lviv Polytechnic University after comments last November in which she said Ukrainian soldiers who spoke Russian were not truly Ukrainian. She was reinstated to her role at the university last month.
Zelensky says Russian missile hit children’s playground as three killed
07:52
Shweta Sharma
The Ukrainian president said a Russian missile strike in the southern city of Mykolaiv hit a children’s playground near a residential building.
Three people, including a child and two adults, were killed and five others were injured, officials said.
“A playground near an ordinary house... Every day Russia proves with its terror that pressure on it is not enough,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.
He posted images from the site that showed two bodies lying on the ground. One was the badly mutilated body of a child, covered in blood, dust and debris. Part of a missile lay alongside.
The port city of Mykolaiv and the surrounding region regularly come under Russian attacks.
Vitaliy Kim, the regional governor, hailed residents of the city who rushed to the site to help before medics arrived.
Moscow denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure in its invasion.
Recap: Zelensky says it will be ‘hard work’ if Donald Trump is re-elected
07:38
Adam Withnall
Shortly before he spoke to Donald Trump on the phone on Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky said in a BBC interview that it would be “hard work” for Ukraine if the Republican were to be re-elected as American president.
Amid concerns that a second Trump administration would drastically reduce US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, Mr Zelensky said that if a “new team” enters the White House “we have to work with them”.
Mr Zelensky agreed that this would be “hard work”, but added: “We aren’t afraid of hard work.”
Asked about Mr Trump’s claim that he could end the war within 24 hours of entering office, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine would be happy for peace but asked about the “cost” involved.
He said a Trump peace plan would likely involve giving up occupied territories to Vladimir Putin, as well as ending all sanctions on Russia.
“We will never go with it, and there is no guy in the world who can push us to do it,” he said.
The Republican leader’s choice of Senator JD Vance as his running mate has underscored how Washington’s stand on Ukraine, locked in a 28-month-old war with Russia, could change if he won the election. Mr Vance is on record in an interview as saying “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”
Asked about these comments, Mr Zelensky said: “Maybe he really doesn’t understand what goes on in Ukraine.”
Russia strikes energy infrastructure in Ukraine, officials say
07:10
Shweta Sharma
Russian drones hit energy infrastructure facilities in two regions in Ukraine in overnight attacks, officials said.
Ukrainian air defence shot down 13 of 17 Russian drones over five regions in the east, north, and centre of the country, the air force said.
One of the Shahed drones hit an energy facility in the Sumy region while another struck a site in the Chernihiv region, regional officials said.
Repair teams were rushed to the sites of the strikes, they said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Russian forces have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since March, knocking out about half of the available energy generation and forcing extended blackouts for millions.
Zelensky calls on Starmer to ‘show leadership’ and allow Ukrainian strikes on Russia
07:00
Alexander Butler
Volodymyr Zelensky used his historic address to the UK cabinet to urge Sir Keir Starmer to “show leadership” and let Ukraine use British weapons for strikes deep inside Russia.
The Ukrainian president on Friday became the first foreign leader to address the cabinet in person since Bill Clinton in 1997, calling for support with his country’s “long-range capability”.
In his address to the Cabinet Mr Zelensky said “if the restriction on western weapons is lifted” it would help Kyiv to strengthen its defence and secure its frontline positions.
Trump says he had a ‘very good phone call’ with Zelensky
06:22
Shweta Sharma
Donald Trump said he had a “very good phone call” with Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, even as the Biden administration warned about the possibility of the twice-impeached former president withdrawing aid to Ukraine.
“President Zelensky of Ukraine and I had a very good phone call earlier today. He congratulated me on a very successful Republican National Convention and becoming the Republican nominee for President of the United States,” Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“He condemned the heinous assassination attempt last Saturday and remarked about the American people coming together in the spirit of Unity during these times.”
Mr Trump added: “I appreciate President Zelensky for reaching out because I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families. Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity.”
Mr Zelensky also confirmed the call but did not mention Russia’s war, a day after he told BBC it will be “hard work” to work with Mr Trump and that maybe he does not understand what is happening in Ukraine.
“I wished him strength and absolute safety in the future,” he said. “I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence.”
Mr Zelensky concluded: “We agreed with President Trump to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting.”
Antony Blinken on Friday hinted at the possibility of Mr Trump withdrawing support to Ukraine if he is re-elected.
Ukraine is on its way to being able to “stand on its own feet” militarily, he said Blinken, noting that more than 20 other countries have pledged to maintain their own military and financial aid to the country.
Russian commander shot by own men, says soldier
05:00
Alexander Butler
The commander of a Russian unit fighting in Ukraine was shot dead and left “riddled with holes” by his own men, according to a phone call intercepted by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR).
“Our commander was killed, a good commander, he took pity on everyone. Eleven bullet wounds,” a soldier told his father in the recording published by HUR on Telegram.
Asked who shot him, the soldier said: “The officers said they shot him, and that was it. No questions. Eleven bullet wounds. He was riddled with holes.”
Pictured: Zelensky addresses UK cabinet
04:00
Alexander Butler
Dozens of Nobel laureates call on Belarus leader Lukashenko to release all political prisoners
03:00
Alexander Butler
Dozens of Nobel prize winners have urged Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko to release all political prisoners currently detained by his regime.
The 58 Nobel laureates, including Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, have signed an open letter urging Lukashenko to agree to a political amnesty after 18 seriously ill activists were released this month.
The Belarusian human rights group Viasna counts almost 1,400 political prisoners, including its Nobel Peace Prize-winning founder Ales Bialiatski.
US journalist Evan Gershkovich jailed for 16 years by Russian court
02:00
Alexander Butler
US journalist Evan Gershkovich has been jailed for 16 years in a Russian prison on “politically motivated” charges of espionage.
Mr Gershkovich, 32, has been behind bars since his March 2023 arrest after Moscow accused him of “gathering secret information” for the CIA about a military equipment facility in central Russia.
TheWall Street Journal reporter has denied the charges and nations including the US and UK have hit out at what they see as politically motivated charges – with US president Joe Biden calling his detention “totally illegal”.
Trump will push for Ukraine-Russia peace immediately if elected, Hungary’s Orban tells EU leaders
01:00
Alexander Butler
Donald Trump will push for peace over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “immediately” if he is elected for a second term in the White House, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has claimed in a letter to European Union leaders.
The letter, addressed to European Council president Charles Michel and shared with all EU leaders, was written after Mr Orban held talks with the Republican presidential candidate, as well as with the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and China.
“I can ... surely state that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait until his inauguration, [Mr Trump] will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. He has detailed and well-founded plans for this,” Mr Orban wrote.
Ukraine and Russia exchange 95 prisoners of war each in latest deal
Friday 19 July 2024 23:30
Alexander Butler
How UK’s strategic capabilities compare to the 1980s as defence review rolled out
Friday 19 July 2024 22:30
Alexander Butler
Prime minister Keir Starmer’s review of Britain’s defences comes as the West faces a “dangerous quartet” of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, according to Nato chief Lord Robertson.
Russia remains the key threat, as it is continuing to wage war in Ukraine, including a deadly missile strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv last week. Relations with Russia are at their worst since the Cold War period, and military experts believe that European countries need to be prepared for conflict.
But how do Britain’s armed forces compare now to 40 years ago, in 1984, when the UK was engaged in a stand-off with Russia?
In terms of personnel and vessels, the UK’s capacity is substantially lower than in 1984, primarily because the UK is in peacetime.
Zelensky calls on Starmer to ‘show leadership’ and allow Ukrainian strikes on Russia
Friday 19 July 2024 21:30
Alexander Butler
Volodymyr Zelensky used his historic address to the UK cabinet to urge Sir Keir Starmer to “show leadership” and let Ukraine use British weapons for strikes deep inside Russia.
The Ukrainian president on Friday became the first foreign leader to address the cabinet in person since Bill Clinton in 1997, calling for support with his country’s “long-range capability”.
In his address to the Cabinet Mr Zelensky said “if the restriction on western weapons is lifted” it would help Kyiv to strengthen its defence and secure its frontline positions.
What to know about Evan Gershkovich's conviction for espionage in Russia
Friday 19 July 2024 20:30
Alexander Butler
German medic ‘linked to regiment defending Ukraine' sentenced to death by firing squad in Belarus
Friday 19 July 2024 20:22
Andy Gregory
A German citizen who worked for the Red Cross and has since been linked to a volunteer regiment formed to defend Ukraine from Russia’s invasion has been sentenced to death by firing squad in Belarus.
Respected human rights group Viasna, whose imprisoned founder is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, identified the man sentenced as Red Cross medic named Rico Krieger.
It said he was sentenced in late June in a closed trial for charges including mercenary activity, terrorism and creating an extremist group, in charges allegedly connected to an explosion intended to undermine public order. Where any explosion is claimed to have taken place is unclear.
Human rights activists said they believed the case concerns the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, a military unit of Belarusian citizens fighting alongside Ukraine against Russia.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the case. It said the ministry and the German Embassy in Minsk were providing consular support to the person affected and advocating for him with Belarusian authorities, but it didn’t state his name or other details.
“The death penalty is a cruel and inhuman form of punishment that Germany rejects under all circumstances,” the German ministry said.
Starmer’s words will be welcomed in Kyiv – but Zelensky needs action more than ever
Friday 19 July 2024 19:30
Alexander Butler
The red carpet was laid, the prime minister was at the famous black door, and the special guest made his entrance. To a standing ovation from the new UK cabinet, Volodymyr Zelensky called on Sir Keir Starmer, the fourth British prime minister he’s met since the war began, to “show leadership” and help with the removal of restrictions on weapons supplied by Western allies.
The PM, who vowed to “double down” on support for Ukraine, described the meeting as “a real piece of history”. Zelensky, who has exchanged similar warm words with various Western leaders, may not agree that Friday’s meeting was quite so historic, but the significance of the event itself must not be overlooked.
The president of Ukraine had been invited to address a meeting of the UK cabinet – only the second foreign dignitary to be accorded this honour in recent memory.
Russia claims capture of another village in east Ukraine
Friday 19 July 2024 18:30
Alexander Butler
Russia’s army claimed on Friday that it had captured another village in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where Ukraine is struggling to hold the line against an endless Russian onslaught.
Russia’s defence ministry said its troops had “liberated the village of Yurivka”, a tiny settlement around 20 miles north of the regional capital, also called Donetsk.
Yurivka is the third village Russia has claimed to have taken this week.
Ukraine claims to have downed a Russian Su-25 fighter jet
Friday 19 July 2024 17:30
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian forces claimed to have shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jet in the Donetsk region on Friday.
“Our anti-aircraft guns shot down a Russian Su-25 in Donetsk region,” Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group of Forces said on Telegram, adding that the supersonic jet was “trying to fire at the positions of units of the Defense Forces”.
“Thanks to the accuracy, skill and professionalism of our anti-aircraft fighters, today the Russian aviation has decreased by one combat aircraft,” they added.
Pictured: Zelensky addresses British cabinet
Friday 19 July 2024 16:30
Alexander Butler
F-16 supplies set to speed up with Polish help, Zelensky says
Friday 19 July 2024 15:04
Alexander Butler
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Poland had taken a decision that would speed up the deliveries of much-needed F-16 jets to Ukraine, but did not say what it was.
Poland, which borders Ukraine and has been a close wartime ally, is not one of the countries that has pledged to supply the jets to Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s office on Zelenskiy’s remark.
“Today, we have a positive decision from the Polish government on a specific issue, which will allow Ukraine to receive F-16 jets sooner,” Zelensky said on X without elaborating.
Kyiv is desperately waiting for deliveries of its first F-16s, which it hopes will enhance its air defence capabilities and help repel regular long-range Russian airstrikes.
US journalist Evan Gershkovich jailed for 16 years by Russian court
Friday 19 July 2024 13:37
Alexander Butler
US journalist Evan Gershkovich has been jailed for 16 years in a Russian prison on “politically motivated” charges of espionage.
Mr Gershkovich, 32, has been behind bars since his March 2023 arrest after Moscow accused him of “gathering secret information” for the CIA about a military equipment facility in central Russia.
TheWall Street Journal reporter has denied the charges and nations including the US and UK have hit out at what they see as politically motivated charges – with US president Joe Biden calling his detention “totally illegal”.
The Kremlin has said he was caught “red-handed” but has not published evidence. The court proceedings have been closed to the media, with a verdict set to be announced on Friday afternoon.
How UK’s strategic capabilities compare to the 1980s as defence review rolled out
Friday 19 July 2024 12:30
Alexander Butler
Prime minister Keir Starmer’s review of Britain’s defences comes as the West faces a “dangerous quartet” of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, according to Nato chief Lord Robertson.
Russia remains the key threat, as it is continuing to wage war in Ukraine, including a deadly missile strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv last week. Relations with Russia are at their worst since the Cold War period, and military experts believe that European countries need to be prepared for conflict.
But how do Britain’s armed forces compare now to 40 years ago, in 1984, when the UK was engaged in a stand-off with Russia?
In terms of personnel and vessels, the UK’s capacity is substantially lower than in 1984, primarily because the UK is in peacetime.
Read the full article by The Independent’s data correspondent Alicja Hagopian here:
Ukraine plans to build fleet of new war robots
Friday 19 July 2024 11:25
Alexander Butler
Ukraine is raising funds to build a new fleet of terrestrial robotic platforms that will roam the battlefield, delivering weapons, helping the wounded and firing guns.
The new machines will be designed to act as mobile machine gun posts, logistics devices, tow trucks, minelayers and deminers as well as self-destructive robots.
“They will fight alongside people and for people. The first robots are already proving their effectiveness on the battlefield. And we hope there will be more of them soon,” said a spokesman for United24, the Ukrainian fundraising platform behind the initiative.
Poland investigating crime against Belarusian opposition figure
Friday 19 July 2024 09:54
Alexander Butler
Prosecutors in Poland are investigating a crime targeting leading Belarusian opposition figure Pavel Latushka under sections of the penal code covering homicide and the activities of foreign intelligence networks.
National Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Przemyslaw Nowak told Reuters in an email that an investigation was being conducted together with officers from Poland’s Internal Security Agency based in the central city of Lodz. He declined to give specific details of the events being investigated.
According to a letter from prosecutors to Latushka seen by Reuters, the investigation falls under sections of the penal code which cover inciting others to commit a crime, the activities of foreign intelligence agencies and homicide.
The investigation into a crime against Latushka, a deputy head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, comes at a time of heightened fears for the safety of Belarusian and Russian opposition figures after an attack on Leonid Volkov, an exiled aide to late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Russian prosecutor seeks 18-year sentence for US journalist Gershkovich
Friday 19 July 2024 09:39
Alexander Butler
Russian prosecutors at the trial of US journalist Evan Gershkovich on Friday requested that he be jailed for 18 years on charges of spying, Russian news agencies reported.
A verdict will be passed on the Wall Street Journal reporter within hours, the agencies said. Gershkovich, his newspaper and the US government all reject the accusation of spying.
Dozens of Nobel laureates call on Belarus leader Lukashenko to release all political prisoners
Friday 19 July 2024 09:25
Alexander Butler
Dozens of Nobel prize winners have urged Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko to release all political prisoners currently detained by his regime.
The 58 Nobel laureates, including Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, have signed an open letter urging Lukashenko to agree to a political amnesty after 18 seriously ill activists were released this month.
The Belarusian human rights group Viasna counts almost 1,400 political prisoners, including its Nobel Peace Prize-winning founder Ales Bialiatski.
UK to provide military aid for Ukraine ‘for rest of decade’
Friday 19 July 2024 09:11
Alexander Butler
The UK will provide military aid funding to Ukraine “for every year for the rest of the decade,” John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said.
“If we take the starting point that the defence of the UK starts in Ukraine and if Putin wins in Ukraine he will not stop there, then we must stand with Ukraine, we’re determined to do that,” he told Times Radio.
“And it isn’t just that. We’ve stepped up extra support in these first two weeks in Government.
“We’ve also confirmed the commitment of extra military aid funding this year and for every year for the rest of the decade. As long as it takes.”
Hungary's Orban says Trump was attacked for 'anti-war' views
Friday 19 July 2024 09:03
Alexander Butler
Former US president Donald Trump and Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico were both attacked for their “anti-war views”, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban claimed.
Mr Fico was hit by four bullets in an assassination attempt in mid-May while Trump, the Republican party’s nominee for the November presidential vote, survived a shooting on 13 July.
“All these attacks are against anti-war, pro-peace politicians. Pro-war forces are so stirred up, tense, abetted and organised that they are trying to clean out the pro-peace forces from the stage, from the centre of political life,” ” Mr Orban said.
The Hungarian prime minister, who went on a self-styled Ukraine “peace mission” earlier this month that included a meeting with Trump, said that the former president survived the attack because “God has plans with him” to advance peace.
EU leaders hail reset in UK relations as Starmer vows to be Europe’s ‘friend and partner’
Friday 19 July 2024 07:00
Alexander Butler
Zelensky urges European leaders to channel Winston Churchill’s ‘bravery’
Friday 19 July 2024 06:50
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged European leaders to channel Winston Churchill’s “bravery” in the fight against Russian aggression.
The Ukrainian leader made his call as he spoke in the former prime minister’s birthplace, Blenheim Palace, during only his third visit to the UK since Russia’s full-scale invasion. It is his first trip to the UK since Sir Keir Starmer entered Downing Street. Mr Zelensky also met with King Charles during the visit.
The Ukrainian leader told a summit of European leaders: “Bravery made Churchill Churchill. Bravery won the greatest battle of his life. It was the battle for Britain.
“Now our bravery and cooperation must achieve no less so that the children of our nations can someday look back at us, at what we have done, at what we have chosen, what we have promised, and see the pillars of their peace, their security and their prosperity just as we see it when we look back at the most famous person from Blenheim.”
Tom Watling reports:
Trump and Zelensky phone call likely today, sources say
Friday 19 July 2024 06:38
Arpan Rai
Associates of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky have discussed arranging a phone call between the two leaders, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
One source said the call could occur as early as today, but it was not immediately clear if the conversation, which would be their first since the former US president left the White House in 2021, had been confirmed.
CNN reported yesterday that the two leaders had a phone call scheduled for today. The report noted that the schedule of the former president, who is in Milwaukee to accept the Republican Party presidential nomination, is subject to frequent changes.
Mr Trump has said he would end the war in Ukraine before he even takes office in January should he win the November election, though he has not provided details of how he would do so.
Two wounded by downed drone in Russia, governor says
Friday 19 July 2024 06:14
Arpan Rai
Debris of a downed Ukrainian drone wounded two people in the Russian city of Kursk on Friday morning, acting regional governor Alexei Smirnov said.
Separately, the Interfax news agency cited Russia’s defence ministry as saying that a total of 19 drones have been destroyed overnight, including 11 over the Kursk region.
UK defence firms discuss boosting support for Ukraine with Zelensky
Friday 19 July 2024 06:03
Arpan Rai
Senior executives from British defence firms including BAE and Babcock met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday to discuss the need to boost military support for the country in its conflict with Russia.
The Ukrainian president is in Britain for a summit of the European Political Community (EPC) and the meeting in London also included representatives from Thales, MBDA and KBR as well as British defence minister John Healey and business minister Jonathan Reynolds.
“Meeting with industry leaders today, I emphasised the government will continue to work in partnership with industry and the need to boost industrial production of vital military kit for both Ukraine and our own Armed Forces,” Healey said in a statement.
Babcock will extend its contract with the British defence ministry by six months to provide maintenance and repair of military vehicles, Britain’s defence ministry said.
Zelensky to brief cabinet as first foreign leader to visit No 10 under Starmer
Friday 19 July 2024 05:41
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky will address an extraordinary meeting of the UK Cabinet on Friday as he becomes the first official visitor to Downing Street under Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.
The Ukrainian president, who is making his third visit to the UK, will also be the first foreign leader to address the cabinet in person since US president Bill Clinton in 1997.
He is expected to brief ministers about the situation in Ukraine and the need to expand Europe’s industrial defence base, as well as agreeing a £3.5bn defence export finance deal with Sir Keir.
The Labour leader made his first visit to Ukraine in February last year and has been keen to underline Britain’s ongoing support for the embattled country, despite a change of government in the UK.
Zelensky says he will have to work with the US
Friday 19 July 2024 05:31
Arpan Rai
A victory for Donald Trump in the US election in November would be difficult for Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has said, acknowledging that Ukrainians were prepared.
Mr Trump’s election would be “hard work, but we are hard workers”, he was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Mr Zelensky said “Maybe he really doesn’t care, but we have to work with the United States,” he said while attending the European Political Community meeting in London.
The Republican leader’s choice of Senator JD Vance as his running mate has underscored how Washington’s stand on Ukraine, locked in a 28-month-old war with Russia, could change if he won the election. Vance is on record in an interview as saying “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”
The administration of Joe Biden has provided weapons and supplies throughout the conflict, though the flow of assistance was halted for months by disputes within the US Congress.
Mr Trump has said during the campaign that, once elected, he would bring the conflict to an end even before taking office by securing a deal at the negotiating table. He said there would have been no conflict at all had he been in office when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Zelensky discusses bilateral relations with Serbia’s Vucic
Friday 19 July 2024 05:00
Alexander Butler
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday discussed security and bilateral relations with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic on the sidelines of the European Political Community meeting in Britain.
“We appreciate the financial and humanitarian assistance provided to our country,” Zelensky said on X.
Starmer invites Zelensky to attend cabinet
Friday 19 July 2024 04:51
Arpan Rai
Prime minister Keir Starmer will host Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting of his top ministers today, in a show of support for the Ukrainian leader who will welcome a new plan to try to disrupt Russia’s attempts to evade shipping sanctions.
A day after hosting a forum of European leaders at Blenheim Palace, the PM pressed on with his bid to raise Britain’s role in international affairs by inviting Mr Zelensky to address his cabinet. The last foreign leader to do so was US President Bill Clinton in 1997, Starmer’s office said.
Mr Zelensky will also welcome the launch of a “call to action” against Russia’s 600-strong ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers used to break sanctions, officials said.
Sir Keir is expected to tell the Ukrainian leader that Britain will do more in the coming months to dent Russia’s “war machine”, including agreeing a new defence export support treaty to help Kyiv draw on export finance.
“Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government’s agenda and so it is only fitting that President Zelenskiy will make a historic address to my cabinet,” he said in a statement.
“And alongside our European partners, we have sent a clear message to those enabling (Russian president Vladimir) Putin’s attempts to evade sanctions: we will not allow Russia’s shadow fleet, and the dirty money it generates, to flow freely through European waters and put our security at risk.”
Ukraine pulls out from another eastern village as Russian offensive grows
Friday 19 July 2024 04:12
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s army has pulled out from the village of Urozhaine in the eastern Donetsk region, an official said yesterday, surrendering another front-line position as Russian forces blast Ukrainian defences in a relentless onslaught.The village was reduced to rubble which “made it impossible to hold the positions there,” said Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesperson for local ground forces. He did not say when the pullout occurred.
Russia prematurely claimed earlier this week that it had seized Urozhaine in the early days of the war that began after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. Ukrainian troops recaptured it almost a year ago.
Russia has deployed devastating firepower as it pursues a summer offensive that has reduced towns and villages to ruins, denying Ukrainians defensive cover. Despite valiant defending, analysts say, Ukrainian forces are being pushed back in some places along the front line by the bigger and better equipped Kremlin army.
Russia says 'let's be realistic' about Trump plan to end Ukraine war
Friday 19 July 2024 04:00
Alexander Butler
Russia said on Thursday that Donald Trump’s assertion he could quickly end the Ukraine war should be viewed realistically, given that he had promised a Middle East peace breakthrough but failed to achieve it during his presidency.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had noted statements by Trump, who is running against President Joe Biden in November’s U.S. election, and by his newly nominated running mate J.D. Vance.
“We saw the statements - Trump said he would resolve the conflict within 24 hours, then Vance said that China is a bigger problem for the United States than the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” Ms Zakharova said.
“It’s necessary to separate pre-election rhetoric from statements by government officials vested with the appropriate powers. If we talk about whether it’s possible to resolve the conflict, let’s be realistic.”
Kim Jong-un discusses military cooperation with Russia
Friday 19 July 2024 03:54
Arpan Rai
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un received Russian vice minister of defence Aleksey Krivoruchko and discussed the importance of the two countries’ militaries to unite more firmly to defend world peace and justice, KCNA news agency said today.
The two leaders shared the need for military cooperation between the two countries to defend mutual security interests, KCNA said.
Mr Krivoruchko conveyed greetings from Russian president Vladimir Putin to the North’s supreme leader, who expressed deep thanks in the meeting, held on Thursday.
The report did not provide any other details of Mr Krivoruchko’s delegation or the purpose of the visit to North Korea.
North Korea and Russia have deepened military cooperation since their leaders held a summit in the Russian Far East last year and signed a treaty on strategic partnership
