Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump envoy Witkoff praises Putin as US ceasefire talks resume in Saudi Arabia

Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has praised Vladimir Putin, saying he “liked” the Russian president ahead of upcoming US-brokered ceasefire discussions.

In an interview with pro-Trump journalist Tucker Carlson, he said: "I don't regard Putin as a bad guy. He's super smart."

He also dismissed Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for an international force which could include British troops to support a ceasefire in Ukraine as “a posture and a pose”.

It comes as at least seven people have been killed, including a five-year-old child, after Russia launched a barrage of drones targeting Kyiv overnight on Sunday, according to local Ukrainian officials.

The attack on the Ukrainian capital came ahead of ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia, in which Ukraine and Russia are expected to hold indirect US-mediated talks on Monday to discuss a pause in long-range attacks targeting energy facilities and civilian infrastructure.

The drones on Sunday hit apartment buildings and sparked several fires throughout Ukraine’s capital despite agreeing to a limited ceasefire, officials said.

Kyiv, its surrounding region and the eastern half of Ukraine were under air raid alerts on Saturday night.

Kyiv and Moscow agreed in principle on Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after US president Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders.

Trump envoy praises Putin and dismisses Starmer plan for Ukraine

Five-year-old among killed in Russia drone attack on Kyiv as roll rises to three

Russia hits apartments and sparks fires with overnight drone attack on Kyiv, officials say

Three members of same family killed in Russian drone attack on Zaporizhzhia

'Coalition of the willing' to meet in Paris next week, says Volodymyr Zelensky

13:00 , Holly Evans

Mapped: Where is key Russian gas pumping station hit by huge explosion

12:35 , Holly Evans

Donald Trump’s special envoy has dismissed Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for an international force which could include British troops to support a ceasefire in Ukraine as “a posture and a pose”.

Steve Witkoff told pro-Trump commentator Tucker Carlson that the idea was based on a "simplistic" notion of the UK prime minister and other European leaders thinking "we have all got to be like Winston Churchill".

He said: "I think it's a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic. There is this sort of notion that we have all got to be like Winston Churchill. Russians are going to march across Europe. That is preposterous by the way. We have something called Nato that we did not have in World War Two."

Witkoff, who met with Putin 10 days ago, said he “liked” the Russian autocrat, and said: "I don't regard Putin as a bad guy," he said. "He's super smart."

12:00 , Holly Evans

Foreign ministers from Japan and its two neighboring Asian powers China and South Korea held a meeting Saturday to seek common ground on areas like low birth rates, natural disasters and cultural exchanges at a time of growing tensions.

The meeting on Saturday focuses on plans for a trilateral summit later this year.

The three-way meetings are an accomplishment for Japan, which has historical and territorial disputes with both China and South Korea. An earlier trilateral meeting was held in South Korea last year.

Read the full article here:

Japan host talks with China and South Korea

11:21 , Holly Evans

An oil products spill occurred at the oil depot that caught fire in southern Russia's Krasnodar region after a drone attack last week, regional officials said on Sunday.

The area of the fire at the depot near the village of Kavkazskaya increased to 2,000 square metres from the 1,250 square metres previously reported, said state news agency TASS.

There were no casualties and other buildings and tanks at the depot were not damaged, regional officials wrote on messaging app Telegram.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said this week that the attack amounted to violation of an agreement to halt attacks on energy infrastructure as part of efforts to secure a broader ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.

Local authorities had brought in firefighting trains loaded with water to help to battle the blaze on Saturday.

The depot is a rail terminal for Russian oil supplies for a pipeline to Kazakhstan.

11:00 , Holly Evans

One year since the Moscow concert hall attack killed 145 people, Russian officials asserted Saturday that it was planned and organized by "the special services of an unfriendly state.”

The aim, according to a a statement by Svetlana Petrenko, the representative of the Russian Investigative Committee, was to "destabilize the situation in Russia.”

Though she did not specify the “unfriendly state,” she noted that “six Central Asians” currently outside of Russia had been charged in absentia and placed on Russia’s wanted list for allegedly recruiting and organizing the training of four of the suspected perpetrators.

Read the full article here:

Russia accuses an 'unfriendly state' of planning the 2004 Moscow concert hall assault

10:32 , Holly Evans

In a statement on social media, Mr Zelensky said attacks such as the one in Kyiv were a daily occurrence for Ukraine.

"This week alone, more than 1,580 guided aerial bombs, almost 1,100 strike drones and 15 missiles of various types were used against our people," he said.

"New solutions are needed, with new pressure on Moscow to stop both these strikes and this war."

10:00 , Holly Evans

The electronic hum in the sky above told him that the Russians were on a hunting safari and that he was the prey. Leaping from his bicycle, Oleksandr left its wheels spinning as he bolted through a hole in a fence hoping to find cover.

Horrified to discover he was still in the open air, he threw himself against the fence, hoping to blend in, to somehow hide. The drone tracked sideways, hung above him, and dropped its bomb.

The explosion tore a chunk of his leg away.

Read the latest dispatch from Sam Kiley here:

Russian drone pilots hunting Ukrainian civilians on the streets ‘like a video game’

09:39 , Holly Evans

Extended sounds of explosions were heard in the early hours of the night across Ukraine as the air raid blared for over five hours.

Russian drones and debris from shot-down drones, which were flying at lower altitudes to evade air defenses, fell on residential buildings.

Two residential buildings in the district of Dnipro caught fire due to falling drone debris, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.

A fire broke out on the top floors of a 9-storey building, killing one woman, the State Emergency Service said.In the district of Podil, a fire broke out on the 20th floor of a 25-storey building.

In Holosiivskyi, fires broke out in a warehouse and office building, killing one person, according to the State Emergency Service.

Also on Sunday, Russia's Ministry of Defense said it had shot down 59 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 29 over the region of Rostov and 20 more over southwestern Astrakhan. In Rostov, one person was killed and a car caught fire due to the Ukrainian drone attack, according to the area's temporary governor, Yuri Slyusar.

09:17 , Holly Evans

The Kremlin said that a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump was "a step towards a face-to-face meeting", adding that Russia-U.S. talks in Riyadh scheduled for Monday would also be such a step, Interfax news agency reported.

Meanwhile, it has been reported in Bloomberg that the U.S. hopes to reach a broad ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine within weeks, targeting a truce agreement by April 20, citing people familiar with the planning.

08:50 , Holly Evans

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that efforts to stop further escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war are "somewhat under control."

"Rational discussions" and having good relationships with presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine are key to negotiating an end to the war, Trump told Clay Travis, the founder of sports website Outkick, during an interview on Air Force One.

Trump had separate discussions with Putin and Zelensky last week aimed at ending the war that began when Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Russia's smaller neighbor in 2022.

The talks, which fell short of Trump's aim to secure a full 30-day ceasefire, resulted in Putin agreeing to stop Russian attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days and Zelensky saying he would also accept such a pause.

08:00 , Namita Singh

The Russian president has figured out a way to get Trump’s attention and distract him to such effect it delivers what Russia really wants. By reducing Ukraine to business deals and minerals, there is something much deeper and darker going on, writes Owen Matthews.

The evil genius detail in Putin’s ‘deal’ with Trump reveals Russia’s true plans

07:45 , Namita Singh

President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that he had met top military commanders in the country's northeast to discuss the frontline in Ukraine's war with Russia, as well as meetings with US officials set to take place in Saudi Arabia today.

Mr Zelensky was shown on the media platform X with commanders in Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks.

He said he had discussed frontline sectors in eastern Ukraine, as well as in Russia's western Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops remain seven months after a cross-border incursion.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at an undisclosed location in the Donetsk region

"We also prepared for the meeting between the Ukrainian and American delegations, that will take place tomorrow in Saudi Arabia," the president wrote.

In Washington, a source familiar with the planning of the meetings in Saudi Arabia with Ukrainian and Russian officials said the US delegation would be led by Andrew Peek from the National Security Council and Michael Anton from the State Department.

The group will meet the Ukrainians on Sunday night and the Russians on Monday.

07:23 , Namita Singh

Russia launched 147 drones overnight targeting several Ukrainian regions, Ukraine's air force said this morning.

Ukrainian air defence units destroyed 97 of the drones, while 25 did not reach their targets, the air force said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

07:19 , Namita Singh

07:08 , Namita Singh

Russian air defence units destroyed 59 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia's defence ministry said this morning.

Twenty-nine of the drones were destroyed over the southern region of Rostov, 20 over the Astrakhan region and the rest over the Voronezh, Volgograd, Kursk and Saratov regions, as well as over Crimea, the ministry said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

The attack comes as three Ukrainians are killed in Russian drone strike on Kyiv.

06:53 , Namita Singh

Ukrainian officials will meet a US technical team in Riyadh on 23 March, a day before the US is set to hold separate discussions with Ukrainian and Russian delegations.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the meeting, clarifying an earlier announcement in which he had stated that US-Ukraine talks would take place on 24 March.

The Ukrainian delegation will be led by defence minister Rustem Umerov and Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of the President's Office, according to an undisclosed Ukrainian source cited by Sky News. Both officials were also present at US-Ukraine discussions in Jeddah earlier this month.

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine is dispatching "technical teams" to outline the specifics of a possible partial ceasefire with Russia. However, Kyiv has stressed that there will be no direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Riyadh

06:25 , Namita Singh

Death toll in Russian drone attack on Kyiv has risen to three, with a five-year-old among those killed, Ukraine’s internal ministry said.

"A massive enemy drone attack on Kyiv," Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on the Telegram messaging app.

The scale of the overnight attack was not immediately clear. Reuters witnesses heard several blasts in what sounded like air defence systems in operation.

The state emergency service posted photos showing firefighters fighting blazes at night, including high in an apartment building.

A woman died after drone debris sparked a fire in a high-rise residential building in Dniprovskyi district, the emergency service said on Telegram, while at least 27 people were evacuated from the building.

Another person died in the Holosiivskyi district, the service said.

05:58 , Namita Singh

China is considering joining a European-led peacekeeping coalition aimed at securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to German media outlet Die Welt, which cited unnamed diplomatic sources.

While Beijing has maintained an official stance of neutrality in Russia’s war against Ukraine, it has remained a key ally of Moscow throughout the full-scale invasion.

European officials believe that China’s involvement could increase Russia’s willingness to accept a peacekeeping presence in Ukraine.

"The inclusion of China in a 'coalition of the willing' could potentially increase Russia's acceptance of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine," an unnamed EU diplomat told Die Welt, calling the situation "delicate".

Chinese diplomats are reportedly assessing how receptive European leaders would be to Beijing’s participation.

The "coalition of the willing," led by UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron, is a group of allied nations working to establish security guarantees for Ukraine.

The initiative could involve deploying troops to bolster Ukraine’s military if a ceasefire is reached. However, Moscow has repeatedly rejected the presence of European or Nato forces in Ukraine.

European leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, are scheduled to meet in Paris on 27 March to further discuss security arrangements and a potential peace plan.

No official details have been released regarding China’s possible role in the process.

Earlier this month, Chinese officials indicated Beijing’s interest in participating in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction efforts.

05:54 , Namita Singh

Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for an attack on a gas metering station in Russia’s Kursk region, just metres from the border between the two countries.

The strike on the facility in Sudzha occurred days after the United States proposed a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure. Moscow has accused Kyiv of deliberately targeting the site, which has been under Ukrainian control since its forces launched an incursion into Kursk in August 2024.

Russia’s defence ministry claimed Ukrainian troops blew up the station while “retreating from the Kursk region” in an alleged attempt to “discredit the US president’s peace initiatives”.

On Saturday, Russia’s foreign ministry warned that it “reserves the right to respond, including with a symmetrical response” to what it described as Ukrainian strikes on its energy facilities.

Kyiv dismissed the allegations as “groundless", insisting that Moscow was trying to mislead the international community.

Ukraine’s General Staff countered the claims, stating in a Telegram post that “the station has been repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves".

05:27 , Namita Singh

Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has cast doubt on Ukraine’s ability to secure a ceasefire on its terms while reiterating key Kremlin narratives about the war.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson on 21 March, Mr Witkoff described the territorial dispute in Ukraine as the "largest issue" in the conflict, referring to Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea—regions either partially or fully occupied by Russia.

He claimed these areas were "Russian-speaking" and that "referendums" had shown an overwhelming desire to be under Russian rule, failing to acknowledge that these votes were held under coercion.

He suggested that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky faced a political dilemma over international recognition of Russian-occupied territories.

"Can Zelensky survive politically if he acknowledges this? This is the central issue in the conflict," he said.

Mr Witkoff also asserted that Ukraine had "largely conceded that they are not going to be a member of Nato" but indicated discussions were ongoing about possible security guarantees from the United States and European nations.

Downplaying Moscow’s broader ambitions, he insisted Russia had no desire to expand the war or "absorb Ukraine" beyond its current occupied territories. "(Russia's) reclaimed these five regions.

They have Crimea, and they've gotten what they want. So why do they need more?" he said, omitting Russia’s past denials before launching its full-scale invasion.

He further defended Mr Trump’s approach to peace talks, saying the former US president was focused on restoring relations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

"Who doesn't want to have a world where Russia and the United States are doing collaboratively good things together?" he asked, citing potential cooperation in energy and artificial intelligence.

Mr Witkoff framed the war as a complex issue, arguing, "It's never just one person," while sidestepping Russia’s responsibility for the invasion.

05:06 , Namita Singh

Russia launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing three people and wounded 14, Ukrainian officials said yesterday, despite agreeing to a limited ceasefire.

Zaporizhzhia was hit by 12 drones, police said. Regional head Ivan Fedorov said that residential buildings, cars and communal buildings were set on fire in the Friday night attack. Photos showed emergency services scouring the rubble for survivors.

Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle on Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after US president Donald Trump spoke with the countries' leaders, though it remains to be seen what possible targets would be off-limits to attack.

The three sides appeared to hold starkly different views about what the deal covered. While the White House said "energy and infrastructure" would be part of the agreement, the Kremlin declared that the agreement referred more narrowly to "energy infrastructure".

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would also like railways and ports to be protected.

The dead in Zaporizhzhia were three members of one family. The bodies of the daughter and father were pulled out from under the rubble while doctors unsuccessfully fought for the mother's life for more than 10 hours, Mr Fedorov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

05:00 , Andy Gregory

Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been a leading figure in negotiations with Russia, was unable to name the Ukrainian regions currently occupied to varying degrees by Moscow – despite calling them “the largest issue in the conflict”.

Speaking to far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, Witkoff said: “I think the largest issue in that conflict are these so-called four regions, Donbas, Crimea ... and there’s two others”, in an apparent reference to the partly occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Echoing Russian propaganda relating to referenda – widely viewed as a sham – held by Vladimir Putin following his full-scale invasion in 2022, Mr Witkoff claimed: “They are Russian-speaking, and there have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule.”

Questioning whether Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky could “survive politically if he acknowledges” that the occupied Ukrainian territories are Russian, Mr Witkoff claimed: “This is the central issue in the conflict.”

04:50 , Namita Singh

Authorities in southern Russia's Krasnodar region brought in firefighting trains loaded with water yesterday to help battle a blaze still raging at an oil depot following a Ukrainian drone attack.

Regional officials, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said four trains were drafted into the site at Kavkazskaya, where the fire first broke out last Tuesday.

Firefighters were tackling a fire still burning at one of the tanks at the site covering 1,250 square metres (13,500 square feet) while also trying to cool other equipment at the site.

The statement said 473 firefighters and 189 pieces of equipment were engaged in the operation. On Friday, depressurisation of the burning tank triggered an explosion and the release of burning oil.

Reports on Friday said the fire covered some 10,000 square metres.

Russia's foreign ministry said this week the attack amounted to a violation of a proposed ceasefire on energy sites in the more than three-year-old war, agreed between Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump.

The accord fell short of a wider agreement that the US had sought, and which was accepted by Ukraine, for a blanket 30-day truce.

04:45 , Andy Gregory

A decree signed by Vladimir Putin this week which orders Ukrainians living in territory illegally occupied by Russia to “settle their legal status” by 10 September represents a new wave of the Kremlin’s “Russification policy”, British officials have warned.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence said: “Putin’s decree is almost certainly intended to force the departure from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Ukrainian nationals who refuse to accept Russian passport and citizenship,.

“Putin and the Russian senior leadership continue to prosecute a Russification policy in illegally occupied Ukrainian territory, as part of longstanding efforts to extirpate Ukrainian culture, identity and statehood.

“Russia erroneously and illegally defines both occupied and unoccupied Ukrainian territory in the Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, as well as Crimea, as being part of the Russian Federation. This is in direct contradiction with Russia’s own stated recognition of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty following the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as broader international recognition of Ukraine.”

04:39 , Namita Singh

President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that he had met top military commanders in the country's northeast to discuss the frontline in Ukraine's war with Russia, as well as meetings with US officials set to take place in Saudi Arabia today.

Mr Zelensky was shown on the media platform X with commanders in Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks.

He said he had discussed frontline sectors in eastern Ukraine, as well as in Russia's western Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops remain seven months after a cross-border incursion.

"We also prepared for the meeting between the Ukrainian and American delegations, that will take place tomorrow in Saudi Arabia," the president wrote.

In Washington, a source familiar with the planning of the meetings in Saudi Arabia with Ukrainian and Russian officials said the US delegation would be led by Andrew Peek from the National Security Council and Michael Anton from the State Department.

The group will meet the Ukrainians on Sunday night and the Russians on Monday.

04:30 , Alex Croft

France has restored its gunpowder production, which it scrapped in 2007.

Explosives manufacturer Eurenco is set to produce some 1,200 tonnes of gunpowder pellets a year, rising to 1,800 tonnes, which would feed into about 100,000 artillery shells,

Most of these French-made artillery shells will head to Ukraine.

Backed by the government and with an investment of 100 million euros of which half came from an EU programme to support the bloc's defence industry, the firm put together new infrastructure in less than a year.

France has a tradition of producing gunpowder dating back to the 14th Century, and a long history of pride in being self sufficient in arms production.

Eurenco produced gunpowder as far back as the First World War. But after the end of the Cold War, weapons production and supply chains were no longer a priority and governments scaled back.

04:17 , Namita Singh

Donald Trump’s special envoy has dismissed Sir Keir Starmer’s proposal for an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine, calling it “a posture and a pose".

Steve Witkoff criticised the idea, arguing it stemmed from a “simplistic” belief among the UK prime minister and other European leaders that “we have all got to be like Winston Churchill".

In an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Mr Witkoff praised Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying he "liked" him and did not consider him a “bad guy".

He described Mr Putin as “super smart” and recounted a meeting with him ten days ago, during which he found the Russian leader to be “gracious” and “straight up".

According to Mr Witkoff, Mr Putin claimed he had prayed for Mr Trump following an assassination attempt against the former US president last year.

He also revealed that the Russian leader had commissioned a portrait of Mr Trump as a gift, which, he said, had “clearly touched” him.

04:02 , Namita Singh

A Russian drone attack on Kyiv killed two people, sparked fires in apartment buildings and forced the evacuation of tens of people, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said early on Sunday.

A woman died after falling debris from a destroyed drone sparked a fire in a high-rise residential building the capital's Dniprosvkyi district, the emergency service posted on the Telegram messaging channel.

At least 27 were evacuated from the building. Another person died in the overnight attack on Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district, the service said.

04:01 , Andy Gregory

Donald Trump has said he expects a “full ceasefire” in Ukraine to be agreed “pretty soon”.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, the US president said the full ceasefire will be followed up by a “contract” to divide Ukrainian land between Moscow and Kyiv.

“The contract is being negotiated, the contract in terms of dividing up the lands, it’s being negotiated as we speak,” added Mr Trump, who has spoken with both Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in the last week.

03:42 , Namita Singh

A drone attack killed one person in a car in Russia's Rostov region, the acting governor of the southern Russian region said this morning.

"A car caught fire due to a drone attack," acting governor Yuri Slyusar said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

"A person in the car was killed."

03:00 , Andy Gregory

02:01 , Andy Gregory

Some £25bn worth of Russian assets have been frozen by the UK government since the start of the Ukraine war, newly-released figures have revealed.

A report released by the Treasury on Friday revealed the total, which accounts for all assets that have been sanctioned by the UK since February 2022 when the invasion of Ukraine began.

Some 2,001 individuals and entities have been sanctioned under the regime as of March 2024, according to the Treasury.

13:04 , Holly Evans

One year since the Moscow concert hall attack killed 145 people, Russian officials asserted Saturday that it was planned and organized by "the special services of an unfriendly state.”

The aim, according to a a statement by Svetlana Petrenko, the representative of the Russian Investigative Committee, was to "destabilize the situation in Russia.”

Though she did not specify the “unfriendly state,” she noted that “six Central Asians” currently outside of Russia had been charged in absentia and placed on Russia’s wanted list for allegedly recruiting and organizing the training of four of the suspected perpetrators.

Read the full article here:

Russia accuses an 'unfriendly state' of planning the 2004 Moscow concert hall assault

01:00 , Andy Gregory

Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both insisted that Ukraine’s forces in Kursk are surrounded by Russian troops and are in imminent danger, but U.S. intelligence reports have contradicted those claims.

A trio of U.S. and European officials familiar with intelligence details of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine told Reuters that the situation on the ground does not reflect the comments made by Trump and Putin.

One of the U.S. officials also said that the White House was briefed on the actual situation in Ukraine, so it’a unclear why Trump has and continues to claim that Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region are surrounded.

Read the full report:

Trump’s story about ‘surrounded’ Ukraine troops contradicted by his own intelligence

Saturday 22 March 2025 23:59 , Andy Gregory

As Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff has also emerged at the forefront of negotiations with Russia over its war in Ukraine – from a perch that did not require Senate confirmation.

Witkoff, who runs a real estate development and investment firm, is a longtime friend and golf partner of Trump. He played a less visible role during Trump’s first term, serving on the board of trustees for the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Witkoff first met Trump in the 1980s, when he worked for a real estate law firm that handled a deal for Trump, himself a real estate developer, according to testimony Witkoff gave in the president's civil fraud trial in 2023.

Witkoff testified that a few years later, he ran into Trump at a deli. Trump didn’t have money with him and asked Witkoff to order him a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich. Years later when they met again, Trump remembered the sandwich and the two became friends, Witkoff said.

He’s been more than a friend. Witkoff has donated millions to Trump's political causes over the years. He also partnered with Trump on the president’s family cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial.

Michelle L Price and Aamer Madhani have more in this report:

Steve Witkoff: Who is the real estate mogul Trump picked to broker peace with Putin?

Saturday 22 March 2025 23:49 , Andy Gregory

Russia has launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv, hitting apartment buildings and sparking several fires throughout Ukraine’s capital, officials have said.

Emergency services were dispatched to Kyiv’s historic Podil district after drones hit two high-rise apartment buildings there and started fires, said Timur Tkachenko, the head of the capital’s military administration.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged people to stay in shelters, but said there were no immediate reports of injuries from the attacks that also sparked fires in at least two other districts of the capital. Kyiv, its surrounding region and the eastern half of Ukraine were under air raid alerts on Saturday night.

Reuters staff reported hearing several blasts in what sounded like air defence units in operation.

Saturday 22 March 2025 23:00 , Andy Gregory

Saturday 22 March 2025 22:01 , Andy Gregory

Moldovan authorities have issued an international wanted notice for a missing pro-Russian member of parliament, who disappeared the day he was handed a 12-year jail sentence on corruption charges.

A second pro-Russian parliamentarian, due to be sentenced next week, has also disappeared, officials said.

Both are associates of Ilan Shor, a fugitive business magnate also jailed for his part in a mass fraud scheme who now leads a political party from exile in Moscow. Moldova’s pro-European government accuses him of trying to destabilise Chisinau.

The warrant for politician Alexandr Nesterovschi was issued late on Friday and interior minister Daniela Misail-Nichitin said attempts to locate him had failed. Authorities in neighbouring Ukraine and Romania had found no trace of him. Ms Misail-Nichitin said police had considered whether Nesterovschi, who was granted Russian citizenship as his sentence was being announced, was hiding in the Russian embassy, but that had proved to be untrue.

Mr Nesterovschi was accused of accepting money from a criminal group to finance the activities of Shor’s “Victory” bloc. Politician Irina Lozovan, awaiting sentencing on similar charges, has also disappeared.

Shor was sentenced to 15 years in prison two years ago in connection with the disappearance of $1bn from the banking system in Moldova’s “theft of the century” in 2014-15. He fled initially to Israel then to Moscow, now has Russian citizenship and has evaded all attempts to extradite him.

Moldovan courts have banned political parties linked to Shor, who has organised noisy anti-government protests in the capital.

Saturday 22 March 2025 21:02 , Andy Gregory

With Donald Trump floating the idea of taking control of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, my colleague Tom Watling has this report on the location and details of the facilities in the US president’s sights:

Mapped: Which Ukrainian nuclear plants could Trump take as part of ceasefire deal?

Saturday 22 March 2025 20:04 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s military have reported 70 combat clashes along the frontline so far on Saturday as of 4pm local time.

The heaviest fighting was once again reported in the direction of Pokrovsk, the key Donetsk city which has for months been central in Vladimir Putin’s sights – an axis of fighting in which the casualty rate is believed to be particularly high since fighting intensified there last year.

The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in their update on Saturday afternoon that Russia’s forces had also launched artillery attacks in Sumy, Chernihiv and Karkhiv, with fighting ongoing in the latter region, near the settlement of Vovchansk.

Saturday 22 March 2025 19:08 , Andy Gregory

Police have said they are not treating the death of Oleg Gordievsky – an 86-year-old Soviet KGB officer who helped change the course of the Cold War by covertly passing secrets to Britain – as suspicious.

Historians consider Gordievsky one of the era’s most important spies. In the 1980s, his intelligence helped avoid a dangerous escalation of nuclear tensions between the USSR and the West.

Born in Moscow in 1938, Gordievsky joined the KGB in the early 1960s, serving in Moscow, Copenhagen and London, where he became KGB station chief. He was one of several Soviet agents who grew disillusioned with the USSR after Moscow’s tanks crushed the Prague Spring freedom movement in 1968, and was recruited by Britain's MI6 in the early 1970s. He has lived in England since defecting in 1985.

Surrey Police said on Saturday that officers were called to an address in Godalming on 4 March, where “an 86-year-old man was found dead at the property”. It said counterterrorism officers are leading the investigation, but “the death is not currently being treated as suspicious” and “there is nothing to suggest any increased risk to members of the public”.

Saturday 22 March 2025 18:11 , Andy Gregory

For Donald Trump, talks with the Kremlin are a path to ending the Ukraine conflict as fast as possible. And if there’s a Nobel Peace Prize in it for him, all well and good. Securing some great deals for US business would be even better. For Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, talks are a path to victory and to the victor, the spoils. To get there, the KGB veteran has read Trump like a book.

Trump is obsessed by his image as the king of the art of the deal. Putin has clocked that and is only too happy to offer Trump the prospect of every kind of deal he can to con the White House into handing over something much more worthwhile. Renewed influence over Ukraine, a lifting of sanctions and a future where Russia is treated as a great power again.

Read the full analysis from Owen Matthews below:

The evil genius detail in Putin’s ‘deal’ with Trump reveals Russia’s true plans

Saturday 22 March 2025 17:16 , AP

One year since the Moscow concert hall attack killed 145 people, Russian officials asserted on Saturday that it was planned and organised by “the special services of an unfriendly state”.

The aim, according to a a statement by Svetlana Petrenko, the representative of the Russian Investigative Committee, was to “destabilise the situation in Russia”.

Though she did not specify the “unfriendly state,” she noted that “six Central Asians” currently outside of Russia had been charged in absentia and placed on Russia’s wanted list for allegedly recruiting and organising the training of four of the suspected perpetrators.

The four men, all of whom were identified in the media as citizens of Tajikistan, appeared in a Moscow court at the end of March last year on terrorism charges and showed signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.

According to Petrenko, 19 people are currently in custody in Russia in relation to the attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall.

A faction of the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the massacre in which gunmen shot people who were waiting for a show by a popular rock band and then set the building on fire. But Russian officials including president Vladimir Putin have persistently claimed – without presenting evidence – that Ukraine had a role in the attack. Kyiv has vehemently denied any involvement.

Saturday 22 March 2025 16:21 , Andy Gregory

With Ukraine’s troops having retreated from swathes of territory seized during their incursion into Russia’s Kursk region last August, the Reuters news agency has spoken to some Ukrainians who have cast doubt over the operation’s efficacy.

Mariia Pankova, whose friend Pavlo Humeniuk has been missing for nearly four months after being deployed to Kursk, said tearfully: “I’m just not sure it was worth it, adding: “We're not invaders. We just need our territories back, we do not need the Russian one.”

Soldier Oleksii Deshevyi, a 32-year-old former supermarket security guard who lost his hand while fighting in Kursk in September, said he saw no logic in the operation.

“We should not have started this operation at all,” he said, speaking in a rehabilitation centre in Kyiv, where he has spent the past six months adjusting to life after injury.

Yet despite her doubts over the operation in Kursk, with Donald Trump now negotiating with Vladimir Putin in a bid to end Russia’s war, Ms Pankova cast doubt over the possibility of a peace deal which prevents Russia from returning to seize more Ukrainian land – and is herself considering joining Kyiv’s armed forces.

“Every time that someone tries to, let's say, sell some piece of Ukraine, they just have not to forget what we already gave,” she said. “How many lives our people gave for that.”

Saturday 22 March 2025 15:24 , Andy Gregory

Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia’s influential Security Council, has met Serbia's outgoing deputy prime minister Alexandar Vulin in Moscow and discussed anti-government protests in his country, Russian state news agencies have said.

Both referred to the protests as an attempted “colour revolution” – a term used to describe pro-Western protests that toppled governments in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan in recent decades.

“Western intelligence services are behind the colour revolution in Serbia and would like to bring another government to power in Serbia. We will not allow this,” the Tass news agency quoted Mr Vulin as claiming, without providing evidence.

The previous day, Mr Vulin said that Russia’s spy services had assisted Belgrade authorities in responding to the protests – in a move which critics said revealed the extent to which Serbia’s government has become dependent on Moscow.

Mr Shoigu said on Saturday that both countries maintained regular dialogue and exchanged information “including with a view to countering ‘colour revolutions’”, adding: “This helps to prevent destabilisation of the situation in brotherly Serbia in the changing geopolitical environment.”

Students, backed by teachers, farmers and workers, have maintained daily protests across Serbia since last November, when 16 people died in a roof collapse at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad, which they blame on corruption.

Earlier this week, Serbian parliament formally approved the resignation of prime minister Milos Vucevic, who offered to step down on 28 January, triggering a 30-day deadline for the formation of a new government or the calling of a snap election.

Saturday 22 March 2025 13:18 , Tom Barnes

Ukrainians living in bombed-out Kherson tell The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley how Russian drones target them as they go about their daily lives – and how their brutal injuries are cared for in a hospital forced underground:

Russian drone pilots hunting Ukrainian civilians on the streets ‘like a video game’

Saturday 22 March 2025 12:28 , Tom Barnes

Russia reserves the right to a "symmetrical response" to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of blowing up a Russian gas pumping station in a border area where Ukrainian troops have been retreating. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure in three years of fighting, and Ukraine has struck energy facilities in Russia.

"As in 2022, provocations are being used again with the aim of disrupting the negotiation process. We are clearly warning that if the Kyiv regime continues its destructive line, the Russian Federation reserves the right to respond, including with a symmetrical response," the ministry said.

Saturday 22 March 2025 10:54 , Tom Barnes

President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Ukraine's Donetsk region on Saturday, where he met commanders of drone units near the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian troops have for months been fending off Russian assaults around the city, where Moscow's forces have been slowly advancing to try to eventually capture the entire region.

"I visited the command post of the Tactical Group Pokrovsk and met with the commanders of the Drone Line, which united the finest unmanned systems units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Zelenskiy wrote on X.

"I received a report on the defense of the Pokrovsk direction, the operational situation, and the progress of the missions. I honored our warriors with state awards."

Drones have transformed warfare since the start of Russia's February 2022 invasion, and Ukraine has sought to elevate drone units and boost domestic production.

This month, Kyiv's defence ministry said it would purchase around 4.5 million first-person view (FPV) drones in 2025, mostly from domestic producers, more than doubling last year's rate.

Saturday 22 March 2025 09:45 , Tom Barnes

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said on Saturday that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia must stop, and North Korea should not be rewarded for its wrongdoings in the course of bringing about the end of the war in Ukraine.

Cho also said it is important for South Korea, Japan and China to faithfully carry out UN sanctions against North Korea, and to put efforts into stopping North Korean provocations and bring about its complete denuclearisation.

Cho was meeting his Chinese and Japanese counterparts in Tokyo on Saturday, in the first such trilateral talks since 2023.

Saturday 22 March 2025 08:58 , Tom Barnes

Three people were killed and 12 wounded in a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian officials said, in an attack that underlined Moscow's intention to continue aerial strikes despite agreeing to a limited ceasefire.

Regional head Ivan Fedorov said on Saturday that "residential buildings, private cars, and social infrastructure facilities were set on fire" in the attack on Friday night, and published photos showing emergency services scouring the rubble of damaged residential buildings for survivors.

The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia fired 179 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Saturday.

It said 100 were intercepted and another 63 "lost," likely having been electronically jammed.

Officials in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions also reported fires breaking out due to the falling debris from intercepted drones.

Russia's Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, said its air defence systems shot down 47 Ukrainian drones.

Saturday 22 March 2025 07:00 , Alex Croft

Ukraine accused Russia of bombing its own gas infrastructure in an effort to undermine ceasefire talks.

Putin’s top security adviser met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and discussed Ukraine.

The US is said to be seeking new terms for US access to minerals in Ukraine to include control over Kyiv’s nuclear power plants, the Financial Times reported.

Britain is set to accelerate plans next week for a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine, including a discussion about how it can operate and the structure.

Zelensky announced the ‘coalition of the willing’, the countries willing to support Ukrainian peacekeeping efforts, will meet in Paris next week.

Donald Trump said a full ceasefire would come “very soon”, claiming that negotiators were “dividing up” Ukrainian land.

Saturday 22 March 2025 05:01 , Alex Croft

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Vladimir Putin of attempting to “delay and add conditions” to any ceasefire in Ukraine, a Downing Street spokesperson said on Friday.

The prime minister spoke to EU chiefs along with the leaders of Turkey, Norway and Iceland, the spokesperson said.

“The Prime Minister began by updating on his recent call with President Zelenskyy, and said it was clear President Putin was trying to delay and add conditions to any meaningful ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

“The Prime Minister also outlined the new military sub-planning groups, across land, sea, air, regeneration and reconstruction, which would continue discussions across three intensive planning days next week,” they added.

The leaders discussed the importance of keeping up investment in military equipment to outpace any European threats.

Saturday 22 March 2025 04:01 , Alex Croft

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that “all nuclear power plants belong to the people of Ukraine” after reports that his US counterpart Donald Trump said an American takeover of the country’s nuclear power would offer the “best protection” for it.

In their first conversation since Mr Trump verbally attacked Mr Zelensky in the White House and had him thrown out, the US president reportedly suggested Washington take ownership of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

But Kyiv says the discussions referred only to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian occupation.

Jane Dalton reports:

Zelensky defies Trump, warning: Hands off my nuclear power stations

Saturday 22 March 2025 02:00 , Alex Croft

Saturday 22 March 2025 01:00 , Alex Croft

Saturday 22 March 2025 00:01 , Alex Croft

Moscow has been accused of bombing its own gas infrastructure in order to sabotage an energy ceasefire deal with Ukraine.

Ukraine’s general staff has denied that its forces struck a key gas pumping station in Sudzha, and instead said it had been “repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves”.

The army accused Russia of seeking to pin the blame on Ukraine with “groundless” accusations its military was involved – all to undermine any truce and longer peace deal currently being negotiated by Donald Trump and the US.

“The Russian federation is intensifying its discrediting campaign against Ukraine,” it said.

Athena Stavrou reports:

Moscow accused of bombing own gas infrastructure to undermine ceasefire deal

Friday 21 March 2025 23:01 , Alex Croft

Volodymyr Zelensky visited the site of one of the initial battles in the war with Russia today, alongside the president of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel.

Heavy fighting in Moshchun lasted for most of March 2022 before Ukraine successfully repelled Russian forces, less than 30 kilometres from Kyiv. Zelensky said the village was a symbolic and “deeply memorable” place for Ukrainians.

“The battles for Moshchun against the Russian occupiers played a crucial role in the defense of Kyiv, and therefore the defence of our entire country,” Zelensky said on X

“Together, we honoured the memory of our fallen warriors who fought for Ukraine’s freedom, and expressed our gratitude to all the heroes — thanks to whom we are here today – in Ukrainian Kyiv, in our independent state. And it will always be this way – we will definitely preserve Ukraine’s independence.”

Friday 21 March 2025 22:01 , Alex Croft

Friday 21 March 2025 20:29 , Alex Croft

Kyiv has accused Russia of illegally pressuring Ukrainians in occupied territories to change their legal status, in an apparent move to enforce Russian nationality on Ukraine’s occupied citizens.

It comes after Moscow issued a presidential decree ordering Ukrainian citizens living “in Russia without legal grounds” to “regulate” their status.

While there was no clear explanation on what it meant by “regulate”, Moscow has been pressing Ukrainians in those areas to obtain Russian citizenship.

Holding a Russian passport in the occupied territories has been made necessary for Ukrainians who want to access healthcare, retirement income, social services, or prove property ownership. A Russian law stipulated that anyone in the occupied territories who did not have a Russian passport by 1 July 2024 was subject to imprisonment as a “foreign citizen”.

Kyiv’s foreign ministry spokesman, Heorhii Tykhyi, said the move was a "despicable act".

"It is yet another step in Russia's campaign of discrimination, persecution and forced displacement of Ukrainian citizens from their homeland, or forcing them to acquire foreigner status," he told a briefing in Kyiv.

Russia, which regularly denied accusations of carrying out abuses, did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to its foreign ministry.

Friday 21 March 2025 19:29 , Alex Croft

A huge fire has broke out earlierat a Russian gas and pumping station after it was rocked by a major explosion.

The facility in Sudzha is in Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine.

It was once used by Gazprom to export gas to Europe from Russia visa Ukraine, until Kyiv decided to end the agreement in January this year.

The Kursk region has been a key area in the war between Russia in Ukraine.

In August 2024, Ukraine launched an incursion into the region and captured an estimated 1,300 square kilometers of land, including the town of Sudzha.

However in recent weeks, Putin’s troops have re-captured much of the region.

Friday 21 March 2025 19:15 , Alex Croft

The separate tracks of European and US approaches to ending the Ukraine war have barely been clearer. Exemplifying the high ground that the prime minister has taken since Mr Trump re-established ties with Moscow, Sir Keir set the tone – before visiting Barrow-in-Furness and laying the keel for the next generation of UK nuclear-armed submarines. There, he made clear that nuclear deterrence was both necessary and effective.

Vladimir Putin, he said, feared Britain’s nuclear weapons as a “credible capability”. In other words, there was no reason for either the UK – or, by extension, the European members of Nato – to be intimidated by Russia. Or, he might also have said, by the United States threatening to leave Europe to rely on its own resources.

The British prime minister’s moral clarity on support for Kyiv, and the need for it to continue, has been quietly appreciated by his fellow European leaders, and more loudly by Ukraine. It has also contributed to a sense of European solidarity as the United States has increasingly seen to be on a different track.

Read more here.

Friday 21 March 2025 18:57 , Alex Croft

Russia’s Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu thanked Kim Jong Un for North Korea’s ongoing support in its war against Ukraine during a visit today, Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported.

North Korea has supplied vast amounts of weapons to Russia including artillery and ballistic missiles, and has sent up to 12,000 troops to support Russia’s army in its war with Ukraine, according to intelligence officials from the US, South Korea and Ukraine.

In late February, South Korea's spy agency said North Korea appeared to have sent additional troops to Russia. South Korean media put the number of newly sent North Korean soldiers at about 1,000 to 3,000.

Rachel Clun reports:

Russian official thanks North Korea’s Kim Jong Un for Ukraine war support

Friday 21 March 2025 18:41 , Alex Croft

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Vladimir Putin of attempting to “delay and add conditions” to any ceasefire in Ukraine, a Downing Street spokesperson has said.

The prime minister spoke to EU chiefs along with the leaders of Turkey, Norway and Iceland, the spokesperson said.

“The Prime Minister began by updating on his recent call with President Zelenskyy, and said it was clear President Putin was trying to delay and add conditions to any meaningful ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

“The Prime Minister also outlined the new military sub-planning groups, across land, sea, air, regeneration and reconstruction, which would continue discussions across three intensive planning days next week,” they added.

The leaders discussed the importance of keeping up investment in military equipment to outpace any European threats.

Friday 21 March 2025 18:30 , Alex Croft

Friday 21 March 2025 18:13 , Alex Croft

Ukraine has dismissed Moscow’s accusations that Kyiv’s troops committed war crimes in Russia’s Kursk region, describing them as “completely unfounded”.

"The Russian accusations of atrocities and crimes committed by Ukraine in Kursk Oblast are completely unfounded,” foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.

“Ukraine has always adhered to international humanitarian law, particularly in ensuring the humane treatment of civilians in conflict zones, and has not violated these principles."

Moscow fabricates this “evidence base” to make false accusations against Kyiv, Mr Tykhyi added according to Ukrainska Pravda.

"All of this is false. The majority of local population and property in Kursk Oblast have been impacted by Russian bombardments, including targeted strikes,” he added.

Friday 21 March 2025 17:55 , Alex Croft

Volodymyr Zelensky has said a summit will be held next week for the ‘coalition of the willing’, the group of countries prepared to invest in peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

The summit will be held in Paris, Mr Zelensky told a media briefing with the Czech president Petr Pavel, adding that it will address future security guarantees for Ukraine.

"Next week we have a bilateral meeting with President Macron. We have many issues to discuss. I hope the outcome of this meeting will be a good one,” he said.

The meeting will be followed by the summit, where countries among the coalition will discuss “what the infrastructure of the contingent will look like”, and “who is ready” to be part of peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine.

"I would like us to have some concrete outcomes. We have discussed this with President Macron," the Ukrainian president added.

Friday 21 March 2025 17:38 , Alex Croft

Friday 21 March 2025 17:21 , Athena Stavrou

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that “all nuclear power plants belong to the people of Ukraine” after reports that his US counterpart Donald Trump said an American takeover of the country’s nuclear power would offer the “best protection” for it.

In their first conversation since Mr Trump verbally attacked Mr Zelensky in the White House and had him thrown out, the US president reportedly suggested Washington take ownership of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

But Kyiv says the discussions referred only to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian occupation.

Read the full story here:

Zelensky defies Trump, warning: Hands off my nuclear power stations

Friday 21 March 2025 16:53 , Athena Stavrou

A fire has erupted at a gas pumping station in the Russian region of Kursk bordering Ukraine, after a huge explosion rocked the site.

The station has been a critical hub for Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine, before Kyiv refused to extend the agreement in January this year.

Once it passed through the station, it entered Ukraine’s pipeline system into Slovakia, before going onto the Czech Republic and Austria.

In 2023, almost half of all Russian gas exports to Europe were pumped through the station.

Friday 21 March 2025 16:36 , Athena Stavrou

• Three were injured and fires broke out after Russia launched a mass drone attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port in Odesa on Thursday night.

• Ukraine accused Russia of bombing its own gas infrastructure in an effort to undermine ceasefire talks.

• Putin’s top security adviser met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and discussed Ukraine.

• The US is said to be seeking new terms for US access to minerals in Ukraine to include control over Kyiv’s nuclear power plants, the Financial Times reported.

• Britain is set to accelerate plans next week for a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine, including a discussion about how it can operate and the structure.

Friday 21 March 2025 16:19 , Athena Stavrou

Friday 21 March 2025 15:57 , Athena Stavrou

Serbia's deputy prime minister has said Russia’s spy services helped authorities respond to months of anti-government protests.

Students, backed by teachers, farmers and workers, have maintained daily protests across Serbia since last November, when 16 people died in a roof collapse at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad, which they blame on corruption.

"I am very grateful to Russia's special services, which always support us in our fight against colour revolutions, primarily with information," Deputy Prime Minister Alexandar Vulin said in an interview with Russia's RIA state news agency.

"They know what danger hangs over Serbia," RIA quoted Vulin as saying.

Friday 21 March 2025 15:43 , Athena Stavrou

A military court has jailed a Soviet-era anti-war activist for 16 years.

The court in St Petersburg convicted Alexander Skobov of "justifying terrorism," the Prosecutor General's office said,

It said he had repeatedly posted information on social media "justifying carrying out terrorist acts, including calls to carry out illegal activity" and that he had taken part in the activities of a "terrorist organisation."

Skobov, who was jailed in the Soviet Union for his opposition to the authorities, publicly condemned President Vladimir Putin's decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022 and has repeatedly said that Moscow should return any territory it had taken during the conflict.

Russian authorities have jailed outspoken critics of what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, drawing fierce condemnation from Western human rights groups who say the crackdown amounts to a repressive clamp-down on free speech.

Friday 21 March 2025 15:29 , Athena Stavrou

Friday 21 March 2025 15:08 , Athena Stavrou

Ukraine does not consider a UN mission an alternative to the deployment of foreign troops or security guarantees to end the war with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday.

"With all due respect, the UN will not protect us from the occupation or Putin's desire to come back," Zelenskiy said at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel in Kyiv.

His comments come after reports Emmanuel Macron is looking to the UN for alternatives to putting European troops on the ground.

The Telegraph reported that the French president was considering the possibility of a UN-led mission.

Friday 21 March 2025 14:59 , Athena Stavrou

Homeland defence is not some abstract concept to the countries bordering Russia, nor is the nuclear threat, says defence analyst Francis Tusa.

So, if the US could use a ‘kill switch’ to stop the UK from using Trident should an attack happen, how ready would we be?

Read the In Focus article here:

Missile interceptors and pamphlets in France: How Europe is preparing for nuclear war

Friday 21 March 2025 14:47 , Athena Stavrou

Ukraine is continuing to hold talks with the United States about a minerals deal, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday.

The White House said on Wednesday it had moved beyond "just the economic minerals deal framework" and was focused on peace between Ukraine and Russia.

It added Donald Trump said on Thursday that the US would sign the minerals and natural resources deal with Ukraine shortly.

Earlier, it was reported by the financial times that Trump was seeking to extend the terms of the mineral deal to include control over Kyiv’s nuclear power plants.

Friday 21 March 2025 14:38 , Athena Stavrou

Poland’s prime minister has said the European Union has agreed it must be ready to defend itself against a Russian attack in five years.

Donald Tusk said EU countries currently spending less on defence were reluctant to accept the plan to be prepared by 2030.

“Behind the scenes... it stirred some emotions. Especially in countries that spend little on defence now. There are several large countries that still spend very little. And they don’t want to spend more. For now,” he told a press conference after an EU summit.

“By 2030 Europe must be, in terms of army, weapons, technology, clearly stronger than Russia. And it will be.”

Friday 21 March 2025 14:23 , Athena Stavrou

The Prince of Wales rode in a Challenge 2 tank defending Estonia against Russian aggression after telling British troops he hoped his visit would “keep everyone on their toes”.

William, wearing a camouflage military uniform, googles and a helmet, travelled in the commander’s turret of the tank as it sped across muddy terrain in Estonia less than 100 miles from the border with Russia.

Friday 21 March 2025 14:16 , Athena Stavrou

Germany's budget committee has cleared the way for another 3 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine, parliamentary sources said.

The green light on Friday comes after chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz pushed through reforms to ramp up investment in defence.

The 3 billion euros include 2.547 billion earmarked by the finance ministry for Ukraine this year, topped up by other contributions, including a reimbursement from the European Peace Facility.

Friday 21 March 2025 14:02 , Athena Stavrou

A fire has erupted at a gas pumping station in the Russian region of Kursk bordering Ukraine, after a huge explosion rocked the site.

Both Kyiv and Moscow have denied responsibility for the attack, with both sides accusing the other of targeting the key facility near the Russian town of Sudzha.

Kursk has been the focus of fierce fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in recent weeks, as Vladimir Putin’s forces push to retake territory seized by Ukraine in a daring assault last year.

Read the full story:

Mapped: Where is key Russian gas pumping station hit by huge explosion

Friday 21 March 2025 13:50

Friday 21 March 2025 13:45

Asked whether the focus of discussions had shifted away from the prospect of ground troops for Ukraine, a Number 10 spokesman said: "No, nothing is off the table on any of these fronts, so I wouldn't start ruling anything out.

"But clearly thousands of troops will be required to support any deployment, whether that is at sea, on land or in the air."

Any deployment will require significant support and the firming up of "basic logistics of ... moving people and ensuring deployment rotations, so as the PM said we need to be prepared for all eventualities," the official said.

"We've moved into an operational phase now and what that means is ... bringing together military planners to look at the potential design of force structures, interoperability and what capability is needed to ensure a sovereign Ukraine is able to defend itself for generations to come.

"Next week, we'll continue to accelerate the pace and scale of operational planning with further meetings at our Northwood headquarters as we look forward more closely at the details and structure of any future force."

Friday 21 March 2025 13:16 , Rachel Clun

Russia’s Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu thanked Kim Jong Un for North Korea’s ongoing support in its war against Ukraine during a visit today, Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported.

North Korea has supplied vast amounts of weapons to Russia including artillery and ballistic missiles, and has sent up to 12,000 troops to support Russia’s army in its war with Ukraine, according to intelligence officials from the US, South Korea and Ukraine.

In late February, South Korea's spy agency said North Korea appeared to have sent additional troops to Russia. South Korean media put the number of newly sent North Korean soldiers at about 1,000 to 3,000.

Tass quoted Mr Shoigu as saying: "I would like to express my gratitude to our Korean friends for solidarity with Russia’s position on all critical geopolitical issues and on the Ukrainian issue in particular," when speaking with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday.

Mr Shoigu emphasised that Russia “highly values the achieved level of strategic relations between the countries and is committed to deepen them."

Friday 21 March 2025 13:04 , Rachel Clun

Western military planning to enforce a potential ceasefire in Ukraine is set to intensify in London next week as Downing Street said "nothing is off the table" over possible troop deployment for Kyiv.

Number 10 said "thousands" of personnel would be required to support any operation whether by "sea, on land or in the air" as allies prepare "for all eventualities" amid diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Officials from the so-called coalition of the willing will "accelerate the pace and scale" of work to consolidate proposals for possible troop deployment across land, air or sea to safeguard any peace deal, a No 10 spokesman said.

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer warned Vladimir Putin would face "severe consequences" for breaching any truce as he met defence planners for the first stage of talks at the UK's Northwood military headquarters on Thursday.

Downing Street on Friday said officials from allied countries will meet again at the same site next week to firm up a strategy to protect Kyiv as plans enter an "operational phase".

Friday 21 March 2025 12:59 , Rachel Clun

Volodymyr Zelensky visited the site of one of the initial battles in the war with Russia today, alongside the president of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel.

Heavy fighting in Moshchun lasted for most of March 2022 before Ukraine successfully repelled Russian forces, less than 30 kilometres from Kyiv. Zelensky said the village was a symbolic and “deeply memorable” place for Ukrainians.

“The battles for Moshchun against the Russian occupiers played a crucial role in the defense of Kyiv, and therefore the defence of our entire country,” Zelensky said on X

“Together, we honoured the memory of our fallen warriors who fought for Ukraine’s freedom, and expressed our gratitude to all the heroes — thanks to whom we are here today – in Ukrainian Kyiv, in our independent state. And it will always be this way – we will definitely preserve Ukraine’s independence.”

Friday 21 March 2025 12:44 , Rachel Clun

Emmanuel Macron has reiterated his support for Ukraine following continued Russian bombardments.

“Once again last night, Russia showed that it sincerely does not want peace. Full support for the Ukrainian people,” he wrote on X, along with a picture of a building on fire.

His tweet followed an earlier post from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who shared video footage of firefighters battling large blazes and called for tougher sanctions on Russia.

“It is joint pressure on Russia, along with tougher sanctions and stronger defence support for our country, that paves the way to ending this kind of terror and Russia’s prolongation of the war,” Zelensky said.

“We expect real pressure on Russia from the United States, Europe, and all our partners. This is what will enable diplomacy to work. “

Friday 21 March 2025 12:30 , Athena Stavrou

Germany has seized a tanker believed to be part of a shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions.

Spiegel magazine cited German security services who said the decrepit Panama-flagged ship, called Eventin, was found adrift off its northern coast in January.

The tanker is believed to have been heading from Russia to Egypt with cargo of around 100,000 metric tons of oil, worth some 40 million euros.

The German government declined to comment in detail but said "Customs measures are currently under way,” and the local customs authority said in a statement that the measures had not yet been made legally binding, without commenting further on the case.

Moscow has no information about the ship and no knowledge about its owner or reasons for its seizure, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, responding to a Reuters query.

Friday 21 March 2025 12:20

Putin’s top security adviser discussed Ukraine with Kim Jong Un on Friday, Russian media has reported.

Sergei Shoigu also discussed talks between Russia and the US with the North Korean leader, TASS news agency reported.

The top Russian official has visited North Korea on Friday as security ties between the countries advances.

Friday 21 March 2025 11:53 , Athena Stavrou

Editorial: Convened by the British prime minister, the meeting of military leaders from more than 20 countries to discuss a peacekeeping force for Ukraine may have jumped the gun. If they are to work together, the UK and EU must first negotiate some key differences:

Sir Keir’s ‘coalition of the willing’ is principled – and a rallying cry for Ukraine

Friday 21 March 2025 11:39 , Athena Stavrou

Some £25 billion worth of Russian assets have been frozen by the UK Government since the start of the Ukraine war, newly-released figures have revealed.

A report released by the Treasury on Friday revealed the total, which accounts for all assets that have been sanctioned by the UK since February 2022 when the invasion of Ukraine began.

Some 2,001 individuals and entities have been sanctioned under the regime as of March 2024, according to the Treasury.

Friday 21 March 2025 11:37 , Athena Stavrou

France has restored its gunpowder production, which it scrapped in 2007.

Explosives manufacturer Eurenco is set to produce some 1,200 tonnes of gunpowder pellets a year, rising to 1,800 tonnes, which would feed into about 100,000 artillery shells,

Most of these French-made artillery shells will head to Ukraine.

Backed by the government and with an investment of 100 million euros of which half came from an EU programme to support the bloc's defence industry, the firm put together new infrastructure in less than a year.

France has a tradition of producing gunpowder dating back to the 14th Century, and a long history of pride in being self sufficient in arms production.

Eurenco produced gunpowder as far back as World War One. But after the end of the Cold War, weapons production and supply chains were no longer a priority and governments scaled back.

Friday 21 March 2025 11:23

Russia accused Ukraine of being behind the attack on the Sudzha gas pumping station, saying it had been under the control of Kyiv's forces "until now" who had used it as a logistics base.

"The blowing up of an important Russian energy facility by Ukrainian army units retreating from the Kursk region is a deliberate provocation by the Kyiv regime," the defence ministry said in a statement.

"(This) should be viewed as part of a series of recent strikes against the energy infrastructure of the Russian Federation aimed at discrediting the peace initiatives of the president of the United States."

The region has been the focus of fierce fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in recent weeks, with Moscow’s troops recapturing much of the region which held by Kyiv since August last year.

Friday 21 March 2025 11:09