Summary
- Donald Trump launches a fresh attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a “dictator” and saying he has done a “terrible job”
- Trump also accuses Zelensky of “refusing to have elections” – Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia invaded in February 2022, meaning elections are suspended
- Zelensky earlier accused the US president of “living in a disinformation space” created by Russia following US-Moscow talks in Saudi Arabia, from which Kyiv was excluded
- Donald Trump says he’s more confident a Ukraine peace deal can be achieved after talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia, in which Kyiv was excluded
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says it was a “surprise” that his country was not invited to the talks
- On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh for the first high-level talks between the two countries
- They agreed to appoint teams to start negotiating the end of the war
- The US president says he’s “disappointed” over Ukraine’s complaints about being frozen out of the discussions
- Trump also suggests Ukraine “could have made a deal” earlier
- A full-scale Russian invasion sparked the war in Ukraine almost three years ago, eight years after it unilaterally annexed Crimea
Zelensky: ‘Choose between Putin or peace’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the world faces a choice between aligning with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin on the one hand, and peace on the other.
In his nightly video address, external, Zelensky alluded to US President Donald Trump, who today called the Ukrainian leader a “dictator” who had “done a terrible job”.
“A future not with Putin, but with peace. It is a choice for everyone in the world, including the strongest, to stand with Putin or with peace,” Zelensky said.
“I count on Ukrainian unity, on our Ukrainian courage, on our relations with partners, on our European unity, and on America’s pragmatism – America, which needs success as much as we all do.”
Zelensky says Putin cannot continue to ‘deceive’ over the war
Zelensky has posted to social media to thank the UK for its support following his call with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“UK’s support matters indeed, and we will never forget the respect the British people have shown for Ukraine and our citizens. Thank you for your support,” he posted to X.
Earlier, Zelensky also posted about a conversation with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who he said shared Ukraine’s need for “broad representation” from Europe, the UK, Turkey and the US.
He added that the pair “coordinated our next steps”.
“We cannot allow Putin to deceive everyone again. Before any potential negotiations, all partners must clearly understand that strong security guarantees are the priority for lasting peace,” he wrote on X.
Zelensky said that after he was informed about Rutte’s meeting with US envoy Keith Kellogg, “the key messages align with our goal of achieving guaranteed peace, not just a temporary ceasefire”.
“There must be confidence that in a few months or years, Putin won’t return with his war.”
Zelensky to meet US envoy Keith Kellogg on Thursday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he will be meeting Washington’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, on Thursday.
During his daily evening address, a tradition since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky says he hopes for “constructive” work with the US.
“We are scheduled to meet with General Kellogg tomorrow, and it is very important for us that the meeting and our work with America in general be constructive,” Zelensky adds.
It comes after a rift between the two nations, as US President Donald Trump described the Ukrainian leader as a “dictator” who had “done a terrible job”.
Trump’s comments followed earlier remarks by Zelensky, who criticised the US president, accusing him of “living in a disinformation space”.
Europe has failed to bring peace, says Trump
Trump has also taken a swipe at Europe, saying the war in Ukraine is “far more important to Europe than it is to us”.
“We have a big, beautiful ocean as a separation,” he says.
He adds that Europe has “failed to bring peace” in the region.
‘For the first time, the US is not saying this is propaganda’ – Russian ambassador to the UK
The Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy has come to an end.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Kelin questions a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine without fresh elections in Ukraine.
“We believe that since (Zelensky’s) legitimacy has come to an end in May last year, he should have elections,” he says.
“But we can go into negotiations with him if there is no other way.”
Kelin goes on to praise the Trump administration, saying it has “an understanding of what (Russia) is doing, why we are doing it, and what should be the outcome of it”.
“For the first time we have noticed that they (the US) are not simply saying that this is Russian propaganda and disinformation. They have listened and they hear what we’re saying,” he said.
Kelin also noted that Russia doesn’t want a temporary ceasefire or truce but an overall settlement.
Asked if Russia would give Ukraine some of their territories back, Kelin said: “Why should we? We have liberated these territories, upon which Russian people are living for centuries.”
Kelin added that Russia won’t accept European troops in Ukraine, even if Trump approves it.
Ukraine has a shortage of air defence missiles – analyst
Ukraine is already experiencing a shortage of air defence missiles following interruptions in supplies from the US, a Ukrainian expert says.
“There’s not enough of them already. Yes, that’s the reality, because Ukraine has simply not been receiving new weapons packages from the US since 22 January,” says Oleh Katkov, an analyst with leading Ukrainian military affairs website Defence Express.
“Trump’s position raises the question – where are we supposed to get them from?” he asks in an interview with Ukrainian TV, external.
President Zelensky said earlier today that Ukraine was running out of US-made Patriot air defence missiles.
“We’re counting them every day,” Zelensky said. “We haven’t got air defence missiles. I think this is wrong.”
Trump takes swipe at Zelensky’s leadership
“Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left,” US President Donald Trump says in a post on Truth Social.
Labelling Zelensky “a dictator”, Trump writes: “I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died.”
Trump says in the meantime, the US is “successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia”.
For context: Zelensky’s presidential term expired last May, however Ukraine has been under martial law since the Russian invasion in February 2022, which means presidential elections are suspended.
EU agrees new sanctions against Russia
EU ambassadors have agreed a new round of sanctions on Russia, the bloc’s diplomats says.
The 16th package of sanctions includes a ban on Russian primary aluminium import, and listing of 73 new shadow fleet vessels, the Reuters news agency reports.
The sanctions will be formally approved by EU ministers on Monday – on the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky says Russia ‘yet again lied’ about energy infrastructure attacks
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has referred the US-Russia talks as “the infamous meeting in Riyadh”, in his first comments since the discussions on Tuesday.
He says Moscow “yet again lied” during the talks, during which Kyiv was not present, about not targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Zelensky posted the comments on social media alongside a video from Odesa, where he says Russian drones attacked civilian energy infrastructure, specifically electricity transformers.
“We have to remember that Russia is run by pathological liars, and they cannot be trusted – they must be pressured for peace.”
US envoy to Ukraine arrives in Kyiv
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine has arrived in Kyiv ahead of a planned meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Upon his arrival, Kellogg told reporters his visit “is a chance to have good potential negotiations”.
“We will listen. We are ready to provide what is needed. We understand the need for security guarantees. Part of my mission is to listen,” he said.
“Then I will return to the United States, talk to President Trump, Secretary Rubio, the rest of the team. Just to ensure we get this right.”