“The reasons are still unknown, as well as their current well-being,” Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. “We have already sent an official note demanding an immediate release of our citizens.”

According to Ukraine’s state savings bank, Oschadbank, the seven workers were in two vans carrying $80m (£60m) worth of cash and 9kg of gold in a regular transport between Austria and Ukraine. They were “unjustifiably detained” and GPS data showed their vehicles in Budapest, it said.

Hungary’s tax authority said on Friday that it was conducting criminal proceedings and added that one of the group was a former general of Ukraine’s intelligence service.

“This year alone, more than $900m, €420m and 146 kilograms of gold bars were transported to Ukraine through the territory of Hungary,” the national tax and customs administration said in a statement.

Relations between Ukraine and Hungary have deteriorated during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and have descended into a war of words over a halt to Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made no mention of the seven bank workers in his regular radio appearance on Friday, although he did say “transit shipments” important to Ukraine would be halted until a row over Russian oil supplies was sorted out.

Hungarian reports describe how black-clad officials from Hungary’s TEK counter-terrorism centre raided the Ukrainian-registered vehicles on Thursday and then their convoy headed to Budapest.

Responding to the incident, Ukraine’s foreign minister accused Hungary of “state terrorism and racketeering”.

“We are talking about Hungary taking hostages and stealing money,” said Sybiha on X.

Orbán, seen as Russia’s closest ally in the EU, has accused Ukraine of deliberately halting Russian oil through the pipeline. Kyiv says the pipeline was damaged in a Russian air strike in January and Orban has threatened to “force the Ukrainians to restart deliveries”.

The Hungarian leader, whose party is trailing in the polls ahead of next month’s pivotal elections, has also blocked a €90bn (£78bn) EU aid package seen as vital for Ukraine’s financing in a bid to force the resumption of oil supplies.

Orbán has repeatedly opposed EU funding for Ukraine, arguing it prolongs the war. He has focused much of his election campaign on an anti-Ukraine message.

Last month he ordered increased security for Hungary’s energy infrastructure, making unsubstantiated claims that Kyiv was preparing “further actions to disrupt” the energy system.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Orbán for blocking the aid package and said on Thursday that the Druzhba pipeline might only become operational again in another four to six weeks.

“To be honest, I would not restore it. This is my position. I expressed it to European leaders… because this is Russian oil,” he told a briefing. “Russians are killing Ukrainians and we have to give oil to Orbán, because he, the poor thing, cannot win the election without this oil.”

The Ukrainian leader also hinted that if Hungary’s prime minister continued to block EU funding for Ukraine, then Ukrainian armed forces would be given his address to “communicate with him in their own language”.

Orbán has said Budapest will use “political and financial tools” to force Ukraine to reopen the pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungarian refineries.

Druzhba is the main route for delivering Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia and shipments of Russian oil to both countries have been cut off since 27 January.

In a separate development this week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto travelled to Moscow and secured the release of two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war.

Hungary says the men, who are from Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region, have dual Hungarian and Ukrainian citizenship and has accused Kyiv of conscripting them into the army.

Kyiv has described their transfer to Hungary as a “gross violation of international humanitarian law”.

Here’s where things stand on Monday 23 June 2025:

Fighting

• Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, overnight have killed at least five people and wounded dozens, according to Ukrainian officials.
• The attacks also sparked fires in residential areas and damaged an entrance to a metro station that serves as a bomb shelter, the officials said.
• Russia launched 352 drones and 16 missiles targeting Ukrainian territory overnight on Monday, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
• Russia’s air defence units destroyed 16 Ukrainian drones between 10pm local time on Sunday (19:00 GMT) and 6am on Monday (03:00 GMT), the Russian Ministry of Defence said.
• In his nightly address on Sunday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Norway would invest $400m in his country’s defence sector.

Diplomacy

• Zelenskyy says he plans to visit the UK on Monday to discuss Ukraine’s defence and additional pressure on Russia. “We will also be negotiating new and powerful steps to increase pressure on Russia for this war and to put an end to the strikes,” he wrote on social media.
• Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sunday said that Spain has not committed to increasing annual defence-related spending to at least 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
• It came after news emerged that NATO allies, who are meeting this week in the Netherlands, had agreed to a big increase in their defence spending target to counter what they describe as a growing threat from Russia and allow Europe to take more responsibility for its own security.
• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has urged the European Union to take a proposed ban on Russian energy off the agenda due to an expected rise in energy prices following the US’s bombing of Iran on Sunday.

Missile and drone strikes target residential areas in numerous districts across Kyiv.

A “massive” Russian drone and missile attack has killed at least 10 people in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding region, according to officials.

Officials said the strikes on Monday morning targeted residential areas in numerous districts across the city. The assault, the second huge overnight blitz in a week, suggests Russia is eager to raise the pressure as global attention is dominated by the decision of the United States to join Israel’s escalating air campaign against Iran.

Russia fired 352 drones and decoys, 11 ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles overnight, according to Ukraine’s air force. Air defences intercepted or jammed the majority of the projectiles before they could reach their targets, it said in a statement.

“Another massive attack on the capital. Possibly, several waves of enemy drones,” Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said in a statement.

“The Russians’ style is unchanged – to hit where there may be people,” Tkachenko said on Telegram. “Residential buildings, exits from shelters – this is the Russian style.”

As well as residential buildings, hospitals, sports infrastructure, and the entrance of a metro station being used as a bomb shelter were hit during the large-scale attack, emergency services said.

The attack caused damage in six of Kyiv’s 10 districts and wounded at least 10 people, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.

Several  people “were killed in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, where the entire entrance of a residential high-rise building was destroyed,” Klymenko said. “There are still people under the rubble.”

A short-range drone attack in the Chernihiv region late on Sunday killed two people and wounded 10 others, including three children, according to authorities.

Another person was killed and eight were wounded overnight in the city of Bila Tserkva, some 85km (53 miles) southwest of Kyiv.

Sabotage

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said preliminary data indicated that Russian forces had used North Korean missiles in the strikes on Kyiv.

He called Russia, North Korea and Iran, which has provided drones to Moscow, a “coalition of murderers” and warned of a potential spread of the “terror” if their alliance continues.

Moscow’s military said on Monday afternoon that its overnight strikes had targeted “military-industrial complex enterprises in the Kyiv region”.

Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched in February 2022, but thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.

Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv came last week as it unleashed hundreds of drones, killing 28 people and injuring more than 150, with Ukrainian officials saying nearly 30 sites were hit in waves of attacks.

Ukraine’s  commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskii, amid the rise in attacks on the capital, has pledged to intensify strikes on Russia.

“We will not just sit in defence. Because this brings nothing and eventually leads to the fact that we still retreat, lose people and territories,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.

To that end, Ukraine “will increase the scale and depth” of its attacks on Russian military targets, he added.

Russian forces launched at least 47 drones against Ukraine and fired three missiles overnight on Sunday, the Ukrainian air force said.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging efforts towards agreeing a peace deal, which has been pushed by US President Donald Trump, to prolong its full-scale offensive on the country and to seize more territory.

As Israel-Iran war escalates, Ukraine fears ‘more losses’ to Russia

Washington’s support for Kyiv, already in doubt under President Trump, is set to decline further, analysts say.

There is a Persian word millions of Ukrainians fear.

Shahed – also spelled as Shaheed or Shahid, originally a Quranic term for “martyr” or “witness” – is the name given to the triangular, explosives-laden, Iranian-designed drones that became a harrowing part of daily life and death in wartime Ukraine.

These  days, they are assembled in the Volga-region Russian city of Yelabuga and undergo constant modifications to make them faster, smarter and deadlier during each air raid that involves hundreds of drones.

Their latest Russian versions shot down in Ukraine earlier this month have artificial intelligence modules to better recognise targets, video cameras and two-way radio communication with human operators.

“The word ‘Shahed’ will forever be cursed in Ukrainian next to ‘Moscow’ and ‘Putin’,” said Denys Kovalenko, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kovalenko’s face and arms were cut by glass shards after a Shahed exploded above his northern Kyiv neighbourhood in 2023.

Shaheds are the most visible and audible part of the military alliance between Moscow and Tehran that is being tested this month amid attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran.

Other aspects of the alliance that affect the Russia-Ukraine war include Iranian-made ammunition, helmets, and flak jackets, according to Nikita Smagin, an author and expert on Russia-Iran relations.

However, the year 2022, when Putin started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was the “peak of Iran’s significance for Russia as a military partner”, Smagin told Al Jazeera.

The Kremlin has invested tens of billions of dollars into its military-industrial complex and shadow systems to supply chips, machine tools and dual-purpose goods for its weapons that bypass Western sanctions.

The flow of military technologies usually went the other way as Moscow supplied advanced air defence systems, missiles and warplanes to Tehran, keeping Israel worried.

In 2009, then-Israeli President Shimon Peres told this reporter in Moscow that his visit was aimed at convincing the Kremlin to “reconsider” the sale of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Tehran.

Russia’s advanced Su-35 jets were supposed to be delivered to Tehran earlier this year, but were not seen in the Iranian sky.

Washington’s arms supplies to Israel have already affected Kyiv’s ability to withstand Russia’s air raids and slow advance on the ground.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on June 9 that the White House decided to divert 20,000 anti-drone missiles earmarked for Kyiv.

“Without the help of the United States, we’ll have more losses,” Zelenskyy said in televised remarks.

More Ukraine-bound military aid may now be diverted to Israel, and the Kremlin “counts on this scenario”, analyst Smagin said.

This possible diversion already alarms Ukraine’s top brass.

Arms that were “made for Ukraine will go to the Middle East, so there are no illusions about it”, Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of Ukraine’s general staff of armed forces, told Al Jazeera.

There should also be no illusions about Russia’s ability to protect Iran, he said.

Even though Moscow and Tehran hail their strategic partnership, it does not envisage a mutual defence clause.

Therefore, the Kremlin will hardly be able to commit to military action similar to the Russian air raids against Syria’s then-opposition to support then-President Bashar al-Assad’s faltering regime, he said.

“They won’t change anything significantly,” Romanenko said. “But they will have enough for arms supplies.”

Any arms supplies may, however, enrage US President Donald Trump, who has so far showed unusual leniency towards Moscow’s actions in Ukraine as his administration botched peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

Moscow’s condemnation of Israeli and US strikes on Iran evoked a sense of hypocrisy, some observers said, as Russia’s description of the attacks sounded familiar.

“No matter what arguments are used to justify an irresponsible decision to subject a sovereign state’s territory to missile and bomb strikes, [the decision] rudely violates international law, the United Nations charter and the resolutions of the UN Security Council,” Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.

‘Moscow and Iran compete for China’s market’

There is an area where Russia and Iran compete for multibillion-dollar oil trade profits that keep their sanctions-hobbled economies afloat.

“Moscow and Iran compete for China’s market, and China will respectively have to buy more Russian oil at a higher price,” Smagin said.

A fifth of global oil exports go through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel between Iran and Oman that is fully controlled by Tehran’s “mosquito fleet” of tiny warships.

Crude prices will skyrocket worldwide if Tehran opts to close the strait to tankers. It would also strike a financial bonanza for Russia that could further finance the war in Ukraine.

And as Moscow’s war in Ukraine consumes most of Russia’s resources, its reputation in the Middle East will suffer.

“Reputation-wise, Russia suffers huge losses as it risks not to be seen as a great power in the Middle East,” Smagin said.

If Tehran rejects Trump’s “ultimate ultimatum” to work out a peace deal, Washington’s attention to Iran and Israel may spell disaster for Kyiv.

“Undoubtedly, the US’s refocusing on the Middle East and Iran is a geopolitical catastrophe for us; there’s nothing to argue about,” Kyiv-based analyst Aleksey Kuschch told Al Jazeera.

Search for survivors after Russian drone and missile barrage hits Kyiv

Attack on Kyiv kills five and wounds others as rescue efforts continue.

A Russian air attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killed at least five people and wounded others, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.

Drones and missiles hit residential areas, hospitals and sport infrastructure in numerous districts across Kyiv in the early hours of Monday, officials said.

The most severe damage took place in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where one section of a five-storey block of flats collapsed.

Five people were confirmed killed in the attack on the building, while 10 others, including a pregnant woman, have been rescued from a nearby tower block that also sustained heavy damage.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, another person was killed and eight injured in the city of Bila Tserkva, some 85km (53 miles) southwest of the capital.

There was no immediate comment from Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. It has denied deliberately targeting civilians, but thousands have been killed and wounded since the war began.

Diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war have stalled, with the last direct meeting between the two sides almost three weeks ago and no follow-up talks scheduled. [Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo]

What happened on Sunday 22 June 2025?

Here is how things stand on Sunday, June 22:

Fighting

• Russia has struck several locations, including Chernihiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 20 over the past day, the Kyiv Independent has reported.
• Ukraine has said it has evidence that Russia is preparing new military operations on European territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said on X.
• Emergency workers have found three bodies under the rubble of a four-storey residential building in Kramatorsk hit by a Russian missile.
• Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii has said that Ukraine will continue, and increase, its strikes against military targets deep inside Russia three weeks after a brazen attack on remote Russian airbases.

Politics and diplomacy

• Zelenskyy’s office has said Kyiv imposed new sanctions on individuals and legal entities doing business in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea.
• Russia has sent Ukraine at least 20 of its own dead soldiers in recent exchanges with Kyiv due to Moscow’s disorganisation, the Ukrainian president said.
• Russia has rejected the claims, saying that reports over body substitutions are propaganda, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
• “Ukraine has received 6,060 bodies of its servicemen. In return, we have received the remains of 78 Russian soldiers,” the report said.

Here’s where things stand on Monday 2 June 2025:

• Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to hold ceasefire talks in Turkiye’s largest city a day after Kyiv carried out unprecedented drone attacks across Russia. The first round of talks held last month concluded without a breakthrough, but the two sides agreed on a prisoner swap.
• In Sunday’s attack, airbases in five Russian regions were targeted, according to Russia’s Defence Ministry. Several fighter jets caught fire in the attacks, the ministry said. Other attacks were repelled and there were no casualties, it said.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attacks “absolutely brilliant”, adding that planning for the operation had begun a year and a half ago. “Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so – we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war.”
• Monday’s talks to be presided over by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan comes as the two sides have escalated attacks. Explosions caused two bridges to collapse in Russia on Sunday, and at least 12 soldiers were killed in a Russian missile attack on a military base in Ukraine’s Dnipro region.

What we know about the talks schedule, delegates

The second direct talks in over two weeks comes amid efforts to end the three-year war.

The Ukrainian delegation is led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, according to Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Russian state media reported.

Turkish officials said the meeting would start at 1pm local time, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan presiding over the talks and officials from the Turkish intelligence agency also present.

However, Ukrainian spokesperson Tykhyi said the start would be at midday local time. It was not immediately possible to clarify the discrepancy.

Ukraine, European partners coordinate ahead of Istanbul talks

Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya and delegation member Oleksandr Bevz have met with representatives of Germany, Italy, and the UK in Istanbul.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi, the meeting aimed to coordinate views on the agenda items of the Ukraine-Russia negotiations.

He added that Kyiv officials reiterated the items on their agenda.

Delegations arrive at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace for talks

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have arrived at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace, along with senior Turkish officials, for their second round of direct peace talks, according to the footage shared by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

The delegations arrived in cars and entered the venue, the footage showed.

Russian delegation arrives in Istanbul: State media

The delegation, headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, arrived in Istanbul for ceasefire talks with Ukraine, according to the Russian state news agency RIA.

Istanbul talks: What are Ukraine and Russia’s positions?

Delegations from Kyiv and Moscow will Monday hold a second round of direct talks on the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine.

But what are their visions of what a peace settlement could look like at the negotiations?

Ceasefire

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to cover combat on air, sea and land.

Kyiv says meaningful discussions over a long-term peace deal can only happen once fighting has paused.

“First – a full and unconditional ceasefire. Second – the release of prisoners. Third – the return of abducted children,” Zelensky said on Sunday on social media, outlining Kyiv’s priorities for Monday’s talks.

Putin has rejected Ukrainian and Western calls for an immediate ceasefire.

The Kremlin says it does not rule out agreeing some kind of ceasefire at Istanbul, but that talks should address the “root causes” and look to strike a “long-term settlement.”

For Putin, the “root causes” of the conflict are grievances with Kyiv but also the West and NATO over what Russia sees is their expansion into former Soviet or communist countries.

Moscow has demanded strict limits on Ukrainian military activity should any truce be agreed – such as a ban on mobilisation and halt to the flow of Western weapons.

On the status of annexed Ukrainian territories

Russia has repeatedly demanded it retain territory in southern and eastern Ukraine that it occupies and for Kyiv to cede even more land.

Moscow in 2022 annexed four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – despite not having full control over them.

Russia also annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

At a first round of talks last month, Ukraine accused Moscow of repeating those demands and threatening to accelerate a ground offensive into the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, over which Russia has made no formal claim.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said recognition of Moscow’s ownership of these territories was “imperative” for any negotiations.

Ukraine has said it will never recognise its occupied territories, including Crimea, as Russian.

NATO and security guarantees for Ukraine

Zelenskyy has for months been calling for “security guarantees” for Ukraine to stop Russia invading again.

His top demand would be for Ukraine to be admitted to NATO, or for Ukraine to fall under the military alliance’s Article Five collective defence term.

Trump has however, dismissed the possibility of Ukraine joining the bloc and Russia says NATO membership would be “unacceptable”.

Instead, Kyiv is pushing for some other form of Western military commitment that would deter Moscow.

Britain and France are leading discussions about a possible European troop deployment to enforce any ceasefire, among a group of countries dubbed the “coalition of the willing”.

But Kyiv still wants Washington to back up any “security guarantee”.

Moscow has said it would not accept troops from NATO countries being deployed to Ukraine in any capacity.

We can’t ignore Russian threat: UK PM

The UK cannot ignore the threat posed by Russia, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said, before the publication of a strategic defence review that is expected to call for greater readiness to fight a modern war.

“We cannot ignore the threat that Russia poses. We’ve seen what happened in Ukraine just over three years ago,” Starmer told the BBC, when asked if the UK would have to send troops to fight in a future European conflict.

Moscow says Ukraine launched more than 100 drones on Russia overnight

The Russian Defence Ministry says Ukraine launched a huge air attack overnight, using 162 drones.

In a statement, it said the air raid targeted nine regions, claiming most of the drones were either jammed or shot down.

The largest number was downed over Kursk (57 drones), followed by Belgorod (31), according to the ministry.

Russia security service thwarts Ukraine-ordered railway sabotage attempt: RIA

Russia’s security service, the FSB, has thwarted an attempted arson attack on railway transportation in the far eastern Russian region of Primorsky Krai, or Primorye, that was to be conducted on Ukraine’s order, Russia’s state RIA news agency reported on Monday.

“It was established that two 19-year-old residents of Primorsky Krai, on orders from Ukrainian special services and expecting to receive a monetary reward, committed actions aimed at setting fire to track-side relay cabinets,” RIA cited the service as saying.

Ukraine has yet to comment.

Putin ‘doesn’t quite know how to get out of the war’, US VP says

US Vice President JD Vance has expressed doubt that the Russian president has a clear strategy to end Moscow’s war on Ukraine, suggesting that Vladimir Putin may be trapped without an exit plan.

“I think President Putin, he doesn’t quite know how to get out of the war,” Vance told reporters before returning to Washington, DC, after attending Pope Leo’s inauguration.

“One open question is, is Vladimir Putin serious about negotiating peace? … He has taken some serious steps in these conversations, but we feel like we’re at a point where we’re hitting an impasse,” he added.

Vance warned about potential US disengagement if progress stalls: “That takes two to tango. I know the [US] president’s willing to do that. But if Russia is not willing to do that, then we’re eventually just going to have to say this is not our war.”

Ukrainian delegation arrives in Istanbul for ceasefire talks

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has announced the arrival of the officials, who are set to hold talks with Russian officials in the afternoon.

This will be the second round of direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022.

Ukrainian, Russian officials in Istanbul for talks

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Turkiye for their second round of direct peace talks in about two weeks.

The talks are expected to start in the afternoon, with the Turkish foreign minister presiding over the discussions.

The meeting comes a day after Ukraine’s security service said it launched a drone attack deep inside Russia, while Moscow pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones.

Welcome to our live coverage

Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war, as the rival sides have escalated attacks on each other amid ceasefire efforts.

Follow this page for round-the-clock updates and analyses of the latest developments.

You can read about key events from Monday, June 2, here and here.

Fighting

• Russian air defences destroyed or intercepted 112 Ukrainian drones over a three-hour period, most of them over central or southern regions of the country, the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a post on Telegram early on Wednesday, as the two countries continue to trade drone attacks.
• Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said six Ukrainian drones were repelled while heading for the Russian capital. Recovery crews were examining fragments on the ground, he said.
• Russia deployed 60 drones across multiple regions of Ukraine through the night, injuring 10 people, Ukrainian Air Force officials said.
• More than 850 residents were left without power in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, after three Russian air strikes hit the city late on Monday night.
• Russia’s military said in a post on Telegram that it had begun naval drills in the Baltic Sea with more than 20 warships, boats and support vessels, 25 aircraft and helicopters, and 3,000 servicemen.

Politics

• United States President Donald Trump suggested that he has protected Russia from “really bad things”. In a post on TruthSocial, he said: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realise is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD.”
• Responding to Trump’s remarks, Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev said in a post on X: “I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!”
• Trump’s comments came after the the Kremlin said the US president may be experiencing “emotional overload” after Trump’s earlier remarks that Putin was “absolutely crazy” over the scale of Russian air attacks on Ukraine’s cities.
• Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine, told Al Jazeera that the US is waiting for a response from Russia after Trump gave Putin “some guidelines a week ago”.
• Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov accused German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of “pretentiousness” after Merz said that France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the US had lifted range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine.

Energy

• The New York Times reported that satellite images suggest Russia is building new electricity lines in occupied southeastern Ukraine, connecting the grid to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant captured by Russia.
• Ukraine’s energy regulator said in a post on Facebook that a gas import mechanism will avoid high transit fees when supplying gas through the Trans-Balkan pipeline from Greece to Ukraine.
• Ukraine’s Minister of Energy German Galushchenko said he hoped all participating countries would agree that the Trans-Balkan Route from Greece to Ukraine would meet “common strategic goals”, as Ukraine continues to explore gas supply routes not involving Russia.

War of words: Russia’s Medvedev rebukes Trump over Putin social media post

A senior Moscow security official has rebuked United States President Donald Trump and raised the danger of another world war breaking out after Trump said Russian leader Vladimir Putin was “playing with fire” by refusing to engage in Ukraine ceasefire talks with Kyiv.

Dmitry Medvedev said World War III was the only “REALLY BAD thing” in a response, late on Tuesday, to Trump, who had earlier posted a message to Putin on social media saying that “really bad things would have already happened in Russia” without his intervention.

“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realise is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened in Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire,” Trump said in a post on his platform Truth Social.

Medvedev responded on the platform X: “Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII.”

“I hope Trump understands this!”

Currently the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and a key Putin ally, Medvedev served as the Russian president between 2008 and 2012, and is known for his sabre-rattling comments.

He has repeatedly warned throughout the course of Russia’s war on Ukraine that Moscow could use its nuclear arsenal.

Putin  also raised the possibility of nuclear confrontation in a state of the nation address in March 2024, warning Western powers of Russia’s nuclear capabilities should any decide to deploy troops in support of Ukraine.

“Everything that the West comes up with creates the real threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilisation,” Putin said at the time.

Medvedev’s public rebuke of Trump also comes after the US president said in a post on Sunday that Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY” by carrying out extensive aerial attacks on Ukraine despite widespread calls for a ceasefire and Washington’s frustrated attempts to broker a peace accord.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,” Trump posted on Sunday.

Trump also told reporters he was considering new sanctions on Russia amid the impasse in ceasefire talks.

Russian forces capturing four villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region

The war of words on social media comes as hopes for a swift end to Russia’s war on its neighbour dim. Kyiv suffered another battlefield setback on Tuesday, with Russian forces capturing four villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

Sumy Governor Oleh Hryhorov wrote on Facebook that the villages of Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka had been occupied by Russia, although residents had long been evacuated.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Monday that it had also taken the nearby village of Bilovody, implying a further advance into Ukrainian territory, as the more than three-year war grinds on.

Ukrainian officials have said for weeks that Russian troops are trying to make inroads into the Sumy region, the main city of which lies less than 30km (19 miles) from the border with Russia.

Attacking in small groups on motorcycles

Russian  forces, attacking in small groups on motorcycles and supported by aerial drones, have been widening the area where they have been carrying out assaults on the front line, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s border guard service said.

Ukrainian forces last year used the Sumy region as a launchpad to push into Russia’s neighbouring Kursk region, where they captured a vast area of territory before being driven out by Russian forces last month.

Orban accused of using Ukraine spy row in fight for political survival

A spate of arrests, diplomatic expulsions and public humiliations has plunged relations between war-torn Ukraine and its prickly Nato neighbour Hungary to a new low.

At the heart of the row are accusations that Viktor Orban’s Fidesz government in Hungary is using the spat to fight his main political rival, the opposition Tisza party, which leads in the polls ahead of 2026 elections.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s SBU security service announced the arrest of two Ukrainian citizens accused of spying for Hungary.

According to the allegations, backed by video and audio evidence, the man and woman were in the pay of Hungarian military intelligence, preparing for Hungarian military action in Ukraine.

Hungary then expelled two Ukrainian diplomats and Ukraine followed suit in a tit-for-tat response that has further damaged already sour relations. Hungary also arrested a Ukrainian citizen and accused him of spying.

A Russian ally in Europe

Orban is widely seen as Russia’s closest ally in the European Union, and his government has broken ranks with his European partners by maintaining trade and opposing sanctions on Russia, refusing to allow the transit of weapons, and comparing Ukraine to Afghanistan.

Now he has accused Kyiv of trying to “vilify” his country.

All eight million Hungarian households recently received a questionnaire from the government, dubbed “Vox 2025”, inviting them to reject Ukraine’s EU membership.

Under a year ago, Orban presented himself as the only person on the planet other than the Pope, who was trying to secure an unconditional ceasefire.

But his critics depicted his so-called peace mission to Kyiv, Moscow and other capitals as an attempt to reward Russian aggression.

The day after Orban met Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Russian missiles struck the Ohmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv.

Three days later, the leader of the Tisza Party in Hungary, Peter Magyar, brought $40,000 of Hungarian medical aid to the hospital. Opinion polls suggest Magyar could oust Orban from power next April.

The man who drove the Tisza leader to Kyiv, Roland Tseber, is now a target of Fidesz attempts to accuse the Hungarian opposition party of betraying Hungary.

Roland Tseber came across as a fresh-faced, hard-working politician when I met him at a Ukrainian refugee centre in Uzhorod in April.

He was helping distribute medical aid from Hungary, working with Hungarian doctors and psychologists who have supported internally displaced Ukrainians from the eastern war zone, since 2022.

His troubles began within weeks of Peter Magyar’s visit, he told me.

In August, he heard he was banned from Hungary and, at Hungary’s insistence, from the whole Schengen zone of the EU, without explanation.

Mr Tseber’s letter to the Hungarian embassy in Kyiv went unanswered.

The leader of the far-right Our Homeland party in the Hungarian Parliament, Laszlo Toroczkai, labelled him a “terrorist”. Mate Kocsis the leader of the Fidesz faction in the Hungarian parliament, has called him a “Ukrainian spy”, long in the sights of Hungarian counter-intelligence.

“I reject all such accusations which try to link me to intelligence activities of any kind. This is ridiculous. I’m a Transcarpathian politician who works honestly and openly for his homeland and for Hungarian interests,” Mr Tseber told me in a phone interview.

As an elected, independent councillor in the regional assembly of Transcarpathia, who sits in the political group of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, he meets politicians of all shades, he says, including the deputy Hungarian Foreign Minister, Levente Magyar.

“I’m a Ukrainian politician and I meet with everyone. This whole situation is ridiculous. They want to drag me into this spy story. But anyone with any common sense can understand that this is absurd.”

The weakest link in the Hungarian government’s narrative is that if he was really on the radar of Hungarian intelligence, government politicians and Peter Magyar as a Member of the European Parliament would have been warned to stay away from him.

The dwindling Hungarian community in Transcarpathia has become collateral damage in the Ukraine-Hungary row.

In Ukraine’s last census, in 2001, their population was 150,000, but latest estimates suggest their number has since halved to 70-80,000. Dozens have lost their lives, fighting for Ukraine against Russia.

Another twist in the story is that a former Hungarian chief-of-staff, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, who’s now a prominent Tisza party politician, has come under attack from government-controlled media.

The government alleges that “a former senior figure in the defence sector” – an apparent reference to Ruszin-Szendi – was in contact with Ukrainian intelligence.

Ruszin-Szendi hit back, alleging a smear campaign. “I am a decent Hungarian citizen who has worn the uniform since the age of 14. I am shocked and saddened to know that what I and my comrades have done for our country is worth so much for you,” he addressed the government on Facebook.

Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Viktor Orban has portrayed himself as a man of peace, and won the April 2022 election with a promise to keep Hungary out of the war in Ukraine.

However, a speech from 2023 that has only just been leaked by Peter Magyar tells a very different story.

Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky was recorded saying a year after the war in Ukraine began that the government had decided to break with the peace mentality and move to “phase zero of the road to war”, with a combat-read Hungarian army.

This was the same year that many experienced Atlanticists such as Ruszin-Szendi were sacked as part of a “rejuvenation” of the military.

They were replaced by officers loyal to the government’s pro-Moscow stance.

Fighting

• Russia is preparing for a new military offensive in Ukraine, the Ukrainian government and Western military analysts said, as Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov was in Minsk on Friday to discuss joint military drills in September and deliveries of new weapons to Belarus.
• A drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk killed a 55-year-old woman and wounded four men, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.
• Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that its forces seized six settlements in eastern Ukraine over the past week. According to a ministry statement, Russian troops advanced in the Donetsk region and took control of Torske, Kotlyarivka, Myrolyubivka, Mykhailivka​​​​​​, Novooleksandrivka, and Vilne Pole settlements, Tukiye’s Anadolu news agency reports.
• The Russian Defence Ministry released a video showing Russian forces raising the Russian flag in the settlement of Mykhailivka.
• A court in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Luhansk region sentenced Australian national Oscar Charles Augustus Jenkins to 13 years in jail at a high-security penal colony for fighting on behalf of Ukraine, Anadolu reports.

Ceasefire

• The first direct Russia-Ukraine dialogue in three years on Friday produced good results, Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, said late on Friday. “1. Largest POW exchange 2. Ceasefire options that may work 3. Understanding of positions and continued dialogue,” Dmitriev said on the social media platform X.
• Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said following the talks that some 1,000 prisoners from each side will be swapped “in the near future”, in the largest exchange since the start of the war in 2022.
• Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation, which ended after 90 minutes in Istanbul, while Putin’s adviser, Vladimir Medinsky, negotiated on behalf of Russia. The United States delegation was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• Medinsky, who was the lead Russian negotiator, expressed satisfaction with the talks and said Moscow was ready for further negotiations, including on a ceasefire. “We have agreed that all sides will present their views on a possible ceasefire and set them out in detail,” Medinsky said after the meeting.
• A source in the Ukrainian delegation told the Reuters news agency that Russia’s demands were “detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed”. The source said Moscow had issued ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from parts of its own territory in order to obtain a ceasefire “and other non-starters and non-constructive conditions”.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who opened the talks by welcoming both delegations and calling for a swift ceasefire, served as a buffer between the negotiating tables in Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed regret after the talks at what he called a missed opportunity for peace. “This week, we had a real chance to move towards ending the war – if only Putin hadn’t been afraid to come to Turkiye,” Zelenskyy posted on X from the sidelines of a European Political Community (EPC) summit in Albania.
• Zelenskyy, who did not attend the talks, said he had been “ready for a direct meeting with him [Putin] to resolve all key issues”, but “he didn’t agree to anything”.
• US President Donald Trump, who has pressed for an end to the conflict, said he would meet with Putin “as soon as we can set it up” in a bid to make progress in the peace talks. “I think it’s time for us to just do it,” Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi as he wrapped up a trip to the Middle East.
• Zelenskyy was in Tirana, Albania, on Friday with European leaders to discuss security, defence and democratic standards against the backdrop of the war. He held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
• European leaders also agreed to press ahead with joint action against Russia over the failure in Turkiye to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, Prime Minister Starmer said after consultations with President Trump.
• Starmer said after the talks that the Russian position was “clearly unacceptable” and that European leaders, Ukraine and the US were “closely aligning” their responses.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced new plans for additional sanctions on Moscow after Putin failed to travel to Turkiye to negotiate with Ukraine.
• US senators renewed calls on Friday for Congress to pass sanctions on Russia after Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks showed little progress, but no votes were scheduled on bills introduced six weeks ago aimed at pressuring Moscow to negotiate seriously.

Regional security

• Russia and Belarus are preparing a new, large military manoeuvre together, the Belarusian state agency BelTA reports. “We plan to jointly develop measures to counter aggression against the Union State,” Defence Minister Belousov said during a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart, Viktor Khrenin, in Minsk, according to BelTA. The Union State combines Russia and Belarus.
• The exercise, dubbed Zapad-2025, or West-2025 in English, will be the main event of the combat training of the regional troop formations, he said. The manoeuvre is planned for mid-September, according to the agency.

Economy and trade

• Russia’s economic growth slowed to 1.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest quarterly figure in two years, data from the official state statistics agency showed on Friday.
• Economists have warned for months of a slowdown in the Russian economy, with falling oil prices, high interest rates and a downturn in manufacturing all contributing to headwinds. Moscow reported strong economic growth in 2023 and 2024, largely due to massive state defence spending on the Ukraine conflict.
• The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), which represents the democratic countries bordering the Baltic Sea, called for new shipping rules to allow for stronger joint action against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

Turkiye hopes Istanbul talks will open new chapter for Ukraine-Russia peace

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says there is a new window of opportunity to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia, adding that he hoped planned talks would open a new chapter.

Fidan was speaking at the opening of an informal NATO foreign ministers meeting in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

US, Europe readying sanctions on Russia’s energy, financial sectors: French FM

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has revealed that the US and Europe are preparing further sanctions on Russia’s energy and financial sectors.

Barrot’s comment, reported ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye’s Antalya coastal city on Thursday, comes as Russia’s President Putin chose not to attend much-anticipated talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul with a Russian delegation on ending the war in Ukraine.

Russian jet entered NATO airspace, says Estonia’s foreign minister

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Russia sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace today for about one minute to “check on the situation” as Estonia was attempting to detain a ship in Russia’s shadow fleet.

The foreign minister described the situation as “very serious”.

The incident occurred as NATO foreign ministers arrived in Turkiye today for an informal summit.

Trump open to any mechanism resulting in just peace in Ukraine: Rubio

There is no military solution to the Russia-Ukraine war and US President Donald Trump is open to any mechanism that would result in a just peace, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Speaking before the start of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye on Thursday, Rubio said the US wants to see progress and is growing “impatient” with the lack of traction.

“Obviously, like everyone else, impatient, we want to see it happen, but it’s difficult. But you know, hopefully progress will be made here soon,” Rubio said.

Zelenskyy to meet with Turkiye’s Erdogan before talks

Zelenskyy will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before any talks with Russian officials, according to a senior Ukrainian official.

“The president starts his visit with Erdogan in Ankara and only then will the president decide on the next steps,” the official told the AFP news agency following reports that a Russian delegation had arrived in Istanbul for talks with Ukrainian counterparts.

Putin discussed Ukraine talks with Russia’s most senior officials, Kremlin says

President Putin held a late-night meeting with some of Russia’s most powerful officials to discuss upcoming peace talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin has said.

Among those present was Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, chief of Russia’s general staff Valery Gerasimov, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, spy chiefs and senior Russian commanders.

Where does Germany stand on the Istanbul talks?

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said any deal reached between Moscow and Kyiv must not be a “dictated peace”, and urged unity among Western allies as negotiations begin.

Merz told the German parliament on Tuesday that it is of “of paramount importance that the political West does not allow itself to be divided”.

He also warned that this week, the EU may tighten sanctions on Russia if the two sides cannot come to an agreement in Istanbul, because “more compromise and more concessions are no longer reasonable”.

No indication Russia wants peace in Ukraine, says Latvian foreign minister

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said there is no indication that Russia wants peace in Ukraine and that it was important to weaken Russia’s military capabilities.

“Weakening Russia’s military capabilities is the most direct and cheapest way … to achieve peace in Ukraine,” Braze told reporters on Thursday ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye.

Putin’s low-level delegation in Turkiye a ‘slap in the face’: Estonian FM

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Putin’s dispatching of a low-level delegation to Turkiye for talks regarding the war in Ukraine was “like a slap in the face”.

The foreign ministers of NATO member states are currently meeting in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya.

The Russian delegation has arrived in Istanbul

Russia’s delegation has landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.

It is still unknown what time negotiations will begin, with Russian officials saying the exact time has yet to be confirmed.

Another unknown variable is how long talks will last.

Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested to Russian outlet TASS they could extend beyond Thursday.

“Today is the beginning of negotiations. Everything will depend on their progress,” he said.

NATO chief says ceasefire is up to Russia

NATO chief Mark Rutte said that Ukraine has made it clear they want a ceasefire and immediate talks, so Russia must respond.

“It is now up to the Russians to make sure they take the next steps necessary,” Rutte told reporters from the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Antalya, Turkiye.

“I’m still cautiously optimistic that if also the Russians are willing to play ball, and not only the Ukrainians are doing this … that you could get to some breakthroughs over the next couple of weeks,” Rutte said.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze, however, said the security bloc sees “no indications that Russia wants peace in Ukraine”.

No agreement on when talks in Turkey may start, Ukrainian official says

A Ukrainian official said there had been no agreement on when talks with Russia will start in Turkey, dismissing an earlier report from Russian state media.

Andriy Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said on the Telegram messaging platform that there was no truth to the report by Russia state news agency TASS that 10 am local time in Istanbul (0700 GMT) had been set for talks to start this morning.

This “was not planned and was not true,” he said.

Why does Russia keep mentioning its 2022 talks with Ukraine?

Mention of Russia and Ukraine’s talks in Istanbul back in 2022 are everywhere in Moscow’s official messaging this week, and it’s no coincidence, according to Russian journalist Alexander Baunov.

“Everything has been done to ensure that Moscow’s proposal does not appear to be the result of pressure from Washington,” he wrote in a Russian-language post for Carnegie Politika.

“This is reminiscent of Moscow’s previous concession: agreement to de-escalation in the Black Sea at the end of March. It was also important for the Russian leadership then to emphasize that nothing new was happening: the grain deal, which was not extended in 2023, was simply being resumed,” he said, according to an unofficial English translation.

“Moscow is presenting its new initiative in a similar way: nothing new is happening, after a long break, we are simply proposing to resume the 2022 negotiations that Ukraine interrupted at the behest of the West. That is, we are not proposing negotiations because Trump wanted them.”

‘Any meeting with Zelenskyy would be disastrous’: Jailed Russian war hawk

Russian nationalist and jailed Kremlin critic Igor Girkin wrote in a Telegram post that any direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would be “disastrous” both for Putin and for “the negotiating stance of the Russian Federation”.

“Zelenskyy has made a very clever move, putting Moscow in an extremely disadvantageous position” by offering to meet in person in Istanbul, Girkin wrote from prison.

“If Putin agrees to direct negotiations with Zelenskyy, then a barrage of mockery in the West begins, since Putin has so many times personally and through his close allies declared Zelenskyy’s illegitimacy … In fact, his meeting with Zelenskyy is a recognition of Zelenskyy’s complete legitimacy,” he wrote, according to an unofficial English translation.

“However, not meeting will not improve the situation in the Russian Federation either, since all the world’s media … will perceive this as a reason to accuse Russia of having proposed negotiations and of disrupting them,” he wrote. “That is, wherever you throw it, it’s a wedge, a defeat everywhere.”

Girkin, a former officer of Russia’s Federal Security Service, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2024 for criticising Putin’s handling of the war in Ukraine.

Before then, he played a chief role in Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea. He was also linked to the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 with a Russian surface-to-air missile.

‘Significant step’: Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkiye – what to expect

Russia and Ukraine are poised to start talks in Turkiye this morning, even though the prospects of President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting directly for the first time in three years were dashed by the Kremlin late on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Putin proposed the idea of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkiye, instead of the rounds of indirect talks that the US and others have tried to mediate between the neighbours at war.

Read our explainer here about the talks, what prompted them, who’s expected to attend, and why the negotiations matter.

Talks on Ukraine to start in Istanbul shortly: TASS

Russia’s TASS news agency reports that talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul are scheduled to start at approximately 10am local time [07:00 GMT] today, and will be held behind closed doors.

A source told TASS that the negotiations will take place at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

Why did Putin call for talks now?

There are many theories about why Putin has called for talks, but Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and founder of the site R.Politik, cautioned against reading too much into it.

Stanovaya wrote in a lengthy post on X that the talks do not necessarily indicate that Putin is open to reaching an agreement, much less scaling back the Russian military position.

Instead, the Russian leader appears to be responding to Trump’s lack of interest in the war and a push by European leaders for an unconditional ceasefire, she said.

“Putin sees an opportunity to draw Ukraine into an ‘Istanbul-2’ process, closely resembling the talks of March–April 2022, to pursue the same objectives – now including the newly annexed territories,” she wrote.

“His aim is to stall Western arms deliveries, exploit any weakening of Zelenskyy’s position, and exacerbate Ukraine’s internal instability. He also wants Kyiv to lift its ban on talks with Russians, which would allow broader outreach within Ukraine. He does not believe, even for a moment, that Kyiv in its current state can agree to Russian terms.”

Ukrainian FM says Putin must stop ‘avoiding the meeting’ with Zelenskyy

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in a week when “the epicentre of world diplomacy is now in Turkiye”.

Sybiha said he briefed the Turkish foreign minister on battlefield and diplomatic developments in Ukraine, as well as Kyiv’s commitment to “a full and durable ceasefire” and the “highest-level direct meeting between Ukraine and Russia”.

He also said in his post on social media that “Putin must stop rejecting the ceasefire and avoiding the meeting with President Zelenskyy”.

Who is on the Russian delegation?

Russia’s TASS news agency reports that the Russian delegation will be led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led talks back in 2022. The other chief negotiators will be Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Igor Kostyukov, chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik has said the Russian team will likely aim to work off the same platform as they did during the 2022 talks.

Moscow continues to express doubt about a ceasefire, however, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleging that it will only “give Kyiv a respite to restore its military potential in order to continue the confrontation with Russia”.

Talks in Istanbul, what we know

• Delegations from Kyiv and Moscow are expected to hold their first direct talks since 2022 in Istanbul on the possibility of ending Russia’s war on Ukraine.
• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will travel to Turkiye, but said his attendance at the negotiations would depend on Russian President Vladimir Putin also showing up.
• It appears that Putin will not attend – his name was not included on the Kremlin’s list of those attending the talks, though the Russian president had proposed the Turkish city as the location for negotiations.
• US President Donald Trump, who is currently on a trip to the Middle East, had suggested he might also attend if Putin were to do so.
• After the Kremlin’s announcement that Putin would not attend, US broadcaster CNN cited White House officials as saying that Trump would not travel to Turkiye either.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is in Turkiye for a NATO meeting, will attend the negotiations in Istanbul, Trump said.
• The Reuters news agency reports that Trump’s two senior envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will also travel to Istanbul for the talks, according to three sources familiar with their plans.

UN chief calls for immediate Ukraine ceasefire as step to ‘just peace’

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin ahead of Thursday’s planned peace talks in Istanbul, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine”.

Guterres said a ceasefire would “pave the way for a just peace … based on the UN Charter and international law, namely respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

The secretary-general said the UN is ready to support the talks, but emphasised that both Russia and Ukraine must request its involvement.

“The UN is ready to provide whatever support if the parties agree, would ask the UN to do so, but obviously this does not depend on us, it depends on the parties,” he said.

US Secretary of State Rubio meets NATO ministers in Turkiye before Ukraine-Russia talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his NATO counterparts met in Turkiye on Wednesday to prepare for a pivotal summit of alliance leaders next month.

Their meeting in the coastal city of Antalya comes amid planned talks in Istanbul aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Rubio is expected to attend the talks today, The Associated Press news agency reports.

Rubio also met with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting.

Sybiha said on X that he explained Zelenksyy’s “vision of further peace efforts” during “this critical week” to Rubio.

“We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches,” he added.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says ‘waiting to see’ who attends Istanbul talks from Russia

In a post on social media early this morning, the Ukrainian leader said he had held several meetings regarding the “format in Turkiye”, where talks are expected to start later today on ending the war in his country.

Zelenskyy, who has challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the talks in person, said he was “waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take”.

“So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing,” he said.

The Kremlin has published a list of officials set to attend the talks, and Putin’s name was not included.

Can Istanbul talks pave way to end the war in Ukraine?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed to attend a meeting proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on Thursday, as long as Putin is there in person.

A glimmer of hope to end the more than three-year war in Ukraine that has killed thousands of civilians – and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

So, can this meeting in Istanbul stop the fighting?

Watch the full report on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story:

A recap of recent developments

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that a delegation of high-level Russian officials will travel to Turkiye for direct talks on the war in Ukraine today, but the Russian president himself does not appear on a list of attendees.
• An order issued by Putin was published on the Kremlin’s website late on Wednesday, stating that Russian presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, and director of the Main Intelligence Directorate Igor Kostyukov will be among those travelling to Turkiye.
• Thursday’s planned negotiations in Turkiye’s commercial hub, Istanbul, mark the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow on ending the war since shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to hold talks with Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, and had said he would attend the negotiations with Russia in Istanbul if President Putin attended.
• In a post on social media on Wednesday evening, Zelenskyy said: “I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing.”
• US President Donald Trump’s senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will travel to Istanbul for the talks, three sources familiar with the plans told the Reuters news agency.

Welcome to our live coverage

Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine on ending the war that started with Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

Stay with our live team as we bring you all the latest developments, analyses and reactions throughout the day.

• Ukraine reports numerous Russian drone attacks after Putin’s three-day truce ends
• Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is ready to meet Putin for ceasefire talks, adding Russia’s consideration of ending the war is a “positive sign”
• Kyiv “expects Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow”, the Ukrainian president says
• Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin calls for “direct talks” with Ukraine on 15 May, hours after European leaders met in Kyiv to demand a 30-day ceasefire
• Donald Trump sees a breakthrough but Ukraine and Russia remain very far apart, our security correspondent Frank Gardner writes
• Ukraine reports numerous Russian drone attacks after Putin’s three-day truce ends

A tale of two proposals

The 30-day ceasefire proposal isn’t exactly hot off the press – the US floated it back in March – but over the last few days, it has been given a fresh lease of life.

Yesterday, European leaders including the UK’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Poland’s Donald Tusk had one message for Russia: agree to an unconditionaltruce, to be implemented from Monday,or face “new and massive” sanctions.

Putin’s response? He held a late-night news conference, where he avoided giving a clear response, offering instead his own counter-proposal: direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next Thursday.

Ukraine’s reply was clear: ceasefire first, talks later.

All eyes are now on tomorrow to see whether Russia and Ukraine will actually pause the fighting.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he’s off to Turkey around the time of Putin’s proposed meeting, joining an informal gathering of Nato foreign ministers. On the agenda: ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

What will happen to the war after all this? After three years of relentless fighting, it’s tempting to believe nothing will change and the fighting just drags on. But there’s also a chance we’re on the brink of something big.

Donald Trump certainly thinks so, posting on Truth Social: “A BIG week upcoming!”

What’s the latest?

Let’s have a look at what’s happened today so far:

• President Donald Trump has posted that he wants to see an end to the “bloodbath” between Russia and Ukraine
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Russia to commit to a full ceasefire, starting tomorrow, before possible talks between the two sides
• It’s a call echoed by several world leaders including Germany’s Friedrich Merz, France’s Emmanuel Macron, and Keir Starmer, external, who says a ceasefire “creates the space for talks”
• Pope Leo XIV has called for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St Peter’s Square
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Putin and other leaders he’s “ready to host the negotiations”
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Turkey next week around the date on which Putin is proposing to hold the talks
• Meanwhile it appears fighting continues, with both sides accusing the other of breaking the 8 to 10 May truce

The West must show it means business – Ukrainian MP

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik tells the BBC that she is sceptical about President Vladimir Putin’s offer of “direct talks” saying that Russia hasn’t ever given “one single sign” of wanting to end the war.

She also accuses Russia of continuing to target Ukrainian soldiers during Friday’s VE Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square despite Putin imposing a three-day ceasefire.

Rudik goes on to claim that Putin’s early hours address was only motivated by a desire to regain the initiative, to move forward on his own terms and she calls on Western allies to stand firm.

“Once you take out a knife in a fight you need to go ahead and to show Russia that the West means business.”

She says Ukraine must be supported with arms, adding: “Putin wants everyone to play his game.”

Putin’s offer of talks may be attempt to divide the US and Europe

Reuters

We’ve seen it before: Vladimir Putin doesn’t react well to ultimatums. We saw it again, last night, in the Kremlin.

President Putin slammed European powers for talking to Russia “in a boorish manner and with the help of ultimatums”.

He didn’t go into detail. He didn’t need to.

This was clearly his response to the ultimatum set by European leaders in Kyiv.

They had warned Moscow that if Russia didn’t agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday, there will be more sanctions against Russia and more military assistance for Ukraine.

On Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said that “if he [Putin] is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it”.

The Kremlin’s response: we’re serious, but we’ll show it our way.

Putin’s way (his counter proposal) is direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next Thursday.

But, crucially, no immediate ceasefire.

So, is the Kremlin’s offer a serious peace initiative? Or is it simply an attempt by Moscow to play for time and to prolong the war? And, with this proposal, might Russia also be trying to split the Western coalition that is backing Ukraine?

Zelensky aide thanks Pope for concern for Ukrainians

As we reported earlier, Pope Leo XIV has called for an “authentic and lasting peace” in Ukraine in his first Sunday message to worshippers since his election last Thursday.

The Pope said: “I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people,” and urged that “every effort be made to reach a true, just, and lasting peace as soon as possible”.

Andriy Yermak, a key aide to Ukraine’s President Zelensky, thanked the Pope for his support, adding: “The war must end, the fire must cease, and all prisoners and children abducted by Russia must return home.”

“For now, there is only one person who doesn’t want this to happen. But Russia must stop all of it,” Yermak says.

One of the few Nato members that maintained ties with Russia

Turkey is the one member of the Nato alliance who has maintained the closest relationshi with Russia throughout the invasion of Ukraine. Presidents Erdogan and Putin, both strongmen in power for over two decades, have always maintained a good relationship.

Last December he was quoted by Russia’s Tass news agency as saying they were “the only leaders left” in world politics.

Despite that, Turkey remains a part of the Western military alliance, having offered military support to Ukraine, most notably their celebrated Bayraktar drones.

In short, it feels like relatively neutral territory for both sides.

In March, Turkey’s defence ministry said that it could contribute to a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, if a ceasefire is declared. If that is to be achieved, it will most likely be in the city where east meets west.

‘A historic turning point’ where east meets west?

If talks are to take place between Russia and Ukraine, it seems Istanbul will be the venue.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “Turkey is ready to host negotiations aimed at achieving a lasting solution” and that “a window of opportunity has opened for reaching peace”.

It would not be the first time the city had played host to negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, with varying degrees of success. In March 2022, the last talks between the two sides, demonstrably ended in failure.

Then there was the Black Sea grain initiative, negotiated in July 2022 with Turkish and UN backing, as a way of ensuring that Ukraine grain could be transported, alongside increased Russian agricultural exports. For around a year it had some success, before eventually collapsing with Russia’s withdrawal.

So, why is Istanbul once again being suggested as the venue for talks? It is a combination of geography and geopolitics.

Istanbul sits on the Bosphorus straight, connecting the Black Sea with the wider world. Under the Montreux convention, signed in 1936, Turkey oversees all maritime traffic conducted by both countries, giving it a vital role in the region.

Rubio to travel to Turkey for informal Nato meeting

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Turkey from 14 to 16 May for a informal meeting of Nato foreign ministers, according to the US Department of State.

The talks will focus on security priorities for the alliance, including boosting allied defence investment and ending the Russia-Ukraine war, the statement says.

The visit will take place around the date on which Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is proposing to hold “direct talks” with Ukraine in the country.

What are the ‘root causes’ of the war as Putin sees them?

This isn’t the first time Russia has talked about the “root causes” of the war.

Ever since the US suggested a 30-day ceasefire in March, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said long-standing concerns need to be dealt with first.

When the Russian president talks about “root causes”, he means the idea that Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign state is somehow a threat to Russia’s security as well as his concerns over Nato’s expansion.

‘Ceasefire first, then talks – not the other way around,’ Trump’s special envoy says

Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine has spoken out after Vladimir Putin proposed holding “direct talks” with Ukraine on Thursday.

Retweeting the New Zealander PM’s support for a 30-day ceasefire, Kellogg says: “Even the Prime Minister of New Zealand gets it. As President Trump has repeatedly said, stop the killing!!

“An unconditional 30-day ceasefire first and, during it, move into comprehensive peace discussions. Not the other way around.”

Putin hasn’t rejected the 30-day ceasefire proposal, but his counter-offer of talks appears to be a no without directly saying so, according to our Russia editor’s analysis.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also says that Putin wants negotiations about the “root causes” of the conflict to happen before any ceasefire can take place.

Putin’s call for talks a ‘window of opportunity for reaching peace’, Erdogan says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced Ankara’s readiness to host ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Turkish presidency said on X on 11 May.

Putin had earlier called for “direct talks” with Ukraine on 15 May in Istanbul, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv is “ready to meet” and expects Moscow to “confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable”, starting on 12 May.

Erdogan told Putin that his statement was “welcomed” and that “Turkey is ready to host the negotiations that will ensure reaching a permanent solution,” the presidency said.

He added that a “window of opportunity opened for reaching peace” and a “comprehensive ceasefire will create the necessary environment for peace talks”.

Erdogan also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on 11 May, voicing Ankara’s readiness to “offer any contribution, including hosting negotiations for a ceasefire and lasting peace”.

Trump sees breakthrough, but Ukraine and Russia remain very far apart

There are two battles going on in this war.

The one with bombs, drones and missiles, and the public relations one to prove just which side is the obstacle to peace.

President Putin has responded to Western leaders’ demands for a 30-day ceasefire with a counter-offer.

No ceasefire but instead, direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week about what he, Vladimir Putin, considers to be the root causes of this war. That would include Ukraine’s ambitions to join the Nato.

President Trump, who has previously hinted at imposing punitive sanctions on an intransigent Russia, has welcomed Putin’s offer.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, he hailed what he sees as an imminent breakthrough in this war.

But the reality is, Russia and Ukraine remain very far apart on just how to end it.

Russian response ‘far from sufficient’ says German Chancellor Merz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls President Putin’s offer to hold talks with Ukraine “far from sufficient”.

Posting on X, external, he says Russia’s willingness to talk is a “good sign” but says European leaders expect Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.

“First, the guns must fall silent before talks can begin.”

‘The world is waiting for a decision on ceasefire’ – Poland’s PM

We’re now hearing from Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk who has responded to Putin’s proposal for direct talks with Ukraine.

Tusk was in Kyiv yesterday to meet Ukrainian President Zelensky alongside European leaders.

Writing on X today, he repeats the call for Russia to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting tomorrow.

“In response to our appeal, the Russians have proposed peace talks starting May 15. The world, however, іs waiting for univocal decision on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

“Ukraine is ready. No more victims!” he says in a social media post.

Putin’s proposal shows ‘real intention’ for peace – Dmitry Peskov

Earlier this morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin’s proposal for talks shows the Russian president has a “real intention” to find a peaceful solution.

According to Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass, external, Peskov tells Russian media Channel One that Putin’s statement is a very serious proposal for peace, and that peace can only be achieved through serious negotiations.

Serious talks would require significant shifts in both sides’ positions

To say there is little that Moscow and Kyiv agree on would be an understatement in the extreme.

One of the key issues is the status of the Ukrainian territory that Russia occupies.

Some, like the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, were taken by Russia’s so called “little green men” in 2014.

The rest, including parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, were seized during the full-scale invasion of the last three years.

In September 2022, Russia claimed to hold referenda in the four occupied Oblasts. Unsurprisingly, the result was the one that Moscow desired. Since then, Russia has said it wants to not only keep land it has captured, but has even suggested taking the remaining, uncaptured, parts of those regions.

For Ukraine, this would not only cross every red line, but also be a breach of the country’s constitution, article 2 of which states that Ukraine’s sovereignty “extends throughout its entire territory” which “within its present border is indivisible and inviolable”.

Changing that would require a national referendum, something that cannot happen while the country is at war.

There has been talk of “de facto” recognition, rather than “de jure”. In short, Kyiv would recognise the realities on the ground, rather than acknowledging them in international law.

Even this would be a vast concession from the Ukrainian people, who would see it as rewarding Russian aggression, rather than punishing it for the terrible price it has inflicted upon them.

Turkey’s President Erdogan ready to host ceasefire talks

Turkey is ready to host ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine, the country’s president tells French President Emmanuel Macron.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s announcement, reported by his presidential office, follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to hold “direct talks” with Ukraine in Istanbul.

This is not the first time Turkey has been host to Ukraine-Russia discussions, the delegations have previously met in Istanbul.

Our US State Department correspondent Tom Bateman attended one such meeting back in 2022 and said the meetings place “a bigger spotlight on Turkey’s role”.

Ukrainian President Zelensky says Ukraine “expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, 12 May, and Ukraine is ready to meet.”

Pope Leo calls for ‘just and lasting’ peace in Ukrainepublished at 12:2512:25

Turning our attention to the Vatican briefly, Pope Leo XIV has called on the world’s major powers for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St Peter’s Square since being elected.

The new pontiff, chosen on 8 May, called for an “authentic and lasting peace” in Ukraine, as well as a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages.

You can read more about Pope Leo’s first Sunday blessing and address in our news story.

Russia resumes military operation at end of three-day truce

Russia says its troops are carrying on with their “special military operation” now that the three-day ceasefire, from 8 to 10 May, has ended.

This comes after Ukraine urged Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire starting tomorrow.

Russia’s defence ministry also says Ukraine broke the three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times – the ceasefire was unilaterally proposed by Russia, but Kyiv rejected it, calling it a “theatrical show”.

Earlier, Ukraine has also accused Russia of breaking the truce, saying their troops were responding “appropriately”.

Ukraine hasn’t understood Putin correctly, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman says

We’ve just heard a new response from Russia after Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky commented on ceasefire and peace talks.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Ukraine hasn’t understood Putin correctly.

According to her, Putin means there should first be negotiations about the “root causes” of the conflict, and only then can talks about a ceasefire happen.

Elsewhere, Russian foreign ministry ambassador-at-large Rodion Miroshnik says on Telegram that Zelensky proposing a ceasefire is only to rearm and regroup.

Putin is saying no to ceasefire demands, without actually saying no

President Zelensky’s statement made in response to Vladimir Putin’s offer of talks is somewhat ambiguous: “and Ukraine is ready to meet” instead of “and then Ukraine will be ready to meet” after Russia ceases fire.

But then Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, introduced more clarity on Ukraine’s position in a statement of his own: “First a ceasefire for 30 days, then everything else.”

Yet again, we have heard Vladimir Putin say no without saying no.

The coalition of the willing and Ukraine are demanding a ceasefire to start on Monday without preconditions. Putin offers talks with Ukraine to start on Thursday without preconditions. Not the same thing.

Putin put on the spot by 30-day ceasefire plan, professor says

Commenting on Putin’s proposal for direct talks on Thursday, a professor of political science at the University of California tells the BBC his move comes from “the desire to avoid being forced into a ceasefire”.

Daniel Treisman says Putin was “put on the spot” by the 30-day ceasefire call made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders yesterday.

“Putin is doing his usual judo move and trying to get out of the thing he is trying to avoid by proposing something else,” he says.

Ukraine reports numerous Russian drone attacks

The Ukrainian military has reported numerous Russian drone attacks the day after Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day three-day ceasefire ended.

Overnight, Russia attacked Ukraine with 108 drones, the Ukrainian air force says.

This is slightly fewer than the average number immediately before the start of the ceasefire, but means Russia has resumed attacking Ukraine with Shahed strike drones.

According to the Ukrainian air force, 101 of the drones were intercepted or fell without causing any damage.

First ceasefire, then everything else, says key Zelensky aide

A key aide to President Zelensky has said Russia must agree to a ceasefire before direct talks can begin between the two countries.

“First a ceasefire for 30 days, then everything else. Russia must not camouflage its desire to continue the war with verbal contortions,” Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said on social media.

“Ceasing fire is the first step towards ending the war, and it will confirm Russia’s readiness to end the murder.”

Macron says ceasefire needed now so ‘talks can begin’

French President Emmanuel Macron has responded to Zelensky’s earlier comments, saying “a ceasefire is needed now, so that talks can begin”.

Macron says he and other European leaders, along with US President Donald Trump, yesterday clearly proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday.

He says Zelensky has agreed to it, and the countries are expecting “an equally clear response from Russia”.

“There can be no negotiations while weapons are speaking,” he says.

A cautious and diplomatic response

Ukraine’s President Zelensky has given a cautious and diplomatic response to Vladimir Putin’s late-night offer of direct talks in Istanbul next Thursday.

The Ukrainian leader might have been expected to slam his opposite number in Moscow for not committing to a 30-day ceasefire, as demanded by Kyiv and its Western allies.

Instead, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Zelensky called it “a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war”.

It’s hard to tell if that is really the case but this is as much about optics as anything else. Neither Putin nor Zelensky want to be seen by Donald Trump as the obstacle to peace.

President Zelensky added that Ukraine expected Russia to confirm it would abide by that 30-day ceasefire, starting on Monday.

French President Macron meanwhile, who was here in Kyiv yesterday, said today that Putin’s proposal was ‘not enough’ and that the Russian leader was buying time, ‘looking for a way out’.

President Trump’s reaction however, was markedly upbeat. Writing on his Truth Social online platform, he hinted once again that this war was close to ending. He wrote: ‘A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!’.

After yet another air raid warning here this morning, that is not how it feels in Kyiv.

Zelensky says Ukraine is ready to meet Putin for ceasefire talks

We’ve just heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who says Kyiv is ready to meet Russia for ceasefire talks.

Without responding directly to Putin’s invitation for talks in Istanbul, he says: “It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war.”

He adds: “The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.”

“There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, 12 May, and Ukraine is ready to meet.”

As sirens sound in Ukraine, could Trump throw Putin a diplomatic lifeline?

What Ukraine badly needs from its allies is an uninterrupted flow of air defences to fend off the ever-growing numbers of drones and missiles being fired across the common border at Kyiv and other major cities.

Shortly after dawn today, Sunday, we were woken by an air raid alert and sirens went off as more Russian drones were launched.

On 9 May the US Embassy in Kyiv issued a warning to its citizens that there was “a significant risk of air raids in the coming days”.

One of the biggest concerns is that the Kremlin may launch another ‘Oreshnik’ hypersonic ballistic missile like the one its forces fired at a factory in Dnipro last November.

With speeds approaching ten times the speed of sound, Russia boasts that this missile is ‘unstoppable’.

So now the key question is what President Trump does next and this could go either way.

He could decide that his opposite number in Moscow is simply stringing him along, finding one excuse after another not to agree to a ceasefire.

Or, given his historic warm relations with Vladimir Putin, will he throw the Russian leader a diplomatic lifeline and put pressure on Ukraine instead to sit down in Istanbul and listen to Moscow’s demands?

Russia and Ukraine still far apart on peace talks

President Putin’s late night offer of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next Thursday is unlikely to be welcomed in Kyiv.

First off, he has not agreed to yesterday’s demand by Ukraine and its allies for a 30-day ceasefire starting tomorrow, Monday.

Instead, Putin wants to address what he calls ‘the root causes of the conflict’.

From his perspective, that means Ukraine’s unacceptable ambition to be part of a prosperous, democratic Europe rather than returning to Moscow’s orbit and become a pliant, satellite nation like Belarus. He will also want a firm undertaking that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Moscow demanded yesterday that before any ceasefire can start the West must stop arming Ukraine. That of course would leave this country that much less able to fend off Russia’s gradual advances on the frontline or worse, a new full-scale offensive to take more land.

Putin sidesteps European leaders’ ultimatum

European leaders delivered an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin. Agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire by Monday or face massive new sanctions.

In a late-night statement delivered in the Kremlin President Putin criticised European powers which he said spoke with Russia in a boorish manner and with the help of ultimatums.

He sidestepped this particular one.

Presenting instead his own proposal: direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul next Thursday – he said he would speak to President Erdogan of Turkey later today to facilitate such talks.

Crucially, the Kremlin did not sign up to a 30-day ceasefire.

Although, he didn’t exclude the possibility that if talks in Istanbul went ahead they could lead to, what he described as, “new ceasefires.”

The Kremlin event was expected to be a press conference about recent World war Two commemorations in Russia – but Mr Putin took no questions. And left the hall after delivering his statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Ukraine to take part in “direct talks” on 15 May, hours after European leaders urged Moscow to agree to a 30-day ceasefire.

In a rare televised late-night address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russia was seeking “serious negotiations” aimed at “moving towards a lasting, strong peace”.

Earlier on Saturday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer travelled to Kyiv with counterparts from France, Germany and Poland to put pressure on Russia to commit to an unconditional ceasefire, starting Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Moscow would “have to think this through” – but warned that “trying to pressure us is quite useless”.

In his own statement, Putin said he could “not rule out” the possibility that the talks could result in Russia and Ukraine agreeing “a new truce”.

The Russian leader said the proposed talks should be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul, as they have been before, and that he would speak to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday to discuss the details.

Kyiv has not responded to the invitation.

The Ukrainian capital played host on Saturday to Sir Keir, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Poland’s Donald Tusk, who form part of the “coalition of the willing” – a group of countries committed to supporting Ukraine.

Alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, they took part in a joint news conference.

The leaders warned that “new and massive” sanctions would be imposed on Russia’s energy and banking sectors should Putin not agree to the unconditional 30-day ceasefire “in the air, at sea and on land”.

They also said they had discussed the proposal with Donald Trump. Sir Keir later told the BBC the US president was “absolutely clear” that their suggestion of an immediate ceasefire was a “demand that must be met”.

After the meeting, Zelensky thanked the assembled leaders for “standing with” Ukraine.

“Today we will focus on how to build and guarantee real and lasting security,” he said.

Responding to the proposal, the Kremlin’s Peskov said: “It is a new development. But trying to pressure us is quite useless.”

Russian state media also quoted him as saying that statements from Europe were “generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations”.

Moscow has previously said that before considering a ceasefire, the West must first halt its military aid to Ukraine.

Putin later made his own statement, with video showing journalists assembled in a hall inside the Kremlin.

“This would be the first step towards a long-term, lasting peace, rather than a prologue to more armed hostilities after the Ukrainian armed forces get new armaments and personnel, after feverish trench-digging and the establishment of new command posts,” he said.

“Who needs peace like that?”

Putin also accused Ukraine of having repeatedly failed to respond to multiple ceasefire proposals from Moscow, including a 30-day halt in attacks on energy infrastructure and last month’s Easter truce.

Another ceasefire Putin flagged was one he ordered in April to coincide with World War Two commemorations. It ended on Saturday at midnight local time (21:00 GMT).

Kyiv had rejected the unilateral, three-day ceasefire, calling it a “theatrical show”. Instead, Zelensky reiterated calls for a longer truce of at least 30 days.

While it saw a decrease in fighting, each side accused the other of breaches.

On Thursday – the same day the supposed ceasefire took effect – Ukraine accused Russia of more than 730 violations and said it was responding “appropriately”.

Russia’s defence ministry insisted the truce was being observed, before accusing Ukraine of 488 violations.

“In spite of everything, we are offering the Kyiv authorities to resume the negotiations… resume direct talks, and I stress, without any preconditions,” Putin said on Saturday.

The last direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv took place in 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says further sanctions on Russia “will make a material difference” in securing a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine
• Starmer said Europe and the US are “calling Putin out” to agree to a truce after speaking to Donald Trump with the leaders of France, Germany and Poland while on a visit to Kyiv
• Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov dismisses the threat of new sanctions while accusing European countries of having a “confrontational” character
• Sign up to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face ‘new and massive’ sanctions – that’s the message delivered to Russia, our security correspondent Frank Gardner writes
• As a reminder, the Kremlin rejected US proposals for a 30-day ceasefire in March after Putin set out a number of tough conditions for peace

‘A unified call for an unconditional ceasefire – backed up by sanctions’ – Starmer

More now from Starmer’s interview with the BBC’s chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman.

Zeffman challenges the prime minister on the efficacy of the proposals, highlighting comments from former Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, who wrote in a social media post: “Shove these peace plans”.

Starmer says: “We haven’t seen unity like this – pretty well – throughout the conflict so to get the European allies, US, New Zealand, Canada all on one page.

“Putin of course cannot be trusted but this now is a unified call for an unconditional ceasefire – backed up by sanctions.”

The prime minister adds: “By further coordinating sanctions on oil, fossil fuels etc, will make a material difference. You’ve got unity in the demand but also unity in what the response will be if the demand is not met.”

Coordinating sanctions will make a difference, Starmer tells BBC

Starmer has been speaking to the BBC’s chief political correspondent, Henry Zeffman, in Kyiv about the 30-day ceasefire proposal agreed by European leaders.

The UK prime minister says that he and his European counterparts agreed “material progress in relation to the ceasefire”, adding that they will “step up and play our part” to “preserve peace” and bring about the cease of hostilities.

“Putin, of course, cannot be trusted,” he says, before discussing the the threat of further sanctions on Russia.

“There are sanctions in place at the moment, they are already having an impact on the Russian economy, so by further co-ordinating sanctions on oil, on fossil fuels, etc. will make a material difference,” he says.

Asked if US President Donald Trump is exasperated by Putin, he says Trump is “absolutely clear that this is a demand that must be met” – referring to the proposed ceasefire.

Zelensky sets out 30-day ceasefire proposal

In the last few hours, Volodymyr Zelensky has offered further insight into the 30-day ceasefire proposal he agreed with the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Poland.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what Zelensky says is in the proposal:

• An unconditional, 30-day ceasefire starting from Monday 12 May “in the air, at sea and on land”
• “Monitoring its implementation is absolutely doable – in coordination from the United States, this is realistic,” Zelensky says
• Discussions on the “security, political and humanitarian foundations for peace” should begin during the pause
• If Russia refuses the terms for an unconditional truce, further sanctions on its energy and banking sectors will be applied

Zelensky says Ukraine’s EU partners are already working on a “strong” new package of sanctions in coordination with the UK, the US and Norway.

“It was agreed that a clear priority is strengthening Ukraine’s defence and security forces as the primary guarantee of Ukraine’s sovereignty and security,” he adds.

“A key element of the security guarantees should also be the support contingent.”

Starmer and Macron pay tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are continuing their visit in Kyiv with visits to a memorial wall for Ukrainian servicemen who died in the war.

They also joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a visit to the Saint Sophia Cathedral.

Positive and concrete call with Trump, Zelensky says

We can bring you more now on the phone call that the five European leaders had with US President Donald Trump earlier in Kyiv.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky describes the call as “positive and concrete” in a post on X., external

“We share a common view: an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire is needed for at least 30 days,” he says in a post, adding they proposed it begins on Monday but they’re “waiting for Russia’s response”.

“Once the ceasefire begins, there will be the best moment for diplomacy,” he says. “Ukraine is ready for meetings and negotiations in any format.”

France’s President Emmanuel Macron and UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer also posted on social media about the phone call.

Macron says the ceasefire would pave the way for a “solid and lasting peace in Ukraine”, external, while Starmer says “space must be created for talks on a just and lasting peace in Ukraine”.

In pictures: Five leaders meet in Kyiv

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed leaders from France, Germany, Poland, and the UK today and spoke to the world’s media.

Here’s a look at their day so far:

‘It’s very difficult to isolate Russia’ – Kremlin dismisses sanctions threat

Earlier, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Poland warned Putin that refusing to agree to a 30-day ceasefire would result in a new wave of sanctions against Russia.

But the Kremlin has now dismissed the threat, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying that Ukraine’s allies won’t be able to “isolate” Moscow.

“It is very difficult to isolate a country like Russia because we take a very large part of the globe. But this is not the main thing,” Peskov says.

“The main thing is that Russia actively develops relations with a large number of countries in all directions where they have interest in developing cooperation with our country. And we will continue doing so.”

What the five European leaders said – in 146 words

That was a very fast-paced press conference from the five European leaders – here’s a run-down of what they said:

• Starmer said Europe is “calling out” Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who now has the chance to show he is “serious about peace” by turning the VE Day pause into a 30-day unconditional truce
• He added that Ukraine’s allies will take action should Putin ignore their proposal – hinting at “new and massive sanctions” and spending more to help Ukraine’s defence
• Germany’s Friedrich Merz said almost all members of the so-called coalition of the willing are determined to impose sanctions if the ceasefire fails, with Poland’s Donald Tusk adding that current sanctions were working
• France’s President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine is the “beating heart of Europe”, adding discussions on potential deployment are ongoing
• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has “no illusions” the ceasefire won’t be breached but agreement on a ceasefire with Kyiv’s allies is “an important step”

Stick with us as we bring you more developments.

European statements have ‘confrontational’ character – Kremlin says

We can now bring you some reaction from Moscow to the latest remarks from European leaders.

In the last few moments the Kremlin says statements made by European countries have a “confrontational” character, according to Russian news agency Interfax.

“We hear many contradictory statements from Europe. They are generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations. Nothing more,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying.

Ceasefire is the main goal – Zelensky

Zelensky is now speaking, repeating that achieving a ceasefire is the main goal, adding: “First that, then everything else.”

He talks about the idea of a buffer zone, saying everybody is looking into options on “what to do with Ukraine”.

The leaders then step away from the lecterns and shake hands, talking with each other before walking away from the media.

Military planning ongoing to help Ukraine defend itself – Starmer

Zelensky is now asked if Ukraine would be ready to redeploy forces from the front line, and Starmer is asked if there are any developments he can share on deploying troops to Ukraine.

Macron starts answering the question, saying “this is work-in-progress”.

The French president continues, saying that once the ceasefire is agreed, there are a “number of steps we’re working on”, which includes strengthening Ukraine’s army.

“It will all depend on Russia’s response to our proposal and then we will work on the most efficient solution,” he says, adding it is “too early” to say what the most efficient solution is.

Keir Starmer answers the question next and says there are two aspects to the “coalition of the willing”.

The first is politics, with countries now reaching complete unity. The second is military planning, which is being carried out to help Ukraine defend itself. He adds that he is also looking at contingencies for the sea, air and land, as well as what the mandate will be in case of a ceasefire.

He says what’s important is to get to a ceasefire first, and today is the most comprehensive step the countries have taken in three years.

Consensus between some 20 countries – Macron

France’s Emmanuel Macron is asked if they have discussed the potential deployment of European troops,

The French president says statements from a Russian spokesperson came ahead of their meeting today.

As a reminder, earlier today Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine’s allies must stop sending weapons to Ukraine before any ceasefire can happen

Macron says there is “unanimity” among “some 20 countries” now. He goes on to say they are waiting for Russia’s response to the 30-day ceasefire proposal.

On deployment, he says there were discussions between military leaders and they will continue.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky is asked about the resumption of military equipment from the US. He says Ukraine has signed a “very good deal” with the US and that Ukraine can count on US businesses to support them.

He also praises Trump for not stopping aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, saying this is important for Ukraine to defend its skies. He adds Trump did not stop sanctions on Russia, and he continues to count on his support.

The message to Russia: Accept ceasefire or face new sanctions

Sign up to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face ‘new and massive’ sanctions on your banking and energy sectors, as well as increased military aid to Ukraine.

That’s the message delivered to Russia today by leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Poland as they met Ukraine’s President Zelensky, in a gesture of European unity and solidarity.

After a virtual meeting of the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ – those countries and organisations prepared to ensure Ukraine’s post-war security – the leaders held a phone call with President Trump.

They then held a press conference, where they demand a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire begins on Monday.

“This is Europe stepping up,” Keir Starmer said. “All of us are calling Putin out. If he’s serious about peace then he has a chance to show it now.”

Russia has so far insisted that – before considering the US-proposed 30-day ceasefire – the West must first halt its military aid to Ukraine, something likely to be an unacceptable precondition.

The key question now is what President Trump does next.

Is he really running out of patience with Putin’s intransigence and will he impose threatened sanctions? Or will he throw the Russian President a lifeline and cut a deal, over the heads of Ukraine and its friends in Europe?

Unity on ceasefire is greatest we’ve seen – Starmer

ITV now asks Starmer if he thinks Russia’s President Vladimir Putin wants peace and, if not, why does he think sanctions on Russia will work?

“There’s only one country that started this illegal conflict and that was Russia and there’s only one country that stands between peace and that’s Russia,” Starmer says.

He says the unity between countries on the matter of an unconditional ceasefire is the “greatest” we’ve ever had.

Earlier, a German reporter asked Zelensky if he had discussed the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine with Chancellor Merz.

Zelensky says they’ve discussed strengthening Ukraine’s defences.

Russia is waiting for sanctions to be lifted – Tusk

The media are now asking questions.

One journalist asks how fast members of the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ can adopt new sanctions, if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire.

Donald Tusk says the current sanctions are working, adding that “if it weren’t for sanctions, the situation would be comparably worse”.

“Russia is actively waiting for sanctions to be lifted,” he says.

We will wait for Russia’s response – Tusk

We’re now hearing from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who describes it as “symbolic” that the decision to have a ceasefire was made in Kyiv – which has suffered many “bombardments”.

Tusk says they will wait for Russia’s reaction, adding that no one will doubt who stands for peace if the ceasefire proposal is ignored by Moscow.

The news conference now moves on to questions from the media.

Merz threatens more sanctions on Russia if ceasefire fails

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is now speaking and says, if Russia rejects the ceasefire, they will keep defending Ukraine and continue to increase pressure on Russia.

He adds, almost all members of the EU and the so-called coalition of the willing are determined to impose sanctions if the ceasefire fails.

Earlier, he said he wants to send a message of their “determination” to end the war between Ukraine and Russia “as soon as possible”.

More sanctions on Russia if Putin turns his back on peace, Starmer says

Starmer continues speaking at the press conference in Kyiv.

He says the five European leaders in Kyiv are clear. If Putin turns his back on peace, they will respond, including increasing sanctions and spending more to help Ukraine’s defence, Starmer says.

He adds the UK wants to help Ukraine look to the future with confidence, aiming to boost its economy with the help of UK experts.

Europe and US ‘calling Putin out’- Starmer

Starmer is now speaking, saying that we stand with Ukraine to get the “just and lasting peace” that it “deserves”.

“All of us here, together with the US are calling Putin out,” he says.

Starmer adds that, if the Russian leader is “serious about peace”, he has the “chance to show it now” by extending the VE Day pause in fighting to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire with negotiations to follow.

“No ifs, not buts,” Starmer adds.

Macron repeats call for 30-day ceasefire

Macron says Zelensky agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in Jeddah, and US President Donald Trump repeated his support two days ago.

Macron adds that there is now stronger international backing, and the ceasefire would cover sea, land and air.

He also says that if the ceasefire is broken, major sanctions will be prepared and coordinated between European countries and the US.

Future of Europe at stake -Macron

France’s President Emmanuel Macron says he is “pleased” to stand with the Ukrainian people and their President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He says that today, Ukraine is the “beating heart of Europe” with its efforts to fight for freedom.

Macron continues, saying that the “future of our principles and collective security” are “at stake”, adding that that is the reason why he is supporting Ukraine.

Kyiv news conference about to start

We’re now hearing from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders who have gathered in Kyiv for peace talks.

Stay with us as we bring you all the key updates.

30-day ceasefire ‘will start process for ending’ war, US envoy says

Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine has just posted on X backing the call for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

Keith Kellogg retweeted an earlier group photo of European leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

He writes: “A comprehensive (air, land, sea, infrastructure) ceasefire for 30 days will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II.

” As [President Trump] has repeatedly said, stop the killing now.”

Trump call came after ‘coalition of the willing’ meeting

Ukraine has hosted a virtual meeting of the ‘coalition of the willing’, a group of predominantly European nations who want to support Ukraine if a ceasefire with Russia is agreed.

The meeting was hosted from the Presidential Palace in Kyiv, with President Zelensky.

Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Tusk and Friedrich Merz were present in person and other leaders joined by video call.

Those who joined included Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Mark Carney of Canada, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of Nato.

The group agreed to call for a 30-day ceasefire beginning on Monday, originally a US proposal. It was following that meeting that the phone call between President Trump and the leaders present in Kyiv took place.

Kyiv meeting reaffirms Western military support for Ukraine

If diplomacy alone could end this war, then the fighting in Ukraine would probably stop tomorrow.

Today brought the leaders of some of Kyiv’s biggest backers in Europe to the Ukrainian capital.

Arriving by train together, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Macron and Chancellor Merz were joined by Poland’s Donald Tusk as they met Ukraine’s President Zelensky.

They then held a virtual meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing – a group of leaders from those countries and organisations prepared to help protect Ukraine’s security once the war ends.

That, in turn, was followed by a phone call to President Trump described as ‘productive’.

The intended message from all this is simple: that Russia must agree to the US-proposed 30-day ceasefire or face further sanctions from a united West.

But, the Kremlin, still basking in the afterglow of yesterday’s well-attended Victory Parade in Moscow, has pre-conditions. It wants all outside military aid to Ukraine to stop first. That’s a non-starter as Ukraine’s allies are not about to abandon this country to further Russian advances.

If anything, today has reaffirmed Western military support for Kyiv.

‘Coalition of the willing’ leaders back call for 30-day ceasefire

As we’ve been reporting, a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing” took place earlier this morning.

Since then, some of the leaders who joined have shared their thoughts on social media. Here are some key comments:

• Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “I was very glad to take part in the leaders’ call on Ukraine. We need an immediate and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, as a first step to a just and lasting peace agreement”
• Ilie Bolojan, interim President of Romania: “All leaders supported the proposal for a total and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine for 30 days, as well as the need to maintain pressure on Russia, including through new sanctions if the ceasefire is violated”
• Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia: “Estonia is ready to back Ukraine’s security guarantees. This is a commitment we all must share”
• Alexander Stubb, President of Finland: “Ceasefire to be complemented by monitoring mechanism and followed immediately by negotiations for peace agreement. Important to work together with the US”
• Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of Luxembourg: “Together with the US, we need to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on international law”

‘Shove these peace plans,’ says former Russian president

We’re starting to hear reactions from Russia after the meeting of European leaders in Kyiv.

Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and now deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, says: “Macron, Merz, Starmer, and Tusk were supposed to discuss peace in Kyiv. Instead, they are blurting out threats against Russia.”

He questions whether the leaders really think giving Russia a choice between “a truce for the respite” or new sanctions is “smart,” and tells them to “shove these peace plans”.

European leaders and Trump discuss 30-day ceasefire from Monday

Keir Starmer and fellow European leaders have called President Trump from Ukraine to discuss plans for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia from Monday.

European leaders call Trump to discuss Ukraine ceasefire

Keir Starmer and fellow European leaders have called President Trump from Kyiv as they hold peace talks on the war in Ukraine.

After a virtual meeting of the coalition of the willing, the prime minister, along with Ukrainian President Zelensky, French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, called Trump to update him on their support for the US proposal.

EU ready to impose ‘biting sanctions’ if potential ceasefire breached – von der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has released a statement on X reiterating her support for a “full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire”.

She says the “Coalition of the willing convened” and the 30-day ceasefire is meant to “pave the way for meaningful peace negotiations”.

Von der Leyen warns that if the potential ceasefire is broken, the EU is ready to “impose further biting sanctions”.

“Our objective is clear: a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, which is vital for security and stability across our continent,” she adds.

‘No point trying to scare us with sanctions,’ says Kremlin spokesman

As European leaders discuss a ceasefire and possible further sanctions on Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia is already “used to sanctions”.

“We know what to do to minimise their impact after these sanctions are announced. We have learnt to do this. There is no point in trying to scare us with these sanctions,” he says.

He also says some Europeans are irritated that several leaders chose to celebrate Victory Day with Russia.

Yesterday, more than 20 world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, joined Putin at the ceremony commemorating World War Two.

Peace in Ukraine is step towards security in UK, says Starmer

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just tweeted about his meeting in Kyiv today.

“Russia must agree to a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Starmer says.

Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister

“Every step we take towards that is another step towards security and prosperity in the UK”

What chance is there of a ceasefire in Ukraine?

Not much, despite the presence of four major European leaders in Kyiv today.

Russia has already indicated it will not even consider America’s proposed 30-day ceasefire unless the West halts arms supplies to Ukraine.

That’s a non-starter. In fact, quite the opposite is happening with renewed pledges of military hardware and ammunition coming from European nations. Ukraine believes that only hard pressure on Moscow will work, notably in the form of those secondary sanctions that President Trump alluded to recently.

If those were applied then it would impact Russia’s ability to keep funding its military campaign against Ukraine and reduce its capacity for luring new recruits with the promise of cash bonuses. But, this depends heavily on Donald Trump’s mood and on whether he considers Russia or Ukraine to be the obstacle to peace on any given day.

Meanwhile, it is quite likely that President Zelensky will use today’s leaders’ visit to ask Germany’s newly elected Chancellor Merz to speed up the delivery of long-range Taurus cruise missiles. Ukraine says it needs weapons like these to be able to hit the bases across the border from which Russia is launching its daily attacks.

Germany will increase pressure on Russia unless ceasefire agreed – chancellor

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he will keep “increasing pressure on Russia’s war machine” unless Russia agrees to a permanent ceasefire.

In a series of tweets, he says leaders from France, Germany, Poland and the UK stand together in Kyiv to show their support for Ukraine. “The bloodshed must end,” he says.

In pictures: European leaders join Zelensky in Kyiv

We can bring you some of the latest images from Kyiv.

As a reminder, a meeting of European leaders is currently under way as they try to secure a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Russian attacks reported in Ukraine, on final day of Putin’s ceasefire

As the Victory Day ceasefire declared by Vladimir Putin enters its third and final day, more Russian attacks are reported in Ukraine.

In northern Sumy region, an 85-year-old woman was killed, three others were injured, 19 residential homes and 10 other buildings were destroyed or damaged, Ukrainian police say.

In Kostyantynivka, eastern Donetsk region, one person was injured and two apartment blocks caught fire after Russian attacks. Rescuers who arrived at the scene were targeted by repeat “double tap” strikes, Ukrainian state emergencies service DSNS says.

In the southern city of Kherson, a 58-year-old local resident sought medical help after being attacked by a Russian drone carrying explosives, the regional administration says.

Zelensky ‘grateful’ for UK’s new sanctions on Russia

The meeting of European leaders in Kyiv today comes after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new sanctions on Putin’s so-called “shadow fleet” yesterday.

This term refers to a group of Russian oil tankers used to get around current sanctions on oil and gas exports.

In response, Zelensky said in a tweet on Friday that he is grateful to the UK for the “powerful new sanctions package”.

“Every step that limits the Kremlin’s ability to fund its war brings peace closer. The UK is once again demonstrating a leadership approach,” he said.

A visit drenched in symbolism, deliberately so

Keir Starmer and his fellow European leaders are here in Kyiv now, in large part as a response to the parade President Putin held in Moscow yesterday where he was joined by around 20 world leaders including Xi Jinping of China.

Within an hour of stepping off the sleeper train, Keir Starmer joined President Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Zelensky, with the First Lady Olena Zelenska, at Maidan square in central Kyiv – long a symbol of Ukrainian independence.

At a solemn ceremony, they laid candles at a memorial to Ukraine’s war dead.

What’s clear from speaking to senior UK government sources is that VE Day is weighing heavily on their minds too.

At the end of a week in which Britain commemorated 80 years since the end of war in Europe, Starmer is here in Ukraine to see a war in Europe.

Peskov says arms deliveries to Ukraine must stop before ceasefire can happen

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov says Ukraine’s allies must stop sending weapons to Ukraine before any ceasefire can happen.

Speaking to ABC News, external, Peskov says if arms deliveries continue, it will be an “advantage” for Ukraine, as the country “will continue their total mobilisation” and bring more troops to the front line.

He also says Ukraine is “not ready for immediate negotiations,” while Putin is trying to “achieve a settlement through peaceful and diplomatic means”.

Fighting

• Russia’s defence ministry said air defence units destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones within a span of 30 minutes late on Friday. The ministry said that between 10-10:30pm local time (19:00-19:30 GMT), nine drones were destroyed over Russia’s Rostov region on Ukraine’s eastern border, and four in the Kursk region on Ukraine’s northern border.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the site of a deadly Russian attack on his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, one week after a Russian missile strike killed 19 people, including nine children and teenagers.
• Ukrainian officials have in recent days sent Washington a list of targets it believes Russia has struck in violation of the energy infrastructure ceasefire that Kyiv and Moscow agreed to last month as part of efforts by the United States to reach a ceasefire.
• Military analysts believe Russia is preparing to launch a new military offensive in the coming weeks to ramp up pressure and strengthen the Kremlin’s hand in ceasefire negotiations.
• President Zelenskyy said that hundreds of Chinese nationals were fighting at the Ukraine front line alongside Russian forces, and accused Moscow of dragging Beijing into its invasion of his country. “As of now, we have information that at least several hundred Chinese nationals are fighting as part of Russia’s occupation forces,” Zelenskyy said.
• More than 100 Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine are mercenaries who do not appear to have a direct link to China’s government, two US officials familiar with American intelligence and a former Western intelligence official told the Reuters news agency. Chinese military officers have, however, been in the theatre of war behind Russia’s lines with Beijing’s approval to draw tactical lessons from the war, officials told Reuters.
• Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was ready to purchase additional air defence systems, adding that he discussed it with US President Donald Trump.
• Ceasefire
• Talks between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Russia lasted more than four hours, with no concrete results disclosed. According to Russia’s Interfax news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out the possibility of another phone call between Putin and Trump following the discussions.
• Trump said in a post earlier on Truth Social: “Russia has to get moving. Too many people [are] DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!”
• Russia has rejected a US-backed proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and appears to be dragging its feet on a more limited truce in the Black Sea agreed last month, analysts said.
• German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday, after presiding over a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels alongside British Defence Secretary John Healey, that “ongoing aggression” from Russia meant “we must concede peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future”.
• If a ceasefire is not achieved by the end of this month, Trump could impose additional sanctions on Russia, the US news site Axios reported, citing an anonymous source.
• Ukraine could be partitioned like Berlin after World War II, President Trump’s envoy to Kyiv, General Keith Kellogg, appeared to suggest as Russia continues to hold out on accepting a truce. In an interview with The Times newspaper, Kellogg said the country could be split into zones of control, with British and French troops as part of a “reassurance force” in the west and Moscow’s forces in the east. Between them would be Ukrainian forces and a demilitarised zone.
• Military Aid
• European countries have promised to send billions of dollars in further funding to help Ukraine keep fighting Russia’s invasion. Ukraine’s allies pledged a record 21 billion euros ($23.9bn) of military aid for the country, with the United Kingdom Defence Secretary Healey warning that 2025 was “the critical year” for the war.
• Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said that his country is monitoring the world armaments market and sees opportunities for Ukraine’s backers to buy more weapons and ammunition.
• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was absent from the Ukraine donor’s forum that the US established and led for several years, although he spoke to the meeting via video.

Sanctions

• A former Russian government minister who violated UK sanctions by receiving financial support from family members was sentenced to more than three years in prison in England. Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, who was appointed governor of Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea by Putin, became the first person convicted of violating the sanctions put in place after the illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
• Estonia’s navy said it detained an oil tanker believed to belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Gulf of Finland in order to check its papers.

Regional security

• A reduction in the number of US soldiers in Eastern Europe would be seen as Washington moving another step closer to Moscow and a worrying sign for Europeans, according to analysts. The NBC news channel, quoting US and European sources, said this week that the US Department of Defense was looking at the withdrawal of 10,000 troops from Europe.
• President Putin announced billions in investments for the rearmament of his country’s navy. “In the next decade, 8.4 trillion roubles [around $97bn] are earmarked for the construction of new boats and ships for the navy,” Putin said at a meeting on navy development in Saint Petersburg, according to Russian news agencies.
• Putin said the navy would develop drone and robot technology, and he claimed that 49 warships of various classes have been built in Russian shipyards in the past five years, including nuclear submarines that can be equipped with new Zircon hypersonic missiles.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sharply criticised European Union politicians against the backdrop of a rapprochement between the Kremlin and the new US administration.
• Politicians such as acting German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were not thinking of their voters, but had put the desire to punish Russia above the wellbeing of their own citizens, Lavrov said.