Nato warplanes scrambled as Putin savages Ukraine AGAIN with huge overnight missile blitz hitting infamous Snake Island
Drones and missiles were launched at Kyiv as Russia's Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were unleashed to rain hell on the infamous Snake Island in the Black Sea.
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Moscow launched a massive strike on Rivne using its Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers to hit Dubny airbase.
The planes are among those destroyed last week in Kyiv's daring Operation Spiderweb.
Another key Ukrainian military airport - Hostomel - was also attacked as Putin sought revenge for the humiliating attack.
Polish armed forces command said Nato fighter jets were patrolling due to 'intensive air attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory'.
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Daily Record
24 minutes ago
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Keir Starmer to join European leaders for Trump-Zelensky meeting in Washington
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
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Zelensky says giving up land for peace could be 'impossible' as Trump rages at 'fake news' over his showdown with Putin - as Europe's leaders head to the White House
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Meanwhile, the world is still reeling from Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska, where he rolled out the red carpet for the war-mongering tyrant. Most international commentators believe the negotiations were a win for Putin, with the media noticing he appeared energetic and satisfied by how the summit had gone. Trump, on the other hand, appeared uncharacteristically deflated and seemed disheartened that the famed deal-maker was not able to get an agreement together. But the US President has hit back at his critics, posting on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday morning: 'It's incredible how the Fake News violently distorts the TRUTH when it comes to me. 'There is NOTHING I can say or do that would lead them to write or report honestly about me. I had a great meeting in Alaska on Biden's stupid War, a war that should have never happened!!!' Only minutes later, he posted: 'If I got Russia to give up Moscow as part of the Deal, the Fake News, and their PARTNER, the Radical Left Democrats, would say I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shake hands after a joint press conference following the US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday 'That's why they are the FAKE NEWS! Also, they should talk about the 6 WARS, etc., I JUST STOPPED!!! MAGA.' It comes as Trump envoy Steve Witkoff gave an interview with CNN where he discussed the issue of territory - and specifically of the five regions he described as always having been the 'crux of the deal'. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 while the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson were annexed after referendums internationally viewed as shams in 2022. 'The Russians made some concessions at the table with regard to all five of those regions,' Witkoff said today. He added that the Donetsk region constitutes an 'important discussion' - and one which he said will happen tomorrow. The Donbas is predominantly Russian-speaking, and after Russia snatched Crimea in 2014, its proxy forces have gained a foothold there in a long-running war. Zelensky, who has rejected Putin's demands that Kyiv withdraw from the remaining 30 per cent of Donetsk that it still controls, played down the Russian advances, saying on X that his forces were 'countering' and 'increasing the pressure' on the 'occupier'. 'The Russian army continues to suffer significant losses in its attempts to secure more favourable political positions for the Russian leadership at the meeting in Alaska. We understand this plan and are informing our partners about the real situation,' he said. Zelensky's statement comes as negotiations to end the war continue to mount. Sir Keir Starmer, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's Emmanuel Macron will travel to Washington tomorrow for peace talks at the White House. Ms Von der Leyen said 'at the request of President Zelensky, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow.' Other European leaders confirming they will go tomorrow included Finnish president Alexander Stubb, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. Mr Zelensky's Oval Office rendezvous follows Western allies holding a 'coalition of the willing' video call at 2pm earlier today, hosted by Sir Keir, Mr Macron and Mr Merz. Mr Trump is said to be inclined to support the plan, and will speak to Mr Zelensky about it when they meet in the Oval Office. The European leaders may also fear a repeat of Mr Zelensky's last visit to the White House at the end of February. 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Reuters
an hour ago
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Global markets face shaky week ahead as US pressure mounts on Ukraine
LONDON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Defence stocks and energy markets are likely to be in focus this week, as European leaders rushed to back Ukraine in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump that may pressure Kyiv to accept a peace deal favouring Russia. Investors are watching for signs that the U.S. may move closer to Russia in a bid to exploit vast, untapped Arctic energy resources, in a major geopolitical shift that piles pressure on Europe to rapidly boost defence spending. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended their weekend summit in Alaska without securing a Ukraine ceasefire agreement, with the U.S. President then saying he now wanted a rapid peace deal that Kyiv should accept. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is travelling to Washington on Monday for talks that leaders of nations including Germany, the UK and France will now join. "Trump seems inclined to reduce or even end US support for Ukraine. Putin got him interested in business deals," Berenberg Chief Economist Holger Schmieding said in a note to clients. "As a result, the US may lift its sanctions on Russia and invest in Russia instead," he added. "Europe will have to spend a lot more for its own defence." Investors have bet on that outcome since February 2022, driving a supercharged rally in European aerospace and defence stocks (.SXPARO), opens new tab with gains of over 600% for Leonardo ( opens new tab and 1,500% for Germany's Rheinmetall ( opens new tab. The euro has rallied 13% against the dollar this year and traded at about $1.17 on Friday. Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett highlighted the potential for U.S.-Russia Arctic drilling projects to exploit 15% of the world's undiscovered oil and 30% of the world's undiscovered natural gas, resulting in a deep energy bear market. Brent crude, which dropped more than 1% to near $66 a barrel, on Friday, was still priced for a Ukraine peace deal, Hartnett cautioned, while Trump wanted lower energy prices for U.S. consumers . Ukraine's government bonds - key mood indicators - rallied when news of the summit emerged earlier this month but have stalled at a still-distressed 55 cents per dollar. "I would think they will be a bit weaker following the recent strength as the mood seems to favour Russia following Friday's summit," Aegon Asset Management head of emerging market debt Jeff Grills said.
