Ukraine reports further Russian drone strikes as Trump warns Putin – Russia-Ukraine war live
Update:
Date: 2025-05-26T07:41:10.000Z
Title: Russian attacks continue on Ukraine despite Trump's criticism of Putin
Content: Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Kyiv has been attacked by Russian drones for a third night in a row despite Donald Trump warning that if Vladimir Putin attempts to conquer all of Ukraine it will lead to the 'downfall' of Russia.
'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' the US president wrote in a social media post yesterday, adding, 'I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!'
Trump also criticised Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he has an uneasy relationship with, posting that he 'is doing his Country no favours by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop.'
In separate comments to reporters on Sunday night, Trump said:
I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time. Always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all.
Asked if he was considering more sanctions on Russia, something the EU is pushing for but Washington has so far been reluctant to back, Trump said: 'Absolutely.'
Trump's comments came after Russian strikes killed at least 12 people in Ukraine overnight into Sunday, with the highest number of drones and missiles launched in a single night since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine's air force said on Sunday that Russia had attacked the country with 298 drones and 69 missiles overnight. It said it downed 45 missiles and 266 drones.
Zelenskyy called for fresh sanctions on Russia after the attack and said 'silence' from the US and 'others around the world' was encouraging Vladimir Putin's intensifying assault.
On Sunday night, attacks from Moscow continued, though they were reported to be less widespread. A series of fires were reported in private households across the Odesa region following Russian drone strikes.
Ukraine's air force reported incursions by drones and UAVs overnight, but said the threat had been successfully repelled for all regions by the early morning.
Meanwhile, the head of Kyiv's military administration, Timur Tkachenko, said that Russian strikes caused damage in the Dnipro district of the Ukrainian capital, in what was the third consecutive night of attacks on the city.
'Windows were broken in one of the residential buildings. Also, falling debris was recorded on the territory of a garage cooperative and a recreation facility,' Tkachenko said, but confirmed there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
29 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Zelensky calls Russia peace proposal an ‘ultimatum' and demands talks with Putin
Both sides exchanged memorandums setting out their conditions for a ceasefire for discussion at Monday's direct peace talks between delegations in Istanbul, their second meeting in just over two weeks. Both sides have established red lines that make any quick deal unlikely. Mr Zelensky said that the second round of talks in Istanbul were no different from the first meeting on May 16. He described the latest negotiations in Istanbul as 'a political performance' and 'artificial diplomacy' designed to stall for time, delay sanctions and convince the United States that Russia is engaged in dialogue. 'The same ultimatums they voiced back then – now they just put them on paper … Honestly, this document looks like spam. It's spam meant to flood us and create the impression that they're doing something,' Mr Zelensky said in his first reaction to the Russian document. He added that the 2025 talks in Istanbul carry 'the same content and spirit' as the fruitless negotiations held in the Turkish city in the early days of the war. The Ukrainian leader said that he sees little value in continuing talks at the current level of delegations. Defence minister Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, while Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Mr Putin, headed the Russian team. Mr Zelensky said he wants a ceasefire with Russia before a possible summit meeting with Mr Putin, possibly also including US President Donald Trump, in an effort to remove obstacles to a peace settlement. The US has led a recent diplomatic push to stop the full-scale invasion, which began on February 24 2022. 'We are proposing … a ceasefire before a leaders' summit,' with the US acting as a mediator, Mr Zelensky told a media briefing in Kyiv. 'Why a ceasefire before the leaders' meeting? Because if we meet and there is no mutual understanding, no willingness or vision on how to end this, then the ceasefire would end that same day. But if we see readiness to continue the dialogue and take real steps toward de-escalation, then the ceasefire would be extended with US mediation guarantees,' he said. Ukraine is ready to meet at any time from next Monday at a venue such as Istanbul, the Vatican or Switzerland, Mr Zelensky said. A second round of peace talks on Monday between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul lasted just over an hour and made no progress on ending the war. They agreed only to swap thousands of their dead and seriously wounded troops. Also, a new prisoner exchange with Russia could take place over the weekend, Mr Zelensky said. Also on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky also urged Western backers to speed up deliveries of air defence systems to counter Russian missile strikes and to help boost weapons production. The emphasis should be on US-made Patriot systems, he told a Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels. 'These are the most effective way to force Russia to stop its missile strikes and terror,' he said via video link, urging representatives of around 50 countries to make good on past pledges. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend, the first time a Pentagon chief has been absent since the forum for organising Ukraine's military aid was set up three years ago. Mr Hegseth's predecessor, Lloyd Austin, created the group after Russia launched its all-out war on Ukraine. His absence is the latest step that the Trump administration has taken to distance itself from Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia. More than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to UN estimates, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Mr Zelensky also appealed to the participants to buy weapons direct from Ukraine. 'Ukrainian industry still has significant untapped capacity, it just needs financing,' he said, underlining that a funding gap for weapons procurement amounts to about 18 billion dollars (£13 billion). The UK, which chaired the meeting along with Germany, said it plans a tenfold increase in drone production to help Ukraine. Drones have become a decisive factor in the war, now in its fourth year. Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said that 'you recognise true friends not during a party, but when you do have difficult times. So therefore, our continuation of support for Ukraine and increasing it is of utmost importance'. Since the contact group was formed, Ukraine's backers have collectively provided around 126 billion dollars (£93 billion) in weapons and military assistance, including more than 66.5 billion dollars (£49 billion) from the US. The US has not chaired a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group since the Trump administration took office in January. European Nato allies are concerned that the US might withdraw troops from Europe to focus on the Indo-Pacific. French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that abandoning Ukraine would erode US credibility in deterring any conflict with China over Taiwan.
Western Telegraph
29 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Trump says Putin told him Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on airfields
The US president said in a social media post that 'it was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.' The call that lasted for an hour and 15 minutes was Mr Trump's first known with Mr Putin since May 19. Satellite images show, from top, the Belaya Air Base before a Ukrainian drone attack in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia in Russia, and the damage afterwards (Maxar Technologies via AP) Mr Trump said he and Mr Putin also discussed Iran's nuclear programme. Ukraine's Security Service gave more details on Wednesday about its weekend drone strike on Russian air bases, which it claimed destroyed or damaged 41 Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers. The agency claimed the planes struck included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, An-12, and Il-78 aircraft, adding that artificial intelligence helped guide the drones thousands of kilometres from Ukraine. It also said it set off an explosion on Tuesday on the seabed beneath the Kerch Bridge, a vital transport link between Russia and illegally annexed Crimea, claiming it caused damage to the structure. But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that there was no damage. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that its troops have taken control of another village in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, on the border with Russia. Mr Putin announced on May 22 that Russian troops aim to create a buffer zone that might help prevent Ukrainian cross-border attacks. Since then, Russia's Ministry of Defence claims its forces have taken control of nine Sumy villages.
Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
US inflation data collection hurt by Trump-era hiring freeze, WSJ says
June 4 (Reuters) - Federal government staffing shortages from Trump administration hiring freezes have forced the Labor Department's economic statistics arm to curtail the breadth of its data collection for one of the main measures of U.S. inflation, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The paper said the Bureau of Labor Statistics beginning in April reduced the number of businesses at which it checks prices for the benchmark Consumer Price Index report, citing the hiring freeze that President Donald Trump imposed on his first day back in office, January 20. 'The CPI temporarily reduced the number of outlets and quotes it attempted to collect due to a staffing shortage in certain CPI cities,' beginning in April, a BLS email to private economists and shared with the Journal read. 'These procedures will be kept in place until the hiring freeze is lifted, and additional staff can be hired and trained.' The Labor Department and BLS did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. CPI is among the most closely watched economic datasets published by the U.S. government, relied upon by economists, investors and policymakers for near-real-time estimates of the state of inflation. It provides a monthly snapshot of changes both to prices overall and among hundreds of separate products and services ranging from eggs to eyeglasses and airline tickets to automobiles.
