Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv and Moscow resume drone attacks after peace talks ‘end in less than an hour'
While Ukrainian drones hit southern Russian Black Sea areas, killing one person, injuring another and hitting an oil storage depot, Russian drones hit Ukraine 's Black Sea port of Odesa, triggering several fires in residential and other buildings.
This comes as Ukrainian prisoners of war began returning home after Russia and Ukraine ended a third round of peace talks in Istanbul after well under an hour without agreement on a ceasefire.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said afterwards that more sick and wounded prisoners were returning home. He did not say how many.
He has also promised to submit revised legislation in response to angry protests against restrictions on the authority of anti-corruption agencies.
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Kyiv, opposing the new law, which rolls back the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
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Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Vladimir Putin has finally run out of time
President Donald Trump has issued a new ultimatum to Russia. After expressing doubts about Vladimir Putin's willingness to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump announced that he would cut his 50-day time deadline to just 10 to 12 days. If Russia does not pivot towards peace, punitive secondary tariffs and sanctions could take effect. A bold move, but is Putin likely to accede to Trump's demands? Russia's most recent conduct suggests no. On Saturday, it declared that it had occupied two villages in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk. Hours before Trump's statement, Russia launched a drone and missile barrage against Ukraine that forced Poland to scramble fighter jets over its airspace. Russian official rhetoric has been equally bellicose. In response to Trump's statement, former president Dmitry Medvedev warned that the US was taking a step towards war with Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has declared that 'Russia is fighting alone against the entire West'. No new peace negotiations with Ukraine have been scheduled and the most recent talks in Istanbul lasted less than an hour. But Putin's determination to call Trump's bluff is a dangerous miscalculation. He appears to have predicted that Trump would withdraw military support for Ukraine upon taking office and hand Russia a blank cheque for further aggression, but these assumptions were mistaken. Trump has now earmarked Russia as the sole obstruction to peace in Ukraine and is devising a robust deterrence policy. Much like his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump has supported the provision of American military equipment to Ukraine. The key distinction is that these arms will be purchased by America's Nato allies. Due to reforms to its debt brake spending cap, Germany is slated to purchase billions of dollars of US-made weapons for Ukraine. Norway has doubled its aid pledge to Ukraine and has promised a Patriot air defence system to Kyiv. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte says that Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Britain, the Netherlands and Canada are also willing to purchase US-made weapons for Ukraine. Trump has paired this policy with fervent support for Europe's own rearmament. During his press conference at last month's Nato summit in The Hague, Trump hailed the alliance's decision to increase its defence spending target to 5 per cent of GDP as a 'big win' for Western civilisation. Trump's new trade deal with the European Union (EU) commits the bloc to buying billions of dollars in new military equipment. Once again, Russian aggression aimed at thwarting Nato has unintentionally resulted in the alliance's strengthening. Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea triggered a sustained military build-up on Nato's eastern flank and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine encouraged neutral Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. Trump's rhetoric and actions are taking this trend to new heights. The intensification of US economic pressure on Russia would also have severe adverse consequences for Putin's war machine. While the EU has taken action against Russia's shadow oil tanker fleet and Chinese banks that enable the war effort, these sanctions have lagged Russia's efforts to get around them. If the US imposes sweeping secondary tariffs on all customers of Russia's energy industry and closes sectoral sanction loopholes, the macroeconomic shock is likely to be potent. Even though the Russian central bank recently slashed interest rates from 20 to 18 per cent, it warned that 'pro-inflationary risks prevail over disinflationary ones in the mid-term time horizon'. While Russia's unemployment rate is officially reported to stand at a record-low 2.4 per cent, conscription-induced labour market shortages abound, and wage growth continues to lag trends from 2024. These indicators suggest that an economic downturn in Russia is imminent. At the June 2025 St Petersburg Economic Forum, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov warned that 'we're basically already on the brink of falling into a recession'. New tariffs and sanctions increase the likelihood of Reshetnikov's doomsday predictions coming true and are likely to sharpen discord between Russia's main organs of economic policy decision-making. Trump has lost patience with Russia's stalling tactics and obstructionism. The consequences of this change of heart could ensure Putin regrets playing Trump.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Starmer shares UK-led Gaza peace plans with Trump
Sir Keir Starmer has presented a UK-led peace plan for the Middle East to Donald Trump as he met the US president in Scotland. The Prime Minister started work on a plan with France and Germany over the weekend after an emergency call with the two countries' leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz. His official spokesman had said earlier that he planned to share details with key allies, including Arab states, in the coming days. In a readout of his meeting with the US president, Downing Street said the two reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire to pave the way for peace. 'The Prime Minister welcomed the President's efforts to secure this, and shared the plans he is working on with other European leaders to bring about a lasting peace,' a No 10 spokesperson said. Sir Keir described the situation in Gaza as an 'absolute catastrophe' as he appeared alongside Mr Trump at his Turnberry golf course ahead of their talks. The British public is 'revolted' at scenes of desperation in the Palestinian territory, he said. As the pair faced the press, Mr Trump suggested the US would set up new food centres in Gaza without fences, after the current US-led arrangement had led to multiple killings of Palestinians. 'It's a humanitarian crisis, it's an absolute catastrophe,' the Prime Minister said of the situation in Gaza as he arrived in Ayrshire. He added: 'Nobody wants to see that. I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they're seeing on their screens, so we've got to get to that ceasefire.' Israel announced at the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery, while the UK confirmed it was taking part in plans led by Jordan to airdrop aid into the territory. Speaking at his Ayrshire golf course, Mr Trump said: 'We're going to set up food centres, and we're going to do it in conjunction with some very good people.' He added: 'And other nations are joining us. I know your nation's joining us, and we have all of the European nations joining us, and others also called and they want to be helpful. 'So we're going to set up food centres where the people can walk in and no boundaries, we're not going to have fences.' Other nations are 'going to have to step up' when it comes to helping people in Gaza, the US President added. Hinting at sticking points in negotiations over a peace deal, Mr Trump said Palestinian militant group Hamas had become 'very difficult to deal with' in recent weeks, suggesting this was because they only held a small remaining number of Israeli hostages. Sir Keir has likened the plan he is working on with France and Germany to the coalition of the willing, the international effort to support Ukraine towards a lasting peace. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the plan would build 'on the collaboration to date that paves the way to a long-term solution on security in the region'. He will also convene the Cabinet this week to discuss the crisis in the Middle East. There is no indication yet of which day this week the Cabinet meeting, which gathers together the Government's most senior ministers, will take place. The Prime Minister is meanwhile facing calls from a growing number of MPs to recognise a Palestinian state immediately. Palestinians have an 'inalienable right to statehood', and it is a 'question of when, not if' the UK will agree to recognition, No 10 said. More than 250 cross-party MPs have now signed a letter calling for ministers to take the step, up from 221 on Friday. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds earlier dismissed the idea that there is a split at the top of Government over when to recognise a Palestinian state. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among those to have signalled a desire for hastened action, calling for recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise', while Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government wants to recognise a Palestinian state 'in contribution to a peace process'. Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Mr Reynolds said: 'There's no split. The whole of the Labour Party, every Labour MP, was elected on a manifesto of recognition of a Palestinian state, and we all want it to happen. 'It is a case of when, not if.'
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Zelenskiy praises Trump for 'clear stance' in shortened deadline for Russia
July 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday for his "expressed determination" in calling for a shortened deadline in making progress for an end to Russia's war with Ukraine. "Clear stance and expressed determination by @POTUS – right on time, when a lot can change through strength for real peace," Zelenskiy wrote on the X social media platform. "I thank President Trump for his focus on saving lives and stopping this horrible war." In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy again praised Trump's "particularly significant" statement in the light Russia's "constant attempts to inflict pain on Ukraine" through air strikes on its cities. Ukraine, he said, saw the imposition of tough sanctions on Russia as a "key element" in ending the war. "Russia pays attention to sanctions, pays attention to such losses," he said. "Ukraine is ready to work productively with the United States, to work with President Trump to end this war with dignity and a secure, lasting peace."
