Sir Richard Branson highlights Ukraine conflict at mosaic unveiling
Sir Richard became the first donor to the Usyk Foundation to fund housing for displaced Ukrainian families.
It is aiming to raise £2.5 million to build four apartment buildings to provide new homes for 64 families.
The two men also launched a new campaign – Ukraine: Defending Freedom – to help some of the 80,000 people in Ukraine needing a prosthetic limb as a result of the war.
As part of this, the nearby Florence Nightingale statue has been transformed, with her lamp replaced by a prosthetic leg painted in the Ukrainian colours.
Sir Richard, Virgin Group and Virgin Unite founder, said: 'Ukraine's fight is not just for its own future, but for the ideals of freedom and democracy everywhere.
'Since Russia's invasion, the Ukrainian people have paid a terrible price. They've sacrificed their limbs, homes and lives.
'Putin's war must end, and on terms acceptable to Ukraine. Until that day comes, we all have a role to play in rebuilding what has been destroyed.
'It's easy, from a distance, to feel fatigue or helplessness. But we cannot look away. Freedom is never free, and Ukraine is paying the cost on all our behalf.
'Let's keep standing together for Ukraine.'
Usyk said: 'Thank you, Great Britain, for your support of Ukraine. We are stronger together.
'We will rebuild our country, like a mosaic, piece by piece. Today we raise money to help 64 families have a home again.'
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Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia makes sudden advance in Ukraine before Trump-Putin summit, maps show
MOSCOW, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Russian forces have made a sudden thrust into eastern Ukraine near the coal mining town of Dobropillia, a move that may be designed to increase the pressure on Kyiv to cede land as the U.S. and Russian presidents prepare to meet. Ukraine's authoritative DeepState war map showed on Tuesday that Russian forces had advanced by at least 10 km (six miles) north in two prongs in recent days, part of their drive to take full control of Ukraine's Donetsk region. The advance is one of the most dramatic in the last year. DeepState said the Russians had surged forward near three villages on a section of the frontline associated with the Ukrainian towns of Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk, which Moscow is trying to encircle, exploiting Kyiv's lack of manpower. "The situation is quite chaotic, as the enemy, having found gaps in the defence, is infiltrating deeper, trying to quickly consolidate and accumulate forces for further advancement," DeepState said on its Telegram channel. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine when they meet in Alaska on Friday. Unconfirmed media reports say Putin has told Trump he wants Ukraine to hand over the part of the Donetsk region that Russia does not control. There was no immediate comment on the advance from Moscow. Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said only small groups were penetrating defensive lines, and that this did not amount to a breakthrough. Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said the situation had escalated rapidly, with Russian forces infiltrating past Ukrainian lines to a depth of roughly 17 km (10 miles) during the past three days. "Forwardmost Russian units have reportedly reached the Dobropillia – Kramatorsk road T0514 and Russian infiltration groups have also been reported near Dobropillia proper," he wrote on X. Tatarigami_UA, a former Ukrainian army officer whose Frontelligence Insight analysis tracks the conflict, posted: "In both 2014 and 2015, Russia launched major offensives ahead of negotiations to gain leverage. The current situation is serious, but far from the collapse some suggest." Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said the Russians had been able to advance due to "a partial collapse in the front" due to Ukraine's shortage of soldiers. Ukraine has redeployed elite forces to try to thwart the advance, Russia's Interfax news agency and Ukrainian war bloggers reported. "This breakthrough is like a gift to Putin and Trump during the negotiations," Markov said, suggesting it could increase pressure on Kyiv to cede some land to prevent the Russian army eventually taking the rest of Donetsk by force. To do that, though, Russian forces would first need to take control of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka - four places Russian military analysts call "fortress cities". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has publicly pushed back against the idea of ceding territory to Russia, saying any peace deal must be a just one. Bohdan Krotevych, former chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov brigade and a National Guard lieutenant colonel, took to X late on Monday to warn Zelenskiy of the threat, saying the frontline in the area was "a complete mess". "The line of combat engagement as a fixed line does not actually exist," he said.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Raging Russia accuses Britain of trying to SABOTAGE Trump & Putin talks after Starmer warns Don ‘don't trust' Vlad
RUSSIA has accused Britain of trying to sabotage the Ukraine peace talks set to be held between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The world's eyes will be on Alaska on Friday as both leaders prepare to meet for the historic summit that could mark the beginning of the end of the Russian invasion. 7 An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike Credit: Reuters 7 Ukrainian soldiers of 43rd artillery brigade fire self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions Credit: AP 7 US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting in 2017 Credit: AFP 7 Sir Keir Starmer has warned not to 'trust' Putin Credit: EPA But the Kremlin has hit out at Britain, accusing it of trying to disrupt the peace talks after Sir Keir Starmer warned the Russian leader cannot be "trusted". The Russian embassy in London slammed No10 and said: "We note the ongoing attempts by London and some of its partners to disrupt a peace resolution of the conflict by eliminating its root causes. "This is clearly demonstrated by the statements and activity developed by the British leadership in the run-up to the Russian-American summit in Alaska." Sir Keir backed Trump's plans but urged to be more caution. The PM's official spokesman said: "Never trust President Putin as far as you could throw him, but we obviously will support Ukraine. "Any ceasefire cannot just be an opportunity for President Putin to go away, re-arm, restrengthen, and then go again." Trump said on August 8 that he hopes to hold a meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15. Washington and Moscow are said to be eyeing a deal to put an end to the bloody conflict in Ukraine - but it may not be all good news for Kyiv. Trump told reporters in The White House that Zelensky is "going to have to get ready to sign something" in order to bring peace to his nation. Top diplomats from the US and Russia and currently working on an agreement to finalise post-war territories, senior officials told Bloomberg. Could wanted war criminal Putin be ARRESTED when he meets Trump? How Vlad will use loophole to escape cuffs in Alaska Sources said Trump's team is trying to get Ukraine and its European allies on board to get a peace deal that would see Kyiv make some concessions. One major sticking point for Moscow is the annexation of Ukrainian territory - one of Putin's long-term demands. Zelensky has been adamant that Ukraine will not accept any further annexation of its land. Although he suggested Russia could be allowed to retain some of the land it has taken. Moscow is likely to demand that Ukraine cede its entire eastern Donbas area to Russia, as well as Crimea - which Moscow annexed in 2014. This means Ukrainian troops will need to withdraw from the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk - the regions still being held by Kyiv. In return, Moscow would stop its offensive in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine along the current battlelines, according to the officials. Kyiv risks being presented with a take-it-or-leave-it offer during the high-stakes meeting. 7 Zelensky has told European leaders they must reject any settlement proposals by the US that demand Ukraine give up further land. Trump announced on Friday that the only way to resolve the issues is for both sides to accept losses of land. He said: "It's complicated, actually. Nothing is easy. It's very complicated. "We're going to get some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both." The MAGA prez said he would try to return territory to Ukraine. Don added: "Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They've occupied some very prime territory. "We're going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine." Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his invasion were "unchanged". Slave to one's habits Zelensky has warned that Putin has no intention of seeking peace. He claimed Putin would try to fool Trump and continue waging his bloody war against Ukraine. The embattled president said: "[Putin] is definitely not preparing for a ceasefire or an end to the war. "He is determined only to present a meeting with America as his personal victory and then continue acting exactly as before. 'The Russians simply want to buy time, not end the war. Zelensky said that Putin was redeploying troops and forces "in ways that suggest preparations for new offensive operations. 'If someone is preparing for peace, this is not what he does.' Igor Novikov, Zelensky's ex-adviser, spoke to The Sun about the Putin and Trump meeting on US soil. 7 Putin said his demands for ending his invasion were 'unchanged' Credit: Getty 7 Zelensky has warned that Putin has no intention of seeking peace Credit: AFP He said: "Trump understands that he needs to put enough sanction pressure and military pressure on Russia for them to consider ending this war. "But at the same time, Putin tries to manipulate and charm him, massage his ego into a position where Russia wins time and the US moves further away from helping Ukraine. "Whatever they decide upon. It won't be taken for granted by the Ukrainian people." Zelensky was initially thought to be a possible third member around the table at Friday's superpower summit. The first announcements from the White House suggested Putin would meet Trump, followed by a three-way meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky. But that was swiftly shut down by the Kremlin, and an aide denied it had ever been agreed to on the Russian side. Could Putin be arrested in Alaska? By Patrick Harrington, Foreign news reporter VLADIMIR Putin will jet to Alaska for a historic summit with President Trump on Friday to seek an end to the war- but he does so as a wanted international criminal. The International Criminal Court (ICC) slapped him with an arrest warrant in 2023 over allegations of war crimes - so the "billion-dollar question" is: can Putin be cuffed in Alaska? Putin would in theory be nabbed if he were to visit any of 125 countries around the world - including the UK, France, Germany and Canada. But the US the is among the minority of countries which does not recognise the rule of the ICC. It sit among the ranks of Russia, China, Pakistan and a handful of others in disregarding the framework. This means that, unlike most nations, the US "is not bound to arrest Putin". So the Kremlin can be confident that their leader will be leaving the Arctic state in his own plane - and trotting the globe without any threat of repercussions. The US president also dismissed claims that next week's historic summit hinges on a three-way meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. Asked if Putin needed to meet Zelensky in order to meet him, Trump clarified: "No, he doesn't." Despite that, the White House is preparing for a possible trilateral summit. Over the weekend, a source briefed on the internal talks told The Sun: "It's being discussed." A meeting with Putin and Trump will come after weeks of constant barbs being fired at the Russian tyrant by America's leader. Trump has expressed frustration with Putin, questioning whether the Russian leader really wants peace with Ukraine. Putin has snubbed peace for months and is instead steadily increasing his overnight bombing raids - which could soon hit 1,000 drones and missiles a day. Just days ago, 31 people died including five children after the Russians fired an Iskander missile into a residential tower block in Kyiv.
New Statesman
3 hours ago
- New Statesman
The Cotswold's plot against JD Vance
Photo by Greg Balfour Evans / Alamy For those new to political activism – not brave enough to risk arrest yet, unsure about the historical merits of toppling a statue (complicated, isn't it) – may I recommend a trip to the Cotswolds this afternoon? An hour on the train out of Paddington to Charlbury, and you will find yourself in Land Rover Defender Mecca, where the dogs are polite and the horses can't believe their luck; where men on the platform wear US Open baseball caps and the women – if I have identified the make and model correctly – $1,000 shoes; where the jewel-in-the-crown rural pub is Michelin-approved and full of women with hair like Princess Di in 1995; and where your £6 ale comes served with a perfectly seared £27 pork chop. You will be protesting the arrival of the US vice-president JD Vance and his family, who are there to holiday and to make bland diplomatic gestures towards the special relationship. But there's no need to fret about the Yank invasion; the resistance is here! The spirit of Robespierre and the sans-culottes loom in the form of European Union bunting, a single Ukrainian flag limply hanging from the town hall, and a post on Charlbury's messaging forum that valiantly states: 'I think we need to let him know just because we're in the affluent Cotswolds we don't take kindly to him [sic].' Well viva la revolución, I say, Oxfordshire-style. And so, for your itinerary. The Stop Trump Coalition will gather on Mill Lane at 1600 GMT. Commence the interviews with the press from 1630, with banner waving, 'chanting etc'. At 1730, you're off to the comparably downmarket Rose & Crown pub (this is like being the least expensive restaurant on the Golborne Road in Kensington) for a well-earned 'rest'. The brief, I understand, is 'very broad', focusing on 'Palestine, inequality, migrants, Ukraine, trade justice, women's rights, LGBTQ rights & climate'. It's a lot to fit on one sign. And within one hour. Luckily, Charlbury is prepared for such civil disruption. I am sitting in the Bell (a pub apparently run by children but technically owned by the Daylesford estate) and talking to a gardener. How are they preparing for Vance? I ask. There's not much to do, he tells me. Charlbury is on constant alert for the great and good: David Cameron only lives up the road ('and he was actually prime minister'); Jeremy Clarkson's farm can't be more than a 25-minute drive away; the man beside me in a very serious watch is probably receiving the A-list treatment, too. If Charlbury is ready for anything, it's ready to serve a perfectly cooked onglet to the second-in-command of the world's erratic superpower. The protesters, I suspect, are not inclined to serious disobedience. Perhaps it's the perfect location for such diplomatic overtures. Vance, along with Elon Musk and a coterie of the new American right, has been critical of Britain of late. They see a country in total discord, beset on one side by riots and ethnic tension, phone thieves and shoplifters, levels of immigration that are tearing at the fabric of the land. They also describe a country under the cosh of creeping and inchoate authoritarianism, downtrodden with post-imperial tristesse. This time last year, Musk looked upon the UK and declared civil war 'inevitable'. In February, the vice-president gave a temperamental speech at the Munich Security Conference, lamenting the UK's 'backslide away from conscience rights'. 'Free speech, I fear, is in retreat,' he added. Whatever their perception of Britain is – a clichéd Orwellian nightmare or lawless bandit country – Vance will not find much of it here in Charlbury. Everyone is smiling. A bus drives past, with one passenger – there is not much need for public transit when everyone has their 4×4, newest model. The pale-yellow Cotswold stone – a type of limestone derived from the skeletal remains of marine organisms, or the Lib Dem-Tory coalition – looks good in the August light. But this is not the real Cotswolds, a resident of Cirencester tells me with a blend of disembodied snobbery and intra-elite anxiety. It resembles something closer to a playground for the American and English urban elite. A taste of the countryside, without any of the toil. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe And so, I am sitting in the ambient Cameroonism of Charlbury: it is like a warm bath of Farrow & Ball, in which you will inevitably drown; where you will be laid to rest on a bed of the Telegraph's property supplement; or your ashes spread on a cricket crease, 'Jerusalem' humming in the background. It is green, it is pleasant, it is Potemkin. Vance will see through it all, and have a lovely time nonetheless. The protesters will be home in time for supper. [See more: British food is reactionary now] Related
