Putin hit squad ‘eliminated' after cold-blooded daylight assassination of Ukrainian special ops chief with silenced gun
Colonel Ivan Voronich, head of an SBU intelligence Special Operations Centre, died instantly after an assassin with a pistol and silencer shot him in Kyiv.
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Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Frozen Russian assets ‘to pay for Trump's Ukraine weapon fund'
Europe is exploring using frozen Russian assets to pay for Donald Trump's $10 billion (£7.4 billion) weapons package for Ukraine, the Telegraph can disclose. Under the plan, profits generated from almost €200 billion (£173 billion) of Russian Central Bank assets seized by the European Union could be used as part of the bloc's contribution to the new war chest. The potential move formed the first formal discussion among European governments after Mr Trump announced a deal to arm Ukraine with weapons and air defence systems via Nato. Diplomatic sources told The Telegraph that EU foreign ministers asked how Mr Trump's plan would work during a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. Wider details had yet to be shared with European capitals, one source said. Mark Rutte, Nato's secretary-general, said the deal would involve Nato buying American air defence systems, missiles and other ammunition before handing them to Kyiv. He said at least eight member states had signed up to the scheme as he announced it alongside the US president in the Oval Office on Monday. A Nato official said: 'It is widely considered that Nato's support mission for Ukraine – Nsatu – will play the lead role in coordinating purchases of American weapons and their eventual delivery to Kyiv.' Ministers and officials said it would be more logical for Nato to oversee the scheme than one of its member states because of concerns over transparency. Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's foreign minister, joked that the scheme would need a 'sugardaddy' to oversee it – a reference to Mr Rutte calling the US president 'daddy' at the recent Nato summit. However, there were some reservations about using Nato to purchase weapons on behalf of Ukraine because of fears it could be seen as a provocation by Moscow. Under the most likely plan, a central, Nato-controlled cashpot will be topped up by European allies and Canada. The money will then be used to make purchases from a 'shopping list' of American weapons and ammunition created by the Ukrainian government. Radosław Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister, suggested to EU colleagues the bloc's contribution from the fund could come from the profits of frozen Russian assets. 'Should it be a burden shouldered by our taxpayers or the Russians,' he told the room, according to a source familiar with the discussions. Brussels had been discussing its own warchest for weapon purchases using the seized assets. But using the cash towards the new scheme is seen as more efficient and a better way to maintain Mr Trump's support for Ukraine. European sources have noted a significant about-turn in the president's stance on Ukraine, after previously being accused of being friendly towards Moscow. Topping up the American scheme will also come as a direct contribution to the Nato defence spending target of 3.5 per cent, making it easier for countries to hit the goal. Details of the military aid deal are still to be finalised, according to Nato officials, although the first deliveries of Patriot air-defence batteries are expected in Ukraine within days. Sources said they would still have to hammer out particulars, such as what long-range missiles could be made available to Kyiv. Most of these decisions will be in the hands of the White House in the coming days as the scheme takes shape. Meanwhile, the EU is expected to sign off on its 18th package of sanctions against Russia at a meeting on Wednesday. 'Catch-all powers' The measures are expected to hand unprecedented 'catch-all' powers to customs officials, who will be able to seize shipments out of the bloc they believe could make their way to Russia. The system being introduced by Russia is purchasing European goods to fuel its war machine through third countries, such as Kazakhstan or Turkey. Under the scheme, exporters of seized shipments will have to provide cast-iron evidence that the freight will not make its way to Russia before it is released. Brussels will also target Moscow's 'shadow fleet' of oil tankers, sanctioning a refinery in India and a bank in China suspected of supporting Vladimir Putin's sale of fossil fuels abroad.
The Sun
40 minutes ago
- The Sun
Kremlin mocks Trump's 50-day deadline – and ‘unfazed' Putin ‘may demand MORE Ukrainian territory over sanctions threat'
THE Kremlin has mocked Trump's 50-day deadline to strike a peace deal - and may demand even more Ukrainian territory instead of laying down arms. Putin will keep terrorising Ukrainian civilians during the seven-week period, sources said, apparently unfazed by America's threat of sanctions and decision to arm Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of long-range weapons. 5 5 5 Trump on Monday vowed to slap brutal 100 percent tariffs on Russia if Moscow did not reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 50 days. Dismissing the President's ultimatum, Russian Foreign Minister said: "We of course want to understand what is behind this statement - 50 days. "It used to be 24 hours, it used to be 100 days, we have been through all of this and we really want to understand what motivates the President of the United States." Lavrov suggested Trump's move was simply driven by "indecent pressure from the European Union". Sources familiar with the internal workings of the Kremlin said that Putin would not end the war under pressure from the west, and believes the economy is strong enough to weather any additional economic measures. He also believes his military has the upper hand on the battlefield - and will be able to deal with the extra "top-of-the-line' long-range weapons Trump intends to supply. A source said: "Appetite comes with eating," meaning he is likely to continue grabbing land until the war has stopped. Explaining the dictator's thinking, another said: "Putin thinks no one has seriously engaged with him on the details of peace in Ukraine - including the Americans - so he will continue until he gets what he wants." Despite several telephone calls between Trump and Putin, and diplomatic visits to Russia, Putin feels there have not been detailed discussions towards a peace plan, the source said. They added: "Putin values the relationship with Trump and had good discussions with [Steve] Witkoff, but the interests of Russia come above all else." Trump shipping long-range missiles to Ukraine will change face of war' after 'p****d' Don's patience with Putin runs out Meanwhile, former Russian President Dmiitry Medvedev made a jibe on X: "Trump issue a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. "Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care." It was also reported by The Financial Times and The Washington Post that Trump encouraged Ukraine's President Zelensky during a phone call to strike deeper inside Russia in order to crank up the pressure on Putin. He apparently asked whether Ukraine could "hit Moscow" in order to "make Putin feel the pain of war", according to anonymous sources cited by the papers. Zelensky's answer was swift and direct: 'Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.' However, the White House denied Trump was calling for escalation, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt telling Newsweek: "President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. "He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war." 5 5 Putin's indifference was evident just hours after Trump issued the ultimatumwhen he unleashed a fresh devastating blitz on Ukrainian cities from Kharkiv to Zaporizhzhia and Sumy. In Sumy Oblast, Russian drones injured six people, including a 19-year-old student and 14-year-old girl, when they struck a university. A separate missile strike in Shostka wounded another teen and damaged a medical facility. Trump gave a surprise interview to the BBC on Monday night, when he said he was "disappointed but not done with" Putin. He also repeated his new-found backing for Nato and spoke of his respect for The King and Sir Keir Starmer ahead of his September state visit to the UK. Trump - for the first time - opened up about his difficulty trusting Putin, who has stalled four US attempts to end the 40 months Ukraine bloodbath. The President said: 'I thought I had a deal four times. 'I'm not done with him I'm disappointed in him. We thought we had a deal done four time the you go home and find he just attacked a nursing home or something in Kyiv… 'And so what the hell was that all about.' Trump, who once branded Nato 'obsolete,' told the BBC his view has changed. 'No. I think NATO is now becoming the opposite of that,' he said, because members were 'paying their own bills.' What have experts said of Trump's sending long-range weapons to Ukraine? by Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter DONALD Trump sending long-range weapons to Ukraine could be a game-changer for the war by helping halt Vladimir Putin's nightly blitzes, experts said. Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a decorated British Army commander, said the shipment of these long-range missiles would have profound "psychological and physical effects" on Ukraine. Mr de Bretton-Gordon told The Sun: "These weapons can strike Moscow - over 400 miles from the border. That allows the Ukrainians to strike drone factory production and ammunition sites, and others. "So this will have both psychological as well as physical effects. "People in Moscow will realise that they potentially could be targeted. "And when you also add to it the American bombings on Iranian sites that were supposed to be impregnable, it shows that American missile and drone technology rather superior to the Russian air defence system." The former army chief said these weapons will put real pressure on Russia, adding: "The metric has now changed and Trump's decision could make a huge difference." Ex-military intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram told The Sun how these long-range weapons could help strike Russian missile and drone launchpads - the ones that are used to launch nightly attacks on Ukraine. He said: "The Ukrainians are already attacking to hit Russian military logistics, defence industry bases. "And with these sophisticated weapons, they will have increased capability of doing so. "It will impact the ability of the Russians to prosecute these increasingly large drone and rocket attacks on a nightly basis. "And then that's the best way for the Ukrainians to stop it."
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine awaiting details on ‘billions of dollars' worth of weapons promised by Trump
Ukraine is waiting for further details of the 'billions of dollars' worth of US military equipment promised by Donald Trump on Monday, amid confusion as to how many Patriot air defence systems will be sent to Kyiv. At a meeting at the White House with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, on Monday, Trump said an unnamed country was ready to immediately provide '17 Patriots' as he said a 'very big deal' had been agreed for European allies to buy weapons from the United States and then ship them to Ukraine. Ukraine is currently believed to have only six functioning Patriot air defence batteries, which can intercept fast-moving Russian cruise and ballistic missiles. Maj Gen Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, the HUR, said it was unclear what the US president meant. 'We don't know exactly,' he said, adding that Ukraine was grateful for the assistance and had reacted 'positively' to the White House's announcement. The general also confirmed that Trump and the Ukrainian president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, had discussed the possibility of the US providing long-range Tomahawk missiles in a call earlier in July but no agreement had been reached. Skibitskyi said Trump in his comments on Patriots could have been referring to interceptor missiles, launching stations or entire batteries comprising multiple launchers and radar and control systems, which cost more than a billion dollars each. 'Seventeen is a huge number if we are talking about batteries. If it's launchers, that's possible,' he added. Each Patriot system comes with six launchers. Germany has agreed to provide two Patriot systems, with the Netherlands donating a third, Skibitskyi said. 'That would be 18 launchers for three batteries, which is close to 17. The US administration and the Pentagon will give us further details,' he added. The possibility of the US providing long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, as discussed by Trump and Zelenskyy this month, is likely to enrage Vladimir Putin. The precision cruise missiles are capable of striking Moscow and have a range of 1,600km. Previous Ukrainian requests were rejected by the Biden administration. During a call on 4 July, Trump asked Zelenskyy if he could hit the Russian capital and St Petersburg. According to Skibitskyi, Zelenskyy replied: 'Yes, absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons'. The Trump administration has so far not agreed to send Tomahawks. If it did provide the weapons, Ukraine would struggle to deploy them, Skibitskyi said. 'They are not easy to use. The main launchers are combat ships or strategic bombers. We don't have any strategic bomber aircraft,' he recognised. But he said it was crucial Ukraine had the ability to conduct 'kinetic' strikes deep inside Russia against high-value military targets. Discussions were ongoing with Washington over lifting restrictions imposed by the last administration on the use of Atacams, US provided missiles with a 300km range – about 190 miles. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the Trump administration was likely to allow Atacams to be used inside Russia at their full range, and was considering sending additional missiles. Currently, they can only be fired into Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, and not used on Russian territory. Skibitskyi said the Kremlin had already moved its strategic military bases more than 500km from its border with Ukraine. Kyiv was only able to hit them using unmanned kamikaze drones which can carry 5okg of explosives. Atacams, by contrast, have a 500kg payload and can cause greater destruction. 'It's very important for us to get approval from the US to use long-range missiles,' he said. 'We want to destroy and to disrupt, in accordance with Nato procedure.' Zelenskyy said he had a 'really good conversation' with Trump following Monday's announcement of a big weapons package. He said he discussed with the US president how to achieve 'a lasting and just peace' and to stop Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities, which have been hit in recent weeks by hundreds of drones and missiles. Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands on Tuesday said they wanted to participate in Trump's plan for Europe to buy US weapons for Ukraine. Politicians in Kyiv have broadly welcomed the improvement in relations with the US, following Zelenskyy's disastrous White House meeting with Trump in February. But there was also frustration that US tariffs and secondary sanctions on Russia have been postponed again, with Trump setting a deadline of 50 days. In an interview with the BBC, Trump said he was 'disappointed, but not done' with Putin. Russian officials have dismissed Trump's threat as 'hot air', pointing out he has changed his mind several times on sanctions and other issues. 'Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences … Russia didn't care,' the former president Dmitry Medvedev wrote on X. Trump's envoy to Ukraine, Gen Keith Kellogg, is in Kyiv on a week-long visit. On Monday he met Zelenskyy and commander in chief Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, as well as Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief and Skibitskyi. Kellogg was briefed on Russian plans for a summer offensive and on the latest from the frontline in the east, where Russian troops are advancing. Skibitskyi said the US president had 'more experienced' people around him than in his first presidential term and did not behave like a 'classical' politician. 'He's more of a businessman. It isn't easy to understand Mr Trump,' Skibitskyi added.
