Zelenskiy warns Trump that Putin likely 'bluffing'
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Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Poland foils attack on city's water system, amid ‘ongoing' cyber war with Russia
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski indirectly blamed Russia for the attack in a post on X. WARSAW - Poland foiled a cyberattack against the water and sewage system of a 'large city', Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Aug 14, adding that a cyber war with Russia was 'ongoing'. 'At the last minute, we managed to ensure that when the attack began, our (security) services found out about it and we shut everything down. We managed to mitigate it,' Mr Gawkowski told web portal speaking of the attack which took place on Aug 13. 'Yesterday, it was possible to end up in a situation in which one of the larger cities would have been left without water,' he added, refusing to name the city in question in order not to 'stir up people's emotions'. Mr Gawkowski, who is also the minister of digital affairs, did not indicate who might be the perpetrators of the attack, but in a post on X he referred to Russian hostility. 'No Russian planes will fly into Warsaw nor will tanks roll in – instead, their digital counterparts will appear,' he wrote. 'The first stage of such an attack may involve attempts to cut us off from water, gas and electricity, paralyse communications or halt logistics,' he added. According to Mr Gawkowski, Poland, which invests heavily in cybersecurity, currently foils 99 per cent of cyberattacks. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 100 people being investigated for vape offences, say MOH and HSA Singapore Bukit Merah fire: Residents relocated as town council carries out restoration works Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore askST: What are the fire safety rules for PMDs? Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at wrong airport in South Korea Asia India and China work to improve ties amid Trump's unpredictability Singapore From quiet introvert to self-confident student: How this vulnerable, shy teen gets help to develop and discover her strength On Aug 13, the Polish national prosecutor's office announced that it had charged three Poles and three Belarusians suspected of sabotage on behalf of 'foreign intelligence services'. A Ukrainian citizen accused of acts of sabotage, 'recruited by foreign services', was also arrested that day, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk. In July, Mr Tusk told reporters that Poland had so far detained 32 people suspected of 'cooperating with Russian intelligence services'. AFP
Toronto Sun
28 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Putin praises Trump's efforts to end Ukraine war ahead of Friday summit in Alaska
Published Aug 14, 2025 • 5 minute read Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, ahead of the Russia US summit. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) LONDON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow launched its invasion, as the two leaders prepared for a pivotal U.S._Russia summit Friday in Alaska. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Following a meeting Thursday with top government officials on the summit, Putin said in a short video released by the Kremlin that the Trump administration was making 'quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities' and to 'reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved.' Putin also suggested that 'long-term conditions of peace between our countries, and in Europe, and in the world as a whole,' could be reached under an agreement with the U.S. on nuclear arms control. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders worked to ensure their interests are taken into account when Trump and Putin meet in Anchorage. Uncertainty for Europe U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy to London on Thursday in a show of British support for Ukraine a day before the critical Trump-Putin meeting. The two embraced warmly outside Starmer's offices at 10 Downing Street without making any comments, and Zelenskyy departed about an hour later. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Zelenskyy's trip to the British capital came a day after he took part in virtual meetings from Berlin with Trump and the leaders of several European countries. Those leaders said that Trump had assured them that he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he meets with Putin. Speaking after the meetings to reporters, Trump warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to stop the war against Ukraine after Friday's meeting. While some European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, praised Wednesday's video conference with Trump as constructive, uncertainty remained over how the U.S. leader — whose rhetoric toward both Zelenskyy and Putin has evolved dramatically since retaking office this year — would conduct negotiations in the absence of any other interested parties. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Both Zelenskyy and the Europeans have worried that the bilateral U.S.-Russia summit would leave them and their interests sidelined, and that any conclusions could favor Moscow and leave Ukraine and Europe's future security in jeopardy. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tamped down expectations for any breakthroughs from the Friday summit, saying there were no plans to sign documents and that it would be a 'big mistake' to predict the results of the negotiations, according to Russian news outlet Interfax. The Kremlin on Thursday said the meeting between Trump and Putin would begin at 11:30 a.m. local time. Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Trump and Putin will first sit down for a one-on-one meeting followed by a meeting between the two delegations. Then talks will continue over 'a working breakfast.' A joint news conference will follow. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Starmer said Wednesday that the Alaska summit could be a path to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but he also alluded to European concerns that Trump may strike a deal that forces Ukraine to cede territory to Russia. He warned that Western allies must be prepared to step up pressure on Russia if necessary. During a call Wednesday among leaders of countries involved in the 'coalition of the willing' — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — Starmer stressed that any ceasefire deal must protect the 'territorial integrity' of Ukraine. 'International borders cannot be, and must not be changed by force,' he said. Kyiv has long insisted that safeguards against future Russian attacks provided by its Western allies would be a precondition for achieving a durable end to the fighting. Yet many Western governments have been hesitant to commit military personnel. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Countries in the coalition, which includes France and the U.K., have been trying for months to secure U.S. security backing, should it be required. Following Wednesday's virtual meetings, Macron said Trump told the assembled leaders that while NATO must not be part of future security guarantees, 'the United States and all the parties involved should take part.' 'It's a very important clarification that we have received,' Macron said. Trump did not reference any U.S. security commitments during his comments to reporters on Wednesday. Some Ukrainians are skeptical With another high-level meeting on their country's future on the horizon, some Ukrainians expressed skepticism about the summit's prospects. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Oleksandra Kozlova, 39, who works at a digital agency in Kyiv, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she believes Ukrainians 'have already lost hope' that meaningful progress can be made toward ending the war. 'I don't think this round will be decisive,' she said. 'There have already been enough meetings and negotiations promising us, ordinary people, that something will be resolved, that things will get better, that the war will end. Unfortunately, this has not happened, so personally I don't see any changes coming.' Anton Vyshniak, a car salesman in Kyiv, said Ukraine's priority now should be saving the lives of its military service members, even at the expense of territorial concessions. 'At the moment, the most important thing is to preserve the lives of male and female military personnel. After all, there are not many human resources left,' he said. 'Borders are borders, but human lives are priceless.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Zelenskyy said Thursday that Ukraine had secured the release of 84 people from Russian captivity, including both soldiers and civilians. Those freed included people held by Russia since 2014, 2016 and 2017, as well as soldiers who had defended the now Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that it too had received 84 soldiers as part of a prisoner exchange. In other developments, Russian strikes in Ukraine's Sumy region overnight Wednesday resulted in numerous injuries, Ukrainian regional officials said. A missile strike on a village in the Seredyna-Budska community wounded a 7-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man, according to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov. The girl was hospitalized in stable condition. In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged several apartment buildings in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, near the border with Ukraine, where 13 civilians were wounded, according to acting governor of the region, Yuri Slyusar. Two of the wounded were hospitalized in serious condition, Slyusar said. 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DW
28 minutes ago
- DW
Europe holds its breath as Trump meets Putin in Alaska – DW – 08/14/2025
Europe hopes that Trump will threaten Putin with secondary sanctions if he doesn't agree to a ceasefire but dread a deal over their heads and against their interests. In a bid to influence the outcome of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, key European leaders got on a video call with the US president as Germany hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X that Europe, the US and NATO"strengthened the common ground for Ukraine," and will remain in close coordination. The EU's diplomatic intervention was aimed at impressing upon Trump the bloc's collective desire for peace, but also to brief him on the suspected motives of his Russian counterpart ― and warn against conceding Ukrainian territory in the talks. There was some hope that the European allies may have managed to convince Trump against selling out Ukrainian and European interests. Still, since they will remain far away while Trump and Putin hold closed-door talks, tensions over what may transpire remain palpable. During Wednesday's call, Ukraine and its European allies said they wanted a ceasefire before commencing any negotiations with Russia. Trump seems to have made a note of that, though it's not a precondition for him ― he believes a ceasefire "would be a show of goodwill from Russia," reported CNN. Even though Trump is meeting Putin without Zelenskyy in Alaska, he indicated there might be a trilateral meeting including the Ukrainian president soon. French President Emmanuel Macron said the trilateral could take place in a neutral country in Europe after the tete-a-tete in Alaska. Trump has said earlier swapping some territory may be necessary to end the war. But after speaking to the Europeans, he said no such concessions would be made without Zelenskyy at the table. And while Trump is still opposed to Ukraine joining NATO ― which Kyiv has long said was essential as a security guarantee, experts suggest the US may be more open to offering some other sort of assurance to deter future Russian aggression. "The nature of US security guarantees and practical contributions would be subject to further negotiations," Kristine Berzina, a Washington, D.C.-based senior fellow of the German Marshall Fund (GMF), told DW. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Ukraine and the EU also expect the US to ask Russia to pay part of the massive reconstruction bill as part of future negotiations. It is estimated to cost between $500 billion and $1 trillion to repair the damage caused by Russian bombings in Ukraine. Kyiv and its supporters argue a part of that should come from frozen Russian assets, about €200 billion of which are located in Belgium, predominantly in a bank called Euroclear. There is also a push for President Trump to ask for the return for thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, as well as Ukrainian prisoners of war. The bloc also hopes the US will tighten its screws and impose secondary sanctions on Russia if the Russian president refuses to hold fire. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Despite some relief after the call there are still fears that Putin may outwit Trump. Europe faces a difficult scenario if Putin convinces Trump to cut off weapons supply to Ukraine, even through European partners, and intelligence sharing, since Ukraine needs both US military equipment and reconnaissance. Another one of Europe's fears is that the US may withdraw its assets from the continent and make the alliance weaker. "Russia wants to push the US out of eastern Europe and assert military dominance. Putin could use this meeting to encourage the US to withdraw troops from Europe," said Rafael Loss, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). This is a worrying possibility since, "the US is already reviewing its global force posturing." "In that case first and foremost the Europeans would need to shore up their own defenses" in eastern European nations, Loss said. "US force reductions are anticipated, though the scale of the withdrawal is not yet clear," said Berzina of the GMF. "But of course, this process is happening at the same time as the Ukraine and Russia negotiations are taking shape. It will be tricky for the US to withdraw troops from Europe if it wants to signal to Russia that the US is deeply committed to European security." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
