Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky warns Putin will launch new war from land gained in Trump deal
The Ukrainian president said Mr Putin wanted the remaining 30 per cent, or 3,500 square miles of the region, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the three-and-a-half-year-old war.
But Mr Zelensky vowed Ukraine would 'never leave' the Donbas and warned Mr Putin's troops could use it as a spring board for a future invasion.
"We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Everyone forgets the first part - our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,' he said.
Mr Zelensky learned of Russia 's position after holding a call with Mr Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff, after Mr Witkoff's bilateral meeting with Mr Putin.
Mr Witkoff told Zelensky that Russia was ready to end the war and that there should be territorial concessions from both sides.
Mr Trump will meet the Russian leader in Anchorage, Alaska 's largest city, on Friday, for what he described as 'feel out' meeting.
Drone debris sparks fire at refinery in Russia's Krasnodar
Debris from a destroyed drone sparked a small fire that was later extinguished at the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, the local administration said this morning.
"There are casualties reported," officials said. "The fire was promptly extinguished. Emergency and special services are working at the scene,' they said.
The Slavyansk refinery is a private plant with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day. It supplies fuel for both domestic use and export.
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 04:23
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump-Putin summit live: US president threatens ‘severe consequences' if Putin does not agree to Ukraine ceasefire
Donald Trump has threatened Vladimir Putin with 'severe consequences' if the Russian leader does not agree to a ceasefire after crunch talks in Alaska this week. The US president did not say what these would be, but has previously threatened Moscow with harsh sanctions if it did not agree to a truce in Ukraine. It comes after Volodymyr Zelensky said Mr Trump told European leaders he supports a ceasefire and the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine and discussed America's willingness to 'take part' in this. The Ukrainian president was speaking after a virtual meeting with Mr Trump and other European leaders, as Kyiv presses its case on the US president ahead of the landmark meeting on Friday. 'All the partners demonstrated one voice, one desire, and one principle. The same principle and the same vision. This is an important step forward,' he added. Zelensky said Putin has demanded Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk, but vowed Ukraine would 'never leave' the Donbas and warned Putin's troops could use it as a spring board for a future invasion. Trump praises 'very good call' with European leaders US president Donald Trump said he would rate his call with Sir Keir Starmer and European leaders as a 10. Asked if it was his decision not to invite Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Mr Trump said: 'No, just the opposite. 'We had a very good call, he was on the call, President Zelensky was on the call. I would rate it a 10, you know, very, very friendly.' He added: "It was always going to be, I was going to meet with President Putin, and then after that, I'm going to call the leaders and President Zelensky, I'm going to call President Zelensky, and then I'll call, probably, in that order, the leaders. 'There's a very good chance that we're going to have a second meeting which will be more productive than the first, because the first is I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing." Mr Trump described the war as "Biden's war", adding: "This war would have never happened if I were president. But it is what it is, and I'm here to fix it." Alexander Butler14 August 2025 04:00 'Severe consequences' if Putin doesn't agree to stop war, warns Trump There will be 'severe consequences' if Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire following crunch talks in Alaska, Donald Trump warned. Mr Trump was "very clear" in a virtual meeting Wednesday with European leaders that the US wants to achieve a ceasefire at the upcoming US-Russia summit in Alaska, French President Emmanuel Macron said. In the same meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, he told the group that Putin 'is bluffing' ahead of the planned meeting with Mr Trump. Mr Putin, Mr Zelensky said, "is trying to apply pressure ... on all sectors of the Ukrainian front" in an attempt to show that Russia is "capable of occupying all of Ukraine." Alexander Butler14 August 2025 03:00 Europe rallies behind Ukraine after talks with Trump EU leaders have rallied behind Ukraine after praising a 'very good call' with US president Donald Trump ahead of his landmark summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Finland's President Alexander Stubb said the next few days and weeks could be decisive in the Ukraine peace process. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was a "very good call". "Today Europe, the US and NATO have strengthened the common ground for Ukraine. "We will remain in close coordination. Nobody wants peace more than us, a just and lasting peace." German chancellor Friedrich Merz described the meeting with Trump as "constructive" and said that "important decisions" could be made in Anchorage, but stressed that "fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be protected" at the summit. Alexander Butler14 August 2025 02:00 Zelensky tells Trump that Putin is 'bluffing' and does not want peace ahead of crunch Ukraine summit Zelensky tells Trump Putin is 'bluffing' and does not want peace ahead of summit It has been reported that the US and Russia have discussed the Israeli occupation of Palestine as a model for a future agreement with Ukraine Alexander Butler14 August 2025 01:00 Ukraine, US, European leaders discuss venue for follow-up meeting after Trump-Putin summit Leaders of the US, Ukraine and Europe discussed possible locations for a follow-up meeting between US president Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. Mr Trump said on Wednesday there was a 'very good chance' of Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky meeting after his crunch summit with the Russian leader in Alaska on Friday Possible locations include cities in Europe and the Middle East, according to sources close to the matter. Alexander Butler14 August 2025 00:01 Watch: Trump warns of 'severe consequences' if Russia doesn't stop Ukraine war Holly Evans13 August 2025 23:09 Inside the remote military base where Trump and Putin will hold historic summit Inside the remote military base where Trump and Putin will hold historic summit Leaders will meet in Anchorage facility home to some 32,000 people Alexander Butler13 August 2025 23:00 When Trump and Putin go head to head in Alaska, who wins? Even by Donald Trump 's standards, his pre-match assessment of how his bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart would play out was bullish. 'We're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin,' he told a news conference at the White House. 'And at the end of that meeting – probably in the first two minutes – I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made. Cos that's what I do – I make deals.' It's typical Trump: boastful, bereft of meaning and utterly unconvincing. On Friday, when Trump welcomes the Russian president to talks in Alaska, like a python eyeing a particularly plump suckling piglet, Putin will squeeze the spirit out of him, and then eat him for breakfast, as he has on each and every occasion when this tragically unevenly matched pair have had cause to interact. When Trump and Putin go head to head, who wins? Friday's summit in Alaska between the two leaders to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine will show that it is the cunning former KGB officer who understands the art of the deal, says Sean O'Grady Holly Evans13 August 2025 22:41 Putin appears ready to test new missile as he prepares for Trump talks Russia appears to be preparing to test its new nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered cruise missile, according to two US researchers and a Western security source, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin readies for talks on Ukraine with US President DonaldTrump on Friday. Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and Decker Eveleth of the CNA research and analysis organisation, based in Virginia, reached their assessments separately by studying imagery taken in recent weeks until Tuesday by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite firm. They agreed the photos showed extensive activity at the Pankovo test site on the Barents Sea archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, including increases in personnel and equipment and ships and aircraft associated with earlier tests of the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel). 'We can see all of the activity at the test site, which is both huge amounts of supplies coming in to support operations and movement at the place where they actually launch the missile,' Lewis said. Alexander Butler13 August 2025 22:30 69 per cent of Ukrainians favour negotiated end to war, poll finds A Gallup poll released last week found that 69 per cent of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means significant concessions. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev earlier said Moscow's stance had not changed since last year. As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, Putin had demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce plans to join NATO. Holly Evans13 August 2025 22:16
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Rupee to cling to recovery before long weekend featuring Trump-Putin meet
MUMBAI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee is expected to open largely unchanged on Thursday, holding on to the last session's unexpected recovery, with traders awaiting the outcome of a key meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 1-month non-deliverable forward indicated the rupee will open in the 87.44-87.46 range versus the U.S. dollar, flat from Wednesday's level of 87.44. The local currency had its best day in more than a month on Wednesday, thanks to a softer dollar and position adjustments. "The recovery yesterday was against the trend and caught a few by surprise," a senior banker at a private bank said. "Today should be quiet with a mild upside bias (on dollar/rupee)," he added. "Most interbank desks are in wait-and-watch mode with positions light heading into a potentially risk-filled weekend." Indian financial markets are shut on Friday, when Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. For India, the meeting holds added significance after Trump criticised its purchase of Russian oil and imposed an extra 25% tariff on its goods effective August 27, doubling the rate to 50% - the highest U.S. tariff on a country alongside Brazil. "At a 50% tariff rate, several Indian industries would face significant headwinds, particularly those for which the U.S. is their largest export market," said Lim Ze Hao, an analyst at CreditSights. On Wednesday, Trump threatened "severe consequences" if Putin did not agree to peace in Ukraine, while adding that a second meeting, possibly involving the Ukrainian president, could follow swiftly. A conciliatory outcome could help calm jitters and support the rupee, while a combative outcome may renew pressure on the currency by triggering equity flows and heightening concerns over U.S. trade policy towards India. KEY INDICATORS: ** One-month non-deliverable rupee forward at 87.58; onshore one-month forward premium at 11 paise ** Dollar index at 97.72 ** Brent crude futures up 0.5% at $65.9 per barrel ** Ten-year U.S. note yield at 4.23% ** As per NSDL data, foreign investors sold a net $302.1 million worth of Indian shares on August 12 ** NSDL data shows foreign investors sold a net $76.5 million worth of Indian bonds on August 12
Times
an hour ago
- Times
US and Russia ‘propose West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine'
Russia and the United States have discussed a model for ending the war in Ukraine that mirrors Israel's occupation of the West Bank, The Times has been told. Under this scenario Russia would have military and economic control of occupied Ukraine under its own governing body, imitating Israel's de facto rule of Palestinian territory seized from Jordan in 1967. The idea was raised weeks ago in discussions between Steve Witkoff, President Trump's peace envoy, and his Russian counterparts, according to a source close to the US national security council. Witkoff, who is also tasked by Trump with bringing peace to the Middle East, is understood to support the idea, which the Americans believe circumvents barriers in the Ukrainian constitution to ceding territory without holding an 'all-Ukraine' referendum. President Zelensky has refused to countenance handing over land but the occupation model may be a mechanism to allow for a truce after three and a half years of war. Under the model, Ukraine's borders would not change, just as the borders of the West Bank have gone unchanged for 58 years, only under Israeli control. 'It'll just be like Israel occupies the West Bank,' the source said before Trump's summit with President Putin in Alaska on Friday. 'With a governor, with an economic situation that goes into Russia, not Ukraine. But it'll still be Ukraine, because … Ukraine will never give up its sovereignty. But the reality is it'll be occupied territory and the model is Palestine.' Anna Kelly, the deputy White House press secretary, said: 'This is total fake news and sloppy reporting by The Times, who clearly has terrible sources. Nothing of the sort was discussed with anyone at any point.' Zelensky in the Kharkiv region this month UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Israel's occupation has been ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice, which is not recognised by the US and only partially accepted by Russia. In March 2022 the court ordered Russia to 'immediately suspend military operations' in Ukraine, by a vote of 13 to two in which Russian and Chinese judges were opposed. The order is binding on Russia but the court has no means of enforcing it. The United Nations has ordered Israel to end its occupation, most recently in a vote of the general assembly last September by 124 nations to 14, with 43 abstentions. The resolution called for Israel to comply with international law within 12 months and withdraw its military forces, immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from occupied land and dismantle parts of the separation wall it constructed inside the occupied West Bank. Israel, which voted against the measure along with the US, has ignored the resolution. Britain abstained. This outcome for Ukraine's occupied territories is seen by some US negotiators as simply reflecting the reality of the war and the refusal by all other nations to become directly involved in fighting Russia. In this view, all that remains is to establish the exact boundaries of Russian occupation, which Putin is seeking to push as far as possible before his talks with Trump in Alaska. The scenario would reflect the world view expressed by Sebastian Gorka, Trump's senior director for counterterrorism, during an interview in May. 'We live in the real world. The Trump administration lives in the real world,' Gorka told Politico. 'We recognise the reality on the ground. Number one, that's the beginning because we're not utopianists and we're not human engineers. We're not some kind of pie in the sky believers in utopia. 'We recognise the reality on the ground and we have one priority above all else, whether it's the Middle East or whether it's Ukraine. It's to stop the bloodshed. Everything else comes after the bloodshed has been halted.' Israeli troops captured the West Bank — land between Israel and the River Jordan — from Jordanian forces during the 1967 Six Day War, putting millions of its Palestinian residents under Israeli control. JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES AMAER SHALLODI/GETTY IMAGES Today it maintains overall control of the territory, although since the 1990s a Palestinian government known as the Palestinian Authority has run most of its towns and cities. Palestinians are subject to Israeli military checkpoints and patrols, and are required to obtain permits from Israel to travel between the West Bank and other Palestinian territories in Gaza and East Jerusalem. • The occupation has been widely criticised for land seizures and the establishment of more than 150 settlements in breach of a UN security council resolution and international law. Israel has also imposed a two-tier system of citizenship: Israeli civilians living or passing through the West Bank are subject to Israeli law while Palestinian civilians are subject to martial law and cannot vote in Israel's national elections.
