Russia 'Increasing Pace Of Gains' In Ukraine Despite Trump's Peace Plea, Says UK
The Ministry of Defence's (MoD) latest intelligence update on the conflict says Russian troops are seized more of their neighbour's territory throughout May and June.
In a post on X, the MoD said: 'Russian ground forces highly likely seized approximately 550-600 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in June 2025, an average of approximately 18-20 sq km per day.
'This was a slight increase from Russian advances in May 2025, which was itself a notable increase on the approximately 200 sq km of Ukrainian territory in April 2025.'
The MoD said the gains were 'largely in rural, less built-up areas'.
'Russia has focused on identifying weak areas across the defensive line,' they said.
'Small assaults enable Russia to probe and spot opportunistic areas to break through and make further gains across the front line.'
However, the intelligence update also pointed out that Russia is struggling to take fortified cities in Ukraine, choosing instead to circumvent them and try to cut off logistic and communication lines.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 17 July 2025.Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/wmOoAZdzxI#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/lSy8AAAZKt
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 17, 2025
News of the increased Russian gains will increase suspicions that Putin is trying to grab as much Ukrainian territory as they can before any potential ceasefire kicks in.
Donald Trump warned earlier this week that America would impose 100% tariffs on Russian exports to the US unless Moscow stops its assault within 50 days.
The US president has also agreed to send US Patriot missiles to Ukraine, although they will be paid for by the European Union.
'I haven't agreed on the number yet but they're going to have some because they do need protection,' Trump said.
Former Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov this week said the country's worsening economy could force Putin to end the war this year.
He said: 'Putin has no people to work. All people just transfer from civilian industry to military industry. Civilian industry is already contracting, that's a problem he has. By the end of the year, a completely different situation will appear.'
Related...
Former Russian PM Says Putin Could Be Forced To End The Ukraine War This Year
Trump Just Called Out Putin's 'Bulls***' – But Don't Expect Anything To Change In Ukraine
'Volodymyr, Can You Hit Moscow?': Trump's Extraordinary Question During Zelenskyy Phone Call
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Renault reports overall sales growth in H1 2025
Renault Group has reported a 1.3% increase in its overall sales for the first half (H1) of 2025 compared to 2024, with 1,169,773 vehicles sold globally. In Europe, despite a passenger car (PC) market downturn of 1.0%, the group's sales rose by 5.4%, reaching 708,106 registered vehicles, with Sandero and Clio being the 'top-selling' vehicles. Switch Auto Insurance and Save Today! Affordable Auto Insurance, Customized for You The Insurance Savings You Expect Great Rates and Award-Winning Service The Renault brand itself saw a 2.7% growth in global sales to 808,413 vehicles. Outside Europe, the Renault brand experienced a 16.3% growth, outpacing the market's 4.7% increase, attributed to the Renault International Game Plan 2027, with 36% of sales currently made outside Europe. In Latin America, sales rose by 24%, with significant increases in Brazil and Argentina. Renault is said to lead in Colombia with a 14.6% market share. Additionally, sales in Morocco and South Korea saw substantial increases, benefitting from the Kardian launch and the success of Grand Koleos, respectively. Despite a declining commercial vehicle market, Renault noted that it maintains the second place in the European light commercial vehicle (LCV)market. The Group's electrification strategy is also paying off, with electric vehicle sales up by 57% in Europe, driven by the Renault 5 E-Tech electric, and hybrid sales growing by more than 36%. In the C and higher segments, Renault's sales surged by 52%, especially with Austral, Espace, and Rafale models. However, the Dacia Brand's global sales slightly dipped by 0.7% due to the Duster now being sold under the Renault brand in Turkey. Dacia Sandero is claimed to be the 'best-selling' model in Europe. In H1 2025, Dacia Spring's sales increased by 62.5%, and Dacia Bigster has seen a strong performance since its launch. Dacia's sales in Europe rose by 1.1%, with a market share of 4.5%. The brand's electrification efforts resulted in 23.5% of its registrations being in electrified engines in H1, with hybrid vehicles signifying 17.2% of its sales. Alpine also continues its growth with an 85% increase in registrations. The A290 is also said to bolster the brand's sales with 3,699 global registrations. The company noted that, the brand will have around 200 Alpine Stores this year, with a new store launch in Ireland anticipated this summer. Looking ahead, in H2, Renault said that it will continue its electric offensive in Europe with new launches, including the €25,000 version of Renault 5 E-Tech. The group announced that this year, it will launch seven vehicles, including the electric Renault 4 E-Tech, Dacia Bigster, and Boreal for the international market. Also included are two facelifts of Renault Austral and Renault Espace. Recently, Renault Group's board of directors announced the appointment of Duncan Minto as the interim CEO of Renault SA. "Renault reports overall sales growth in H1 2025" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool signs Ekitiké from Frankfurt and takes offseason spending to $342 million
Liverpool signed France forward Hugo Ekitiké from Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday to continue the Premier League champion's offseason spending spree. Ekitiké is Liverpool's latest big-money signing after Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez — taking its outlay to around $342 million. The 23-year-old Ekitiké has joined for a fee of 69 million pounds ($93.5 million) and signed a six-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because details have not been made public, said the fee could rise by a further 10 million pounds ($13.5 million). Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been busy strengthening a team that won its record-equaling 20th English league title last season — in particular in attack. Wirtz, signed from Bayer Leverkusen last month for a fee that could rise to a British record 116 million pounds ($156 million), is considered one of the brightest talents in Europe. And Etikité is another player who has shone in Germany after leaving Paris Saint-Germain last year. He scored 22 in 48 appearances in his one full season with Frankfurt, which has made a big profit on him after buying him for a reported $19 million last year. Ekitiké's move comes weeks after Liverpool forward Diogo Jota died in a car accident in Spain. There is uncertainty about the future of other Liverpool forwards Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, who have both been targeted by teams in Europe during the offseason. The Merseyside club has not retained a league title since winning three in a row between 1982 and '84, which was before the inception of the Premier League. It is likely to face challenges from Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, who have all been active in the transfer market since the end of the season. Ekitiké is the latest big-money departure from Frankfurt after forward Omar Marmoush joined Man City for a reported $73 million in January. Marmoush was the team's top-scorer at the time, but Ekitiké responded with his best performances in a Frankfurt shirt to help the team finish third in the Bundesliga for Champions League qualification. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Abruptly Ends CNN Interview After Being Questioned About New Epstein Photos
President Donald Trump hung up on a CNN reporter during a phone call Tuesday that lasted a mere 30 seconds after the journalist questioned him about resurfaced images showing Jeffrey Epstein at Trump's 1993 wedding to his second wife, Marla Maples. While appearing Tuesday on 'Erin Burnett OutFront,' reporter Andrew Kaczynski shared details about the abrupt phone call with Trump that ended in name-calling. The call took place after CNN's 'KFile' found photos of Epstein and Trump that had not been widely reported on before. One photo showed the disgraced financier and sex offender attending Trump's Plaza Hotel wedding to Maples. In a separate image, Epstein was seen with Trump and his children at a Harley-Davidson Cafe that same year. CNN also released a video of Trump and Epstein chatting with each other at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York in February 1999. Kaczynski told host Burnett that the call, in which he asked Trump about the images, ended with the president slamming CNN as 'fake news' and hanging up after he refused to answer questions about his past connection to Epstein. 'We were not on the phone very long. I think our call was about 30 seconds or so,' Kaczynski told Burnett. 'But when I asked him about the wedding photo, he said, he sort of paused for a second and then said, 'You've got to be kidding me,' before calling CNN 'fake news' and then hanging up on me.' In a statement to CNN, Kaczynski said, White House communications director Steven Cheung said, 'These are nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures of widely attended events to disgustingly infer something nefarious.' Cheung added: 'The fact is that the president kicked [Epstein] out of his club for being a 'creep.'' Kaczynski's heated yet ultra-brief conversation with Trump comes after the Department of Justice and FBI released a two-page memo earlier this month, claiming their Epstein investigation determined that there was no evidence Epstein was murdered or had a 'client list' of powerful figures he could potentially blackmail. Following the memo release, Trump faced scrutiny over his administration's handling of the Epstein files. Trump supporters and right-wing figures called on the president and his administration to release more information. Watch Kaczynski's appearance below. #CNNExclusive: #CNN obtains never before published photos of #PresidentTrump with #JeffreyEpstein, including photos at Trump's wedding and photos with two of #Trump's children.#BreakingNews#OutFrontCNN#EpsteinFiles#CNN#News#A3# — Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) July 23, 2025 Related... 'Now Do Epstein': Martin Luther King Jr.'s Daughter Takes Aim At Trump Over Released MLK Files Trump Boldly Claims The 'Jeffrey Epstein Hoax' Has Boosted His Approval Rating 'Significantly' MAGA Is Probably Going To Be Pretty Disappointed By Trump's Latest Promise
