Israel strikes Iran – how will Iran retaliate?
Patrick Gibbons speaks to James Heale and Michael Stephens, associate fellow at RUSI. Plus: updates on assisted dying and the government's plans for welfare.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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Scottish Sun
24 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Watch Trump show off golf club gifted by Zelensky from hero Ukrainian sergeant who took up sport after losing leg in war
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DONALD Trump has been showing off a new golf club he was gifted by Volodymyr Zelensky on behalf of a wounded Ukrainian sergeant. The putter, engraved with the phrase "let's putt peace together", was picked out by Kostyantyn Kartavtsev who lost his leg during the war with Russia. 8 Donald Trump showing off a new golf club he was gifted by Volodymyr Zelensky on behalf of a wounded Ukrainian sergeant Credit: AFP 8 The putter was engraved with the phrase 'let's putt peace together' Credit: AFP 8 Ukrainian junior seragent Kostyantyn Kartavtsev filed a video to go alongside the gift describing how he fell in love with golf after losing his leg during the war Credit: AFP Junior Sergeant Kartavtsev took up the global sport beloved by the US President after his serious war injury. Doctors recommended he played golf after fitting him with a prosthetic leg. They said it would help to clear his mind from the horrors of war and also act as a way for him to get used to the artificial limb. Zelensky handed the putter to the President as the pair sat down in the Oval Office on Monday for crunch war talks. Kartavtsev had also recorded a touching video for Trump to watch as he checked out the latest club for his growing collection. It saw him give an emotional plea for US support as he detailed the story of how he fell in love with golf. The heroic soldier said: "I am one of those soldiers you have spoken about - they're courageous, they are good soldiers. "I lost a leg rescuing my fellow men, and am recovering here with golf.' 'Golf took me out into the fresh air, helped me breathe freely and switch from war to peace; it gave me the path to healing. 'Today, I give you my [putter,] not as an athlete, but as a warrior who dreams of peace through strength." Scheming Putin WON'T draw a line under Ukraine - here's why he won't give up the Donbas Kartavtsev ended the message with a final plea as he said: "Please help Ukraine live again without war." An emotional Trump was touched by the gift as he responded by saying: "Every time I sink a putt, I'll be thinking of you." Zelensky also showed him footage of a smiling Kartavtsev swinging a club around a golf course. After watching, Trump said: "I know a lot about golf, and your swing is great. "It looks beautiful, and you're going to be a very good golfer very soon, but I also want to thank you for this putter. "It's beautiful and it's made with real love, and it's given to me with real love from you, and I appreciate that." The idea of sending Trump the putter came from Kartavtsev directly as he contacted the Ukrainian president's office to ask if he could deliver the gift, Kyiv officials told the New York Post. Kartavtsev has been able to take up golf thanks to the Ukrainian Golf Federation's United By Golf program which focuses on veterans' rehabilitation. 8 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave Trump the gift when the pair spoke in the Oval Office on Monday Credit: AFP 8 President Trump is an avid golfer with him recently seen teeing off at Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen in Balmedie, Scotland Credit: Reuters 8 Trump spends a lot of his down time on the golf course Credit: Getty The organisation said in a statement: "This is a gift from a man who knows the true price of peace. "Like all those on the frontlines today, he continues to defend our freedom. "The veteran community of the United By Golf club thanks Donald Trump for his leadership on the path to peace for Ukraine and his kind words to our brother-in-arms." The gift helped to make sure the meeting between Trump and Zelensky went positively after a disastrous summit back in February. Zelensky was branded "disrespectful" after a heated row with the President and VP JD Vance saw him unceremoniously booted out of the White House. Ukraine's wartime leader also offered up a sporting gift during this first Oval Office showdown. He brought Ukrainian icon Oleksandr Usyk's undisputed WBC world heavyweight title belt which he earned against Tyson Fury. The gold belt was seen in the background of the now infamous footage of the three-way shouting match. How Zelensky won over Trump this time around By Patrick Harrington VOLODYMYR Zelensky strolled away from the White House on Monday beaming - a far cry from February's disaster clash when he was banished early. The Ukrainian hailed the summit with Trump and European leaders as the "best" yet - and bagged a big win with the first confirmation of US security guarantees. Here's a breakdown of all the tactics Zelensky used to woo the President... Zelensky thanked the US and Trump at least a dozen of times during their meeting - including eight within the first minute. He also impressed with his military-style suit which Trump personally said he was thankful for after Zel sparked fury with his outfit choice previously. Being flanked by a string of Trump's favourite world leaders in Italy's Meloni, France's Macron and Finland's Stubb helped Zelensky during negotiations due to Trump's admiration of his allies. Another key tactic saw Zelensky be 'trained up' to handle Trump by European leaders prior to the crunch one-on-one meeting Zelensky also came armed with gifts for the president including the golf club and a letter from his wife to Melania. The meeting of the two leaders was far more successful this time around with Zelensky even being backed by a string of his top European allies. Talks proved to be very productive, according to all those involved, with a peace agreement now on the verge of being agreed. The next step to finalise any plans will see a meeting between Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin take place. Trump, who could make it a trilateral meeting if he attends, has got both leaders to agree to talk after over three-and-a-half years of war. Discussions now centre around where the meeting will take place. The White House is reportedly planning to choose Budapest as a possible location to host a possible summit. Despite peace appearing to draw closer, Putin has continued to carry out barbaric air attacks. Ukraine's State Emergency Services reported a "massive drone strike" on the southern region of Odesa overnight which wounded one person as a huge fire erupted at a fuel and energy facility. The Romanian air force announced they had sent out two Typhoon aircraft belonging to the German Air Force due to the attacks coming just a mile away from Nato territory. Russian forces also staged brutal strikes on Sumy region where two innocent children were among a dozen civilian victims. 8 Zelensky brought Ukrainian icon Oleksandr Usyk's undisputed WBC world heavyweight title belt for a meeting in February before it went disastrously wrong Credit: Alamy
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Brazen Russian soldiers who flew American flag into battle ‘are KILLED on frontline by Ukrainians' after sick taunt
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WARPED Russian soldiers who flew the American flag into battle as a sick taunt have been killed in action, according to reports. An armoured vehicle was filmed this week adorned with the flags of both Russia and the United States in the wake of Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin. 8 Swaggering Putin troops flying the US and Russian flags Credit: East2West 8 Swaggering Putin troops flying the US and Russian flags 8 A firefighter works at the site of a fuel storage facility hit by a Russian drone strike Credit: Reuters 8 The mocking stunt appeared to suggest that the US is now helping Russia in its brutal invasion and occupation of swathes of Ukraine. But the twisted Russian troops weren't laughing for long. Military analysts have reported that the vehicle's crew have been killed in battle since it was filmed heading towards Zaporizhzhia. Blogger MilitaryNewsUA posted on X: "Russian channels write that the Russian crew of the Gaz-71, which had American and Russian flags installed on it, died during the assault on Ukrainian positions." It comes as Russia continues to sustain heavy casualties in its attempts to push further into Ukrainian territory. Russia's total casualties - meaning troops killed or wounded - in Ukraine exceeded one million back in June. The head of the Centre for the Study of the Occupation, Petr Andryushchenko, previously said: "The Russians have already declared the United States an ally and are storming Mala Tokmachka in M113 armoured personnel carriers….with Russian and American flags. "This is the logical conclusion to all of Trump's absurdity. "And all of this is on the official propaganda channel of Russia Today. There are no words." Vladimir Putin came out of the diplomatic deep freeze last Friday when he met with Donald Trump in Alaska for a peace summit. Ukrainian raid behind enemy lines kills 330 Russian troops While no ceasefire deal emerged following the meeting, Russia has spun the summit as a diplomatic win for the Kremlin after years of increased isolation. Trump told reporters: "There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say. "A couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there, but we've made some headway." Fears have since grown in Western capitals that Trump may try to force Ukraine into surrendering further territory to Moscow in exchange for peace. Putin has signalled that he wants to take control of the whole Donbas region as a pre-condition for an end to the war. Russian forces occupy large swathes of the two provinces that make up this region - Donetsk and Luhansk. 8 8 Ukrainian firefighters search for survivors after a Russian air strike on a residential building Credit: Getty But Ukraine still controls the strategically critical "fortress belt" in Donetsk, that analysts fear could be used by Moscow as a launchpad for future invasions. It prompted European leaders to fly to Washington and accompany Volodymyr Zelensky for crunch peace talks with Trump on Monday. The Ukrainian war leader sought to shore up American and European security guarantees for his country in the event of a halt to the fighting. Donald Trump has ruled out putting US boots on the ground - and has dashed Ukrainian hopes of joining Nato. He said instead: "We've got the European nations, and they'll front-load it. "When it comes to security, the Europeans are willing to put people on the ground." The White House is now pushing for a trilateral meeting with Trump, Putin and Zelensky to further peace discussions. Will there be a summit with Putin? VLADIMIR Putin has failed to publicly commit to a sit down with Volodymyr Zelensky off back of duelling summits with Donald Trump. It came after a love-in at the White House yesterday which saw Zelensky and Trump smooth over their differences and appear to pave the way for peace. The Ukrainian leader said he was "ready" to speak to Putin in-person under any circumstances. And any face-to-face showdown - which would be their first since the start of the war in February 2022 - could be followed by a trilateral summit with Donald Trump. So far however the Kremlin have remained coy on any details, despite Vlad reportedly telling Trump he was interested in talks. Moscow have remained publicly silent - and there have been no details released about when, or where, such a historic summit could occur. Efforts have previously been made to bring Zelensky and Putin together - with the Ukrainian leader even challenging Vlad to meet in Istanbul back in May. Silence from the Russian side raises fears that once again the tyrant could torpedo any attempt for talks at the highest level. 8 European leaders dashed to Washington in support of Zelensky this week Credit: AFP
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
Are British troops prepared to defend Ukraine?
The events of the last few days – the Trump/Putin summit in Anchorage, the visit of European leaders to the White House and the virtual conference of the 'Coalition of the Willing' – have felt strangely detached and surreal. It has been almost like the anxiety dream of a stressed European diplomat: full of famous faces and sententious words, none of it making much sense. Even summing up the status quo is a challenge. Thanks to President Trump, we know that the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine is now off the table and branded unnecessary. He has also said that the country will not be admitted to Nato, while his special envoy Steve Witkoff talked about a 'land swap' between Ukraine and Russia and 'robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing'. President Putin has agreed to these guarantees, or perhaps he hasn't. The White House at least agrees that a peace settlement cannot be made without involving Ukraine, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that 'you can't have a peace deal between two warring factions unless both sides agree to give up something'. As we pass the 80th anniversary of imperial Japan's unconditional surrender, one wonders what President Truman would have made of that assertion. There will be a bilateral meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy at some unspecified point, or perhaps there won't. Trump says Ukraine will have to resign itself to Russia's possession of Crimea, while Zelensky says there is no possibility of giving up its territorial rights. Most strikingly, there will be a 'reassurance force' deployed to Ukraine. President Trump explained: We've got the European nations and they'll front-load it and they'll have, some of them – France, Germany, UK – they want to have boots on the ground. I don't think it's going to be a problem, to be honest with you. A 'reassurance force' will require a 'combat mandate' but will not be responsible for enforcing a putative peace deal. The United States will not commit ground troops but it could provide support 'by air'. However, Germany's foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, has said that 'stationing troops in Ukraine would probably be too much for us', while the Kremlin has consistently said that the presence in Ukraine of troops from Nato countries is a red line. Not all of these propositions can be true. They reveal the dangerous and worrying extent to which individual actors are fixating on what they would like to happen, as if that somehow reifies their hopes. This level of disconnectedness in a complex strategic and military situation is a breeding ground for costly mistakes. Earlier this week, the defence secretary, John Healey, was giving the impression that a reassurance force was simply waiting for its command. He told the BBC last week: We're ready to put UK boots on the ground in Ukraine. They are ready to go, they're ready to act from day one. The military plans are complete. Is that true? Above everything else, have planners at the Ministry of Defence been persistent enough in asking the question that matters above all other: 'And then what?' The windy rhetoric of politicians has its purpose but when the armed forces are being committed to operations, they need more than vague intentions and broad-brush aims. They need detailed plans, objectives and rules of engagement. Let us suppose, mirabile dictu, a peace agreement is somehow reached, and the Coalition of the Willing has managed to generate some kind of meaningful reassurance force of 15,000 or 20,000 soldiers. They are deployed on the Ukrainian side of an agreed border, while half a million Russian troops are on the other side. Vladimir Putin, whom we know we cannot trust, pushes his luck: Russian soldiers 'accidentally' cross the agreed border into Ukrainian territory. The reassurance force warns them they must withdraw, but they refuse. And then what? Do British or French soldiers open fire on Russian units? Refusing to withdraw, the Russians are reinforced and move further into Ukraine. They engage Ukrainian troops, and British personnel are injured or killed alongside them. And then what? If we are still not prepared to take military action, our presence is pointless and we have reassured no-one. That means we must be prepared to take military action. Now we are facing the prospect of British infantry and armour engaging their Russian counterparts. Bullets, tank rounds, shells and missiles are fired. There will inevitably be casualties, and the reassurance force will be heavily outnumbered. Do they request American air support? Is Donald Trump willing to authorise air strikes on Russian army units? Every one of these questions must already have been answered hypothetically before we could safely contemplate deploying troops to Ukraine. We cannot wait and see, or allow troops to improvise, when the outcome could be a full-scale kinetic war with Russia. Whatever happens must be the result of a clear, sober, considered decision. Have these conversations happened in the Ministry of Defence and Downing Street? Have we actually thought this through? If only we could be sure.
