Zelenskiy Spoke With Trump About Replacing Ukraine's Envoy to US
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is on the list of potential candidates to become Kyiv's envoy to Washington alongside Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Energy Minister German Galushchenko, the person said speaking on condition of anonymity as the talks are private.
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CNN
15 minutes ago
- CNN
Putin says Russia's hypersonic missile has entered service and will be deployed in Belarus
President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia has started production of its newest hypersonic missiles and reaffirmed its plans to deploy them to ally Belarus later this year. Sitting alongside Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Valaam Island near St. Petersburg, Putin said the military already has selected deployment sites in Belarus for the Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile. 'Preparatory work is ongoing, and most likely we will be done with it before the year's end,' Putin said, adding that the first series of Oreshniks and their systems have been produced and entered military service. Russia first used the Oreshnik, which is Russian for 'hazelnut tree,' against Ukraine in November, when it fired the experimental weapon at a factory in Dnipro that built missiles when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Putin has praised the Oreshnik's capabilities, saying its multiple warheads that plunge to a target at speeds up to Mach 10 are immune to being intercepted and are so powerful that the use of several of them in one conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack. He warned the West that Moscow could use it against Ukraine's NATO allies who allowed Kyiv to use their longer-range missiles to strike inside Russia. Russia's missile forces chief has declared that Oreshnik, which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, has a range allowing it to reach all of Europe. Intermediate-range missiles can fly between 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles). Such weapons were banned under a Soviet-era treaty that Washington and Moscow abandoned in 2019. Last fall, Putin and Lukashenko signed a treaty giving Moscow's security guarantees to Belarus, including the possible use of Russian nuclear weapons to help repel any aggression. The pact follows the Kremlin's revision of its nuclear doctrine, which for the first time placed Belarus under the Russian nuclear umbrella amid tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for over 30 years and has relied on Kremlin subsidies and support, allowed Russia to use his country's territory to send troops into Ukraine in 2022 and to host some of its tactical nuclear weapons. Russia hasn't disclosed how many such weapons were deployed, but Lukashenko said in December that his country currently has several dozen. The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which has a 1,084-kilometer (673-mile) border with Ukraine, would allow Russian aircraft and missiles to reach potential targets there more easily and quickly if Moscow decides to use them. It also extends Russia's capability to target several NATO allies in Eastern and Central Europe. The revamped nuclear doctrine that Putin signed last fall formally lowered the threshold for Russia's use of its nuclear weapons. The document says Moscow could use nuclear weapons 'in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction' against Russia or its allies, as well as 'in the event of aggression' against Russia and Belarus with conventional weapons that threaten 'their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity.'
Fox News
38 minutes ago
- Fox News
Zelenskyy urges direct talks with Putin as Trump sets peace deadline
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put out a statement praising President Donald Trump's efforts to broker peace and calling for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We see and support President Trump's efforts to end Russia's war, to stop the killing, and to achieve a dignified and lasting peace. We are grateful to everyone around the world who supports peace efforts and helps us protect lives," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "We understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war. The whole world understands this too. Ukraine calls for moving beyond the exchange of statements and technical-level meetings to talks between leaders. The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness," the Ukrainian leader added. Trump also announced on Friday that he was repositioning two nuclear submarines after a "highly provocative" conversation with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. "Based on the highly provocative statements of the former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Zelenskyy's message comes as Putin has just one week to meet Trump's deadline for ending the three-and-a-half-year war. Acting U.S. Representative John Kelley announced the deadline at a United Nations Security Council briefing on "Threats to International Peace and Security." Trump, who has consistently voiced his desire to end the war, recently said Russia's actions against Ukraine were "disgusting." "Both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace. It is time to make a deal. President Trump has made clear this must be done by August 8. The United States is prepared to implement additional measures to secure peace," Kelley said. Kelley reiterated the U.S.'s support of Ukraine's right to defend itself in the face of Russian attacks. "Our support for Ukraine's defense cannot be compared to the supply of arms and material to Russia, which enables Russia to continue its full-scale invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory," Kelley said. "Last week, we called on all UN Member States to help bring the war to an end by ceasing any and all support to Russia's war efforts. We do so again today." The American diplomat explicitly named North Korea, China, and Iran as countries that have helped Russia both directly and indirectly. He said that while Beijing has not directly provided Moscow with weapons, it has acted as a "decisive enabler" by "being the most important supplier of Russia's war industrial machine." It seems unlikely that Russia would come to the negotiating table as it carried out a deadly airstrike against Kyiv and its representatives at the U.N. appeared to double down on Moscow's desire to retake Ukraine. "We are not seeking to destroy [Ukraine], its culture or its identity. We would like Ukrainian [and] Russian cultures coexist in this country, as it used to be for decades without any problems or conflicts," Russia's Mission to the U.N. wrote on X. In the early hours of Thursday, Russia launched more than 300 drones and eight missiles that hit residential areas in Kyiv. On Friday, Ukraine mourned after 31 were killed in the strike, which was the deadliest air attack carried out by Moscow this year. The death toll includes five children, one of whom was just two years old, according to Reuters. Additionally, more than 150 people were wounded, including 16 children.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Germany will provide 2 more Patriot defense systems to Ukraine, US will backfill stockpiles
Germany announced on Friday that it will provide two additional Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming days, and several more in the coming months, after the Pentagon agreed to quickly replenish Berlin's stockpiles. The statement, issued by Germany's Ministry of Defense, also said Germany would be paying for the new Patriot systems provided by the US. 'The prerequisite was that the US manufacturer would deliver new Patriot systems as quickly as possible in return so that we could continue to meet our NATO obligations,' German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement. 'This commitment from the US side has been made.' Germany has provided three Patriots to Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion, and had been reluctant to send more until they could ensure that the systems would be replenished by the US. But under a new plan unveiled by President Donald Trump last month, European nations agreed to transfer weapons to Ukraine while purchasing new ones from the US to backfill their stockpiles. The plan, which would see Europe shoulder more of the burden in supplying Ukraine, has been under discussion ever since Trump won last year's election and European officials quickly began deliberating on ways to sustain US weapons shipments to Ukraine under a leader who had vowed to pull back American support, CNN has reported. Col. Martin L. O'Donnell, a spokesperson for NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, told CNN in a statement that NATO is prepared to coordinate the weapons' 'urgent delivery' to Ukraine. 'NATO is delivering on the initiative President Trump and Secretary General Rutte announced last month to boost support for Ukraine by opening additional assets to Ukraine through investment by Allies in Europe and Canada. Germany has shown its leadership in this regard,' O'Donnell said. 'We look forward to additional voluntary contributions from other European nations. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, and others, stand ready to coordinate them for urgent delivery.' NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said in a post on X on Friday that he 'welcomes' Germany's decision. 'This is great news and I welcome Germany's leadership! This will help ensure Ukraine is able to defend its skies, protect its people, and deter Russian aggression,' he wrote.
